Just five of the 21 stages of the 2024 Tour de France have passed but already the biggest cycling race in the world has been a thriller. Emotions ran even higher on Wednesday as sprinter Mark Cavendish won his 35th Tour de France victory – breaking the record of 34 stages, that had been held by Cavendish and Belgium's Eddy Merckx, arguably the greatest cyclist of all time.
The victory was met with an outpouring of praise for Cavendish – aka the "Manx Missile". Already one of the oldest men in the professional peloton, the 39-year-old British rider from the Isle of Man has enjoyed an almost 20-year career to become one of the most winning cyclists ever.
But of all the palmarès Cavendish holds, the record for the most Tour de France victories is the most iconic, given how famous the race is around the world as well as the esteem of Eddy Merckx, who managed 34 Tour de France stage wins – a record he has held since 1975.
Given the advances in modern cycling, many questioned if Merckx would ever be bettered. Nicknamed "The Cannibal" because of his ferocious appetite to win, Merckx remains a figure of international renown and is perhaps the most famous Belgian today.
Even more astounding is Cavendish's ability to sustain his form as one of the best sprinters in the world, capable of beating riders of a younger generation. Questions have long been asked as to whether he wasn't simply too old to compete at the top level, especially as he failed to finish the 2018 Tour de France and was then diagnosed with a viral disease. He has been open about his battles with depression and by the end of the 2018 season it was widely believed that he would never return to form.
Never too old
But the doubts were laid to rest when Cavendish returned to the Tour de France in 2021 and won an astonishing four stages – equalling the Merckx record. Already a legend in the sport, if Cavendish could win another stage of the mythical Tour became a dominating point of conjecture in cycling commentary.
Cavendish left the Belgian team Deceuninck–Quick-Step at the end of 2022, moving to Astana Qazaqstan. But his move significantly reduced the likelihood of his winning races, as the Kazakh team did not have a lead-out train (supporting riders who position the sprinter at the end of races) nearly as strong as with Deceuninck–Quick-Step.
Acknowledging that his career will inevitably end soon, Cavendish made the Tour de France record his mission and competed in the 2023 edition – widely presumed to be the fourteenth and final time he would do the race before retiring. But his efforts were unrewarded: he came a close second place in stage 7 and then crashed out the day after. The 2023 Tour was also dominated in the sprints by Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen (13 years Cavendish's junior), who took four sprint stages.
Never not winning: Mark Cavendish wins the Scheldeprijs cycling race in Schoten (near Antwerp), 18 April 2007. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
Doing the impossible
Speaking shortly after his historic victory, Cavendish painted Wednesday's win as the gamble that paid off. He paid tribute to the Astana manager Alexandre Vinokourov, who supported Cavendish's pursuit of the elusive 35th stage win even though this required the team making sacrifices in its other ambitions for the Tour de France.
"Cycling in this Tour de France was a real gamble by the team and Alexandre Vinokourov, Astana’s manager. We executed just as we planned to. We had our focus on all the minute details," Cavendish said. "This is my 15th Tour de France. I don't enjoy the physical strain, but I know it's a mental game, and you need to keep pushing."
🏛️ A sprint for 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/jg731Qnt2G
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 3, 2024
Eddy Merckx remains the most decorated cyclist of all time, with an unbeatable 276 professional wins. Mark Cavendish is second, with 165 to date.
