It has long been a given that Mark Cavendish is the Tour de France's greatest ever sprinter, and when he won a record 35th stage on Wednesday he possibly proved that more to himself than to a long-convinced cycling public.Long before his stunning 2021 Tour de France with his then-mentor Patrick Lefevere, when he won four stages, race director Christian Prudhomme told AFP the British sprinter "has nothing to prove".
Mark Cavendish made Tour de France history on Wednesday to eclipse Eddy Merckx and win a record 35th stage, the British veteran then pledging that his love affair with the great race was far from finished."It's my 15th Tour de France and it takes a lot to get here, getting in shape every year," Cavendish said at the line.
A hugely emotional Mark Cavendish thanked his wife and children for supporting him over the last few years as he finally achieved his long-held ambition of becoming the most successful Tour de France stage winner of all time.