Cavendish misses out on record Tour stage win but takes green jersey
Wout Van Aert denied Mark Cavendish the Tour de France stage wins record as the Belgian national champion took victory on the Champs-Elysees on Paris on Sunday.
Cavendish was hoping to end the Tour with his fifth stage victory of the race, one which would have moved him clear of Eddy Merckx as the winner of a record 35.
But it was not to be as the Manxman got squeezed out on the run to the line and Merckx’s compatriot took his third stagewinofthisTour–thefirst man since Bernard Hinault in 1979 to win a mountain stage, a sprint and a time trial in the same Tour.
Tadej Pogacar, 22, crossed the line to confirm his second consecutive overall title for UAE Team Emirates, winning byfiveminutesand20seconds from Jonas Vingegaard, with Richard Carapaz completing the podium.
The fairytale ending to this Tour was not to be for Cavendish, but this will still go down as a remarkable performance after he accepted a late call-up to the squad and took his first stage wins since 2016.
“I’m really happy to have eight guys get to Paris safe and after 10 years to get the green jersey again,” Cavendish said.
“It would have been nice to finish it off with a win, but it is what it is.”
With history beckoning, Van Aert had joked that he would do his best to defend Merckx’s record for Belgium and, although he could not stopCavendishequallingit,the 26-year-old was there to make sure it was not broken on the Champs-Elysees.
Van Aert’s stage win added to the remarkable salvage job Jumbo-Visma have done in this Tour after losing leader
Primoz Roglic in the opening week–winningfourstagesand gettingVingegaardonthepodium,despitefinishingwithonly four riders.
“It’s been such a rollercoaster and to finish off with a win like this is beyond my expectations,” Van Aert said. “I guess I gave myself a problem because I have to catch a flight (to the Olympics) and all these interviews will take a while.
"I’ll have to see if I can get there, but I’m not sorry that I went for it. To win three stages like this is priceless.”
Cavendish’srecordattempt was not the only reason Merckx’s name was being mentionedonSunday,withPogacar already drawing comparisons with the ‘Cannibal’ for his astonishing success. In 50 days of competition this season, the 22-year-old has spent 22 days as the leader of a race and notched 31 top-10 results.