By T. Jayani, JadeTimes News
Mark Cavendish has broken the record for Tour de France stage wins, securing his 35th victory with a sensational sprint finish in Saint Vulbas. This achievement surpasses the legendary Eddy Merckx, who held the previous record. Contesting what is expected to be his final Tour, the 39 year old sprinted to a dramatic finish in stage five, raising his arms in celebration as he crossed the line before being embraced by his team.
This historic moment comes a year after Cavendish suffered a race ending crash on stage eight, following a near victory by Jasper Philipsen. "You sprint and go as hard as you can until you get to the finish, and maybe your life changes if you cross that line first. That is the nature of this race and what makes it so beautiful," Cavendish told ITV.
Cavendish had held the record for most Tour stage wins with Belgian Merckx since his 34th stage win in 2021. Originally planning to retire last year, Cavendish was motivated to make another comeback to achieve the outright record. Already regarded as the best sprinter of all time, Cavendish delayed his retirement by one more year and earned the prize he desperately sought.
After battling illness, injuries, and depression, Cavendish did not win a single race during 2019 and 2020. However, he made a remarkable comeback in 2021 with the Belgian Quick Step team, winning four stages in that year's Tour. Despite being left out of the 2022 Tour and seemingly out of contract at the end of that year, Cavendish joined Astana Qazaqstan for 2023. Following a crash last year that ended his race on the verge of history, Cavendish decided he could not allow his career to end there. In Saint Vulbas, with a trademark dash to the line, he achieved the record breaking moment that felt destined.
Tour race director Christian Prudhomme said, "Everyone has a smile today even Eddy Merckx. Everybody thought it was too late but him. It is a wonderful story. He is the yellow jersey of the sprinters." After the ascent of the iconic Col du Galibier on Tuesday, stage five offered respite for the overall race contenders on a relatively flat 177.4 km route from Saint Jean de Maurienne to Saint Vulbas. This stage was the one Cavendish and his Astana Qazaqstan team had specifically prepared for.
Groupama FDJ rider Clement Russo and Matteo Vercher of Total Energies were the only riders to attempt a move on stage five. However, their four and a half minute advantage was quickly reduced as the sprint teams took charge in the peloton. There was a nervous moment for race leader Tadej Pogacar, who narrowly avoided disaster by swerving a traffic island at the last minute. Several riders suffered crashes, but no one was seriously injured.
Slovenia's Pogacar, 25, retained the leader's yellow jersey, which he reclaimed by taking victory on stage four. He holds a 45 second lead over Remco Evenepoel in the General Classification standings, with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard five seconds further adrift.
Once the GC teams had delivered their leaders into the safety of the final few kilometers, the frantic push to the finish line unfolded. Astana Qazaqstan always appeared well organized before Cavendish made his historic move. With his 165th career victory, Cavendish is now immortalized in the race's history as the Tour's greatest ever stage winner, 16 years after his first Tour de France stage win on the fifth stage of the 2008 race.
Reacting to Cavendish's historic win, former teammate and good friend Geraint Thomas said, "It's unbelievable. I am super happy for him. It is great he has the record alone and is not sharing it with anyone. I said, 'Mate, if you win this stage just drop your bike and walk away' but he was like, 'If I win the first one, I'll want to win more.' So he’s definitely going to hang around, isn't he." Stage six on Thursday provides the sprinters with another opportunity on a flat 163.5km route from Macon to Dijon, concluding with an 800m straight finish.