Mark Cavendish edged a thrilling sprint to win a 29th Tour de France stage, moving him outright second in the race’s all-time standings.
The Manxman beat Germany’s Marcel Kittel to the line during stage six to take him one above France’s five-time Tour winner Bernard Hinault.
He is now five behind another five-time Tour winner, Eddy Merckx of Belgium.
Fellow Briton Dan McLay was third in a bunch sprint with Team Sky’s Chris Froome safely home in the peloton.
On a relatively flat stage from Arpajon-sur-Cere to Montauban, set up for sprinters, there was no great movement in the general classification as Belgium’s Greg van Avermaet remained in the yellow jersey.
The BMC rider still leads France’s Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick-Step) by five minutes and 11 seconds, with Froome a further six seconds behind.
Having already won the opening stage of this year’s Tour to take hold of the yellow jersey for the first time, and won a photo finish on stage four, a third Cavendish victory came after the Team Dimension Data rider emerged from the back of the pack.
“Oh my god, that was terrifying,” he told ITV4. “That was like the old days, just wheel surfing. There are almost two finish lines, and I was a little bit too far back so it was carnage in the final straight, there were guys coming from everywhere.
“I was fighting to be on Marcel Kittel’s heel, I wasn’t sure if they were that organised, but it was downhill and I put in on a big gear and maxed out. I went for the line and I had to come again, but I did what Marcel has done to me in the last four years and held on.”
BBC
Cavendish Wins Third 2016 Tour de France Stage
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