Mark Cavendish is now the record holder for stage wins in cycling's most prestigious Tour de France, having today recorded his 35th success in the fifth stage of this year's edition. Thus, the 39-year-old competitor single-handedly displaced the Belgian legend Eddy Merckx from the top of the all-time ranking.
Cavendish postponed his retirement to make one last attempt to break the record. Last year, he withdrew from the race due to injury.
"Astana risked everything in the Tour de France this year. We bet everything on winning a stage. It's a big bet for my boss Alexander Vinokurov, but we did it. We did everything exactly as we wanted - every detail, the equipment, especially today. ..It doesn't mean we're at the top of the UCI rankings, but the Tour de France is bigger than cycling," said the Briton, whose first success in the Tour dates back to 2008.
Tadej Pogacar, the 2020 and 2021 Tour champion, finished day two in the leader's yellow jersey. Monday's stage winner Biniam Girmay took the green jersey after finishing ninth. | BGNES
