Second win in three days for Cavendish

Mark Cavendish secured his second stage win of this year’s Tour de France with victory on stage six into Chateauroux.

Two days after taking his first Tour stage success in five years, Cavendish doubled up as he pipped Jasper Philipsen and Nacer Bouhanni to the line.

It was Cavendish’s 32nd career Tour stage win, and third in Chateauroux, scene of his very first Tour victory in 2008.

Cavendish showed both his pace and his experience in the finale of the 160.6km stage from Tours, coming off the wheel of his Deceuninck-QuickStep lead-out man Michael Morkov and instead latching on to Philipsen’s AlpecinFenix train before coming around the Belgian.

A second win in three days sees the Manxman edge closer to Eddy Merckx’s all-time record of 34 Tour stages.

The sprint finish meant no major changes at the top of the general classification, in which Mathieu van der Poel continues to lead by eight seconds from defending champion Tadej Pogacar, winner of Wednesday’s time trial.

Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic crossed safely in the pack, but both remain almost two minutes down on Pogacar.

Mark Cavendish.