Mark Cavendish misses Eddie Merckx’s record for most stage wins in the Tour de France

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Deceuninck-QuickStep runner Mark Cavendish couldn’t make history and break Eddie Merckx’s long-running record for most Tour de France wins. For this year, at least.

The British rider, who hit the stage and tied 34 stages with Merckx, was beaten on the goal line by Wut van Aert and Jasper Philipsen in Paris. However, Cavendish’s third place was enough to secure his second green jersey.

Merckx’s record has held up since 1975, when he won a separate stage trial at Auch to make him a 35 stage win in the race.

But Cavendish looked on the bright side after the end. “I am very happy. A month ago I was not supposed to do the Tour de France and now I am here, after three weeks you will live long in the memory,” he said in a team press release.

“I never imagined I would ever wear green again on the Champs-Elysées, but here I am, thanks to the amazing riders and the Deceuninck-Quickstep staff. They have been a huge part of that success and together we have been through so many emotions.”

Cavendish’s impressive comeback still includes four wins in this year’s race – a huge achievement for a rider who looks set to retire at the end of 2020.

At that point, he was without a contract and hadn’t won the Tour de France stage since 2016, but a last-minute contract offer came his way from Patrick Lefevre with a one-year deal that was put on the table from Deceuninck-QuickStep.

Since joining the team, the British sprinter has won four stages in the Tour of Turkey, and supported that race by winning a stage at the Tour of Belgium. However, he received a late call-up to the role of France this year after Sam Bennett was disqualified due to injury.

Bennett was scheduled to lead the team in sprints and was even named to the squad just a week before the end. However, the Irishman was dropped with only days to spare. That opened the door for Cavendish, who has not won a stage in the race since 2016. He had not raced since 2018 when he finished on stage 11.

However, in this year’s edition, he found his best form and took advantage of the strongest lead in the entire race. His first race win of the year came in Stage 4 in front of Fougères, which he followed two days later with a Stage 6 victory over Châteauroux. Further victories came in Valence and Carcassonne in stages 10 and 13.

Cavendish finished in the green with 337 points, with Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) in second place with 291 points. Sonny Colbrilli (the victorious Bahrain team) finished third with 227 points.

“For me, to be back in this race that I love so much and to do what I did was like a dream,” Cavendish said. “I am so happy to have my family here, because I haven’t seen them in the past five weeks, and it’s great to share with all of them these unforgettable moments.”

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