Cavendish is now equal with Tour great Hinault

MARK Cavendish turned in a vintage performance to snatch his second stage win of the 2016 Tour de France and write another line in the great race’s history books.

Andre Greipel punched the air after the pair crossed the line in Angers but the German’s arm soon dropped and Cavendish quietly pumped a fist before replays confirmed his victory — with the Tour’s timekeepers putting the gap at six thousandths of a second.

Cavendish won stage one of the Tour on Saturday to wear the yellow jersey for the first time in his career, and this latest success gives the 31-year-old 28 Tour stage wins, moving him level with Bernard Hinault in second on the all-time list behind Eddy Merckx on 34.

Five-time Tour winner Hinault was on hand to congratulate Cavendish in person on the podium.

“When I started my career, for me to at any point be mentioned in the same sentence as Eddy Merckx or Bernard Hinault is more than I could have dreamed of,” Cavendish said.

“There’s no way I could sit here and compare myself in any way to those two greats.”

Greipel and Marcel Kittel have dominated sprints in the last three Tours, leading many to question whether Cavendish’s time had passed before this race began on Saturday.

Three stages in, that notion has already been dismissed.

The 31-year-old said his winter move to Team Dimension Data, the African-based squad which supports the Qhubeka charity, has given him an entire new purpose on a bike.

“It’s given me a new lease of life,” he said. “It’s given me a cause to ride for rather than just pressure to win. It’s more than just winning. It’s about getting 5,000 kids on bikes in Africa.”