Manx cyclist Mark Cavendish made history with his 35th stage win at the Tour de France, breaking Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 victories, who held the record from 1969-1975. Cavendish took the lead about 100 metres from the finish line on the Tour’s fifth stage, overtaking Jasper Philipsen to write a new chapter in the race’s history books. He finished the race with a time of 4 hours, 8 minutes and 46 seconds – as did all the others in the top-ten.
Cavendish equalled Merckx’s record at the 2021 Tour de France and had a chance to surpass it last year. However, his 2023 season was cut short after a collision with Philipsen resulted in a broken right collarbone. Cavendish had pushed back his retirement after the untimely end to his 2023 season, and his desire to win another stage brought him back to the Tour de France.
Immediately after the race, Cavendish told ITV, “I can’t believe it a bit. I made a big bet on doing well in the Tour de France this year… We made a big bet on coming here and trying to win at least one stage. It was a big bet for my boss, Alex Vinokourov, (and) the team… to go all out, and we did it.”
“The Tour de France is like that,” he said. “You run with all your might until you reach the finish line, and if you cross that line first maybe your life will change. If it doesn’t you won’t. That’s the nature of this race and that’s what makes it so beautiful.”
Cavendish won his first Tour de France in 2008, winning the fifth, eighth, twelfth and thirteenth stages. He has continued to excel throughout his career and has struggled with illness this year to compete in the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey in April, where he won the second stage, and the Tour of Hungary in May, where he took a sprint win on stage 2.
Cavendish’s sports director, retired cyclist Mark Renshaw, compared Cavendish to a “fine wine” upon his victory.
“He’s just getting better and better,” Renshaw said. “I think the team has a lot of faith in him. They’ve believed all year. We’ve signed great riders, we’ve made changes to the team to look after him so he can win, and he’s just been very committed. I don’t know how many days he’s been with his family, but this year, he hasn’t been on the road very much, and that’s the kind of commitment you need as a bike rider.”
At 39 years old and having raced professionally since 2005, many expected the Tour de France to be Cavendish’s last race. If that is the case, he can go out knowing he has etched his name in the prestigious Tour’s record books and ended his illustrious career the way he knew how: on top.
