publish time

03/07/2024

author name Arab Times

publish time

03/07/2024

author name Mohammed
Britain's sprinter Mark Cavendish, center, sprints to the finish line to win a record 35th Tour de France stage win to break the record of Belgian legend Eddy Merckx in the fifth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 177.4 kilometers (110.2 miles) with a start in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and finish in Saint-Vulbas, France. (AP )

SAINT-VULBAS, France (AP) - Mark Cavendish broke Eddy Merckx’s long-standing record for most career Tour de France stage wins with his 35th victory on Wednesday.

The 39-year-old Cavendish sprinted for the win in the fifth stage of the Tour, pulling away some 100 meters from the line despite being bunched in. He crossed the line ahead of Jasper Philipsen and then jumped into the arms of a teammate.

Cavendish equaled Merckx’s mark of 34 wins during the 2021 Tour and went close to No. 35 in the seventh stage last year when he was narrowly beaten to the line by Philipsen. He then crashed a day later and broke his right collarbone.
Merckx, the Belgian considered the most dominant rider in cycling history, won 34 individual stages at the Tour from 1969 to 75.