Mark Cavendish has broken the Tour de France stage wins record as he took his 35th victory of the iconic event on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old, who was knighted in the King’s Birthday Honours last month, burst clear in a dramatic finale of stage five with a sensational sprint finish in Saint Vulbas.
Cavendish's 35th stage victory took him past the legendary Eddy Merckx, with the Brit having been level with him since his 34th win in 2021.
Mark Cavendish has broken the Tour de France stage wins record as he took his 35th victory of the iconic event on Wednesday
The British rider narrowly missed out on an historic 35th win at the Tour last year when he finished second on stage seven, before breaking his collarbone the next day in a crash and withdrawing from the rest of the race.
Cavendish had planned to retire at the end of last season but he performed a U-turn last October to ride in one more Tour this summer.
MORE TO FOLLOW