Mark Cavendish broke the Tour de France stage wins record as he took his 35th victory in cycling’s greatest race to surpass the legendary Eddy Merckx with a sensational sprint finish Saint Vulbas.
Contesting what is expected to be his final Tour, the 39-year-old burst clear in a dramatic finale to stage five and raised his arms in celebration as he crossed the line victorious, before being embraced by his team.
The historic achievement comes one year after Cavendish suffered a race-ending crash on stage eight, one day after being pipped to a record-breaking victory by Jasper Philipsen.
Cavendish had jointly held the record for most Tour stage wins with Belgian Merckx since winning his 34th stage in 2021.
