CARCASSONNE, France — Mark Cavendish won a mass sprint Friday to equal cycling great Eddy Merckx’s all-time record of 34 stage wins at the Tour de France.
Taking part in cycling’s biggest race for the first time since 2018, the 36-year-old Cavendish has been dominating the sprints this summer. The British rider posted his fourth stage win in this year’s edition by winning stage 13 which finished in the southern city of Carcassonne.
Cavendish secured a new contract with his former Deceuninck Quick Step team for the 2021 season after returning from a bout of depression and several seasons of struggles on and off the bike. But he was not expected to ride in the Tour and did not train specifically for the three-week race. He was a late call-up last month as a replacement for Sam Bennett, the best sprinter of last year’s Tour.
Cavendish has never won the overall Tour de France. Merckx won it five times.
