Mark Cavendish breaks Tour de France record for stage wins

Mark Cavendish has set a new record for the most wins in Tour de France stages.

The British bike rider achieved a significant milestone by winning the 35th stage of his career in Saint-Vulbas, a town in eastern France.

Cavendish, hailing from the Isle of Man, had reached the same number of wins as the legendary Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx, with both having 34 victories.

"I'm feeling shocked," the 39-year-old Astana-Qazaqstan rider stated soon after claiming the victory.

Astana took a major risk this year in order to secure a spot in the Tour de France.

Taking a risk to compete and hope to secure a victory in at least one stage, you feel me?

"You have to fully commit and, yep, we've accomplished it."

His fellow team member and rider in front, Cees Bol, just exclaimed: "He absolutely crushed it."

After a disappointing end to last year's Tour de France, Cavendish suffered a crash and broke his collarbone, despite stating that it would be his final race.

He won just four days after having a tough time during the first stage in Florence due to the hot weather. He was sick while riding his bike, which was worrying. Two days later, he couldn't compete in stage three because he got stuck behind a crash in Turin.

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The cyclist achieved victory in his initial Tour stages in 2008, securing four wins that year. By 2011, his total had increased to 20 stage victories.

However, his four wins during the 2021 Tour were considered a remarkable comeback in sports. These victories were his first in five years at the Tour, following a difficult period of battling illness and injury, which eventually led to a diagnosis of depression.

He matched Merckx's record by winning stage 13 of the race in Carcassonne that year.