Mark Cavendish on Tour de France record: There's always a finish line with everything in life

Cavendish claimed a record-breaking 35th career Tour de France stage win with victory in Saint-Vulbas, moving clear of Eddy Merckx to stand alone in Tour history three years after matching the Belgian on 34 during the 2021 Tour.

Cavendish's four stage wins in 2021 counted as one of sport's great comeback stories, his first victories at the Tour in five years after a period of time marked by illness and injury which contributed to a diagnosis of depression.

Even since those wins three years ago, Cavendish has endured more difficulty, only signing a last-minute deal with Astana-Qazaqstan ahead of the 2023 season after the collapse of another move, then seeing last year's Tour end abruptly on stage eight due to a broken collarbone.