Mark Cavendish won a record-breaking 35th stage victory at the Tour de France on Wednesday afternoon.  

The Manx Missile delivered a trademark sprint to the line to surge clear of his rivals to win the fifth stage from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint Vulbas.  

The victory puts him one clear of the legendary Eddy Merckx in the all-time list and cements his place as the greatest sprinter in the history of the sport. 

Cavendish delayed his retirement by a year in order to chase that elusive 35th stage win, having crashed out of the 2023 race with a broken collarbone. 

After a gruelling opening couple of days at this year’s Tour, the Manxman was unable to contest Monday’s sprint finish when he was held up in a late crash. 

But he was not to be denied in the next sprint finish in the Grand Tour. After another tough day on Tuesday which included the infamous Galibier mountain, Wednesday’s stage was a mostly flat affair which included only a couple of smaller climbs. 

But a heavy rain shower in the second half of the day threatened to cause havoc as the peloton sped towards Saint Vulbas, with several riders hitting the Tarmac late on in the slippery conditions. 

But Cav’s Astana Qazaqstan team remained prominent and vigilant at the front of the race in order to avoid any major incidents. 

A slightly chaotic sprint finish unfolded but Cav showcased his trademark nous, hopping from wheel to wheel behind his rivals before delivering a devastating turn of speed to surge clear of his rivals to clinch an historic 35th stage victory. 

‘We just wanted to get the run-in to do it. I'm in a bit of disbelief.’ exclaimed the Manx Missile afterwards. 

‘It was a big gamble for my boss and the team. You have to go all-in and we have done it. We did exactly what we wanted to do.  

‘Every little detail has been put towards specifically today. The Tour de France is bigger than cycling.’