Veteran Mark Cavendish from Team Astana won the 5th stage of the Tour de France over 177.4 kilometers from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas on Wednesday (July 3, 2024) and with his 35th stage victory in France-Cycling. written history. Tadej Pogacar is still in yellow despite a moment of shock.
The Englishman from the Isle of Man – now 39 years old – won an exciting rally ahead of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility). Pascal Ackermann of Israel-Premier Tech came in sixth.
Cavendish is now the sole record holder for daily wins; it was previously linked to cycling legend Eddy Merckx. It’s hard to believe: Last year Cavendish had to leave the tour with a broken collarbone – at that time almost no one believed he could come back.
“Otherwise he could stay on the sofa”
Immediately after crossing the finish line, Cavendish’s wife, Peta Todd, enthusiastically said on the sports show’s microphone: “I’m so proud of the man. But he never doubted that he would get this 35th victory at some point – otherwise he would be staying at home.”
Cavendish himself said very emotionally and through tears: “I just went ‘all in’ and we did it as a team. It’s just incredible. It means an incredible amount to us, but I always believed it was still possible for me. I understand what what the Tour de France means and what it means to be the first person to cross the line 35 times.”
An exciting moment for Pogacar
After almost 120 kilometers, Tadej Pogacar (Team Emirates UAE) had to survive a moment of shock. The yellow man was not at the front of the peloton and seems to have been a bit careless. He almost crashed into a traffic island – which was not protected by marshals – and Pogacar was only able to avoid it with a graceful swing of his hips at the last moment. But then the riders fell behind. Around seven or eight pilots were affected, including Bahrain captain Pello Bilbao, who was able to recover a short time later.
Russo and Vercher alone at the front for more than 100 kilometers
Until 36 kilometers from the finish, a separate duo was leading the event on this stage. The two Frenchmen Clément Russo of Groupama-FDJ and Mattéo Vercher of TotalEnergies – both born not far from the finish of the stage in Lyon – left alone after 28 kilometers. However, the teams with the best sprinters did not lead by more than about 4:50 minutes.
The sixth stage again for the sprinters
The 6th stage on Thursday (July 3, 2024) goes over 163.5 kilometers from Macon to Dijon and is completely flat: the only hill after only ten kilometers is the Col du Bois Clair with a height of 396 meters and mountain classification of the fourth Category. . Otherwise, this day is again completely reserved for sprinters and breakaways.