Cycling icon Cavendish crowns dramatic record chase
The suffering of the past few days has paid off. British rider Mark Cavendish wins the fifth stage of the Tour de France and enters the history books: It is his 35th stage success at the French Grand Tour. This makes him the sole record holder ahead of the legendary Eddy Merckx.
British cycling professional Mark Cavendish won the fifth stage of the 111th Tour de France on Wednesday and rose to the rank of sole record holder of stage wins at the French Grand Tour. The 39-year-old from Team Astana Qazaqstan won the sprint finish in Saint-Vulbas after 177.4 km, beating Belgian Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team). Cavendish now has 35 stage wins at the Tour de France to his name, surpassing the legendary Eddy Merckx. Merckx, known as "The Cannibal," is considered the greatest cyclist of all time. He won the overall classification of the Tour de France five times between 1969 and 1974.
German sprinter Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) finished sixth in his Tour debut, his best result to date. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) had to settle for 16th place. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) retained the yellow jersey, finishing with the main field after his victory on the first Alpine stage, as did the other classification leaders.
Career extended due to injury
Cavendish had planned to retire at the end of last year. However, he had to withdraw from the Tour 2023, on its seventh stage, due to injury before the finish line, where he was narrowly beaten by Philipsen. The 2023 Tour began badly for Cavendish, who looked ill on the first stage and had to withdraw.
On Thursday, there is another flat stage over 163.5 km to Dijon, and the favorites for the overall win are again in contention on Friday at the individual time trial in Gevrey-Chambertin.
Mark Cavendish's victory in the Tour de France's fifth stage brings him immense joy in the world of cycling sport. With this triumph, he surpasses Eddy Merckx's record of most stage victories in the Tour de France, making a significant mark in the history of cycling's renowned Tour de France.
