Mark Cavendish matched the Tour de France stage wins record as he collected the 34th of his career in Carcassonne.
Cavendish moved level with Eddy Merckx as he took victory ahead of his own lead-out man Michael Morkov, with Jasper Philipsen third at the end of the 220km stage 13 from Nimes, giving Cavendish his fourth win of this year’s Tour.
The 36-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable return to form and capitalised on an unexpected selection for the Deceuninck-QuickStep squad, winning his first stages in the race since 2016.
Cavendish moves level with the Belgian Merckx, a five-time overall winner of the Tour, who took the last of his stage wins in 1975.
If he can stay safe through the mountain stages to come, the Manxman should have two more opportunities to take the record outright, first on stage 19 into Libourne and then on the final day on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
Friday’s stage had been tipped for a breakaway – Carcassonne, hosting a stage for the 11th time, had never previously seen a sprint finish – but Cavendish’s Deceuninck-QuickStep team worked well to mark the early moves before allowing a three-man move to get up the road.
The race came back together later on – a tense finish marked by a significant crash with 65km to go – but Cavendish’s team-mates bossed the road in the citadel to position him for victory.
Philipsen tried to come around the outside inside the final 100 metres, but Cavendish once again proved the strongest to extend his advantage in the points leader’s green jersey.
Cavendish looked exhausted as he collapsed to the floor after the finish before being mobbed by his team-mates.
“It’s tiring,” he said. “I can’t even think about (the record). I’m afraid I’m so dead after 220km in that heat, that wind and that finale, phwoar.
“I went deep, I went so deep there. The boys were incredible. I can’t believe it. A lot of the day it didn’t feel like it (was going to happen) but it had to happen because I had the guys riding like they were.
“I was so on the limit there.”
Asked about the record again, he added: “I haven’t realised it. It’s still just another win on the Tour de France. It’s like my first one. I’ve won a stage of the Tour de France. It’s what I dreamed of as a kid and it’s what I dream of now.
“I’ve worked so hard for it. We’ve seen such a growth, especially in the UK, of cycling since I’ve started racing here at the Tour de France.
“If any one of my wins can inspire the kids to ride the Tour de France or the Tour de France Femmes from next year when they grow up, that’s what means the most to me I think.” PA
04:14 PM
Merckx: ‘Let’s not forget the five yellow jerseys I’ve got’
Eddy Merckx, who remains the greatest male cyclist of all time, has said he would ‘not lose any sleep’ over Mark Cavendish equalling one of his many records. Speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of today’s stage, the Belgian said: “There’ll be no problem if Cavendish equals my record. I won’t lose any sleep over it. If he does it, I’ll congratulate him because it’s not easy to win 34 sprints.
“Of course there’s a difference between us,” Merckx, 76, was quick to remind people. “I won 34 Tour stages by winning sprints, in the mountains, in time trials and going on the attack on the descents. Let’s not forget the five yellow jerseys I’ve got at home plus the 96 days I wore it. Does that not seem much?
“Naturally I’m not trying to play down what he’s achieved. Also because he’s been through a difficult time and has fallen in love with cycling again. That’s a great message for young people in the sport.”
03:41 PM
British Cycling hail Cavendish’s remarkable achievement
Stephen Park, performance director for British Cycling, said: “What a fantastic achievement by Mark Cavendish to win his 34th stage of the Tour de France, equalling the record set by the legendary Eddy Merckx.
“It is testament to not only Mark’s sporting ability, but to his tenacity and resilience, all of which play a part in his success.
“The Great Britain Cycling Team has a well-established pathway programme with a history of producing cycling greats, of which Mark is a proud graduate. Our pathway team are committed to laying the groundwork for cyclists in the early stages of their development and equipping them with the skills they need both on and off the bike. We have seen Mark show real pride in the Great Britain Cycling Team jersey as well as excelling in the most prestigious of the Grand Tours, and he continues to serve as an inspiration to those riders who dream of emulating his success.
“On behalf of everyone on the Great Britain Cycling Team, I would like to congratulate Mark on this latest milestone achievement and wish him the very best of luck for the rest of Le Tour.”
03:37 PM
Cavendish: ‘It’s just another win on the Tour de France’
An exhausted Mark Cavendish, speaking with Seb Piquet, says: “I’m so dead. 220km in that heat. In that wind. I went deep there, I went so deep there. The boys were incredible. Can’t believe it.”
Asked whether he had realised the enormity of what he has done, specifically with regards to matching Eddy Merckx’s stage win record, he says: “I haven’t realised it. It’s still just another win on the Tour de France. It’s like my first one. I’ve won a stage of the Tour de France. It’s what I dreamed of as a kid and it’s what I dream of now.
“I’ve worked so hard for it. We’ve seen such a growth, especially in the UK, of cycling since I’ve started racing here at the Tour de France.
“If anyone of my wins can inspire the kids to ride the Tour de France or the Tour de France Femmes from next year when they grow up, that’s what means the most to me I think.”
03:23 PM
Cavendish wins stage 13 at the Tour!
Mark Cavendish has won a fourth stage at this year’s race, the 34th Tour de France of his long and glittering career that sees the Briton equal the long-standing record set by Eddy Merckx back in 1974.
having started the dayt with yet another tactical masterclass on the road, the blue train of Deceuninck-Quick Step were almost derailed by a huge pile-up that saw their diesel-deluxe Tim Declercq crash heavily. The Belgian team, however, responded brilliantly with world champion Julian Alaphilippe assuming responsibility, with the Frenchman dictating things on the front of the peloton while Cavendish chased back on having taken a late bike change.
Having finally reached Carcassonne on what was a tight, technical and twisty finale it was absolutely key for Cavendish to be delivered to the line by a team able to ride hard, and ride on the front. Fortunately for Cavendish, Deceuninck-Quick Step did just that, although it was far from straightforward.
In fact it was a scrappy finale. After being shepherded to the final straight by Kasper Asgreen, Davide Ballerini and Michael Morkov, the man who is regarded as the best lead-out rider in the world right now, took over before Cavendish, just as he has done so many times – 33 to be precise – finished the job off. Quite remarkably Morkov was runner-up while Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) was third.
03:22 PM
1.5km to go
Kasper Asgreen hits the front, followed by Davide Ballerini, Michael Morkov and Mark Cavendish.
03:21 PM
2km to go
Sonny Colbrelli and Wout van Aert are up near the front, but Cavendish is in the boxseat for now.
03:20 PM
3km to go
Mark Cavendish has three team-mates – Kasper Asgreen, Davide Ballerini and Michael Morkov – in front of him.
03:19 PM
4.5km to go
We are within the 4.5km marker, so the general classification riders can ease off a little … but they are not easing off.
03:18 PM
5km to go
Sonny Colbrelli who has yet to win a Tour de France stage is riding at around fourth wheel, Deceuninck-Quick Step have three riders – presumably Kasper Asgreen, Davide Ballerini and Michael Morkov – protecting Mark Cavendish, just off the shoulders of the first three or four riders.
03:16 PM
7km to go
EF Education-Nippo take over on the front, surely protecting Rigoberto Uran who started the day second on general classification.
03:15 PM
8km to
Ag2r-Citroën have three riders up near the front. Are they thinking about Oliver Naesen, or protecting Ben O’Connor’s fifth place on general classification?
03:14 PM
9km to go
Lots of little bumps as riders look to get a decent position., Omar Fraile gestures to Mark Cavendish as if to let him know he is coming through. Tense times for the riders, their teams and fans back home.
03:12 PM
10km to go
Mark Cavendish swings to his right, riding over the top to get onto fourth wheel. Race craft, that.
03:11 PM
11km to go
Kasper Asgreen is doing his best to ride up near the front, but have Deceuninck-Quick Step lost control? Everybody is battling for position near the front – including Wout van Aert who cheekily rolls off the front.
03:09 PM
13.5km to go
Quite a bit of road furniture, some of which is not being marshalled. Fortunately riders are looking out for each other, but it is a concern.
03:07 PM
15km to go
EF Education-Nippo, Movistar, Ag2r-Citroën are all getting involved at the front as the pace winds up a little further. Julian Alaphilippe, by the way, peels off a few minutes ago having put in a decent shift.
03:06 PM
17km to go
Ineos Grenadiers and Deceuninck-Quick Step are riding hard on the front, causing a few splits in the peloton.
03:04 PM
18km to go
Quentin Pacher’s time in the sun is over and the peloton is all back as one. Ineos Grenadiers moved to the front, drilling it as they fly through a wide and exposed section.
02:56 PM
25km to go
Nervous time in the peloton, but Deceuninck-Quick Step are again in control on the front while Quentin Pacher (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) hangs out in front, hanging on by just 28sec.
02:49 PM
28km to go
Quentin Pacher (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) leads the stage, 1min 19sec ahead of the peloton, while Jan Bakelants (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) is stuck somewhere in no man’s land. World champion Julian Alaphilippe has been riding on the front of the bunch, looking to control things for Deceuninck-Quick Step. Mark Cavendish managed to get back up to his team-mates relatively easily and is now back where he wants to be – around sixths or seventh wheel in the bunch.
02:39 PM
36.5km to go
Mark Cavendish stops at the roadside before taking a quick bike change from his Deceuninck-Quick Step team car. Surprisingly sprightly on his toes, the hugely experienced directeur sportif Tom Steels jumps out of the car before handing over the new bike and getting Cavendish back on his way.
02:34 PM
40km to go
Quentin Pacher (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) has shimmied his way off up the road and the 29-year-old has managed to gain 30sec on the peloton.
02:31 PM
Yates abandons the Tour
Simon Yates has become the latest to abandon which will come as a huge blow to the Briton and his BikeExchange team. The Tour goes to Andorra this weekend where the 2018 Vuelta a España champion now resides.
02:30 PM
For one day only | The 3km rule becomes the 4.5km rule
Due to the twisty and technical final few kilometres of today’s stage that has been deemed dangerous, the 3km rule has been extended out to 4.5km in the hope that the general classification riders do not get tangled up with the sprinters once the pace winds up in Carcassonne – and it will wind up to a very fast pace.
02:27 PM
45km to go
The fallen are, one by one, getting back on. Not sure if he went down, but Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) who was riding through the cars at the rear of the bunch manages to give the TV cameras a little wave as he speeds by. Deceuninck-Quick Step’s boys in blue return to the front along with Alpecin-Fenix and UAE Team Emirates.
02:17 PM
51.5km to go | Back to square one
With the breakaway having been absorbed by the peloton, the composition on the front has changed entirely. Deceuninck-Quick Step are no longer in control and a number of teams are vying from position on the at the head of the pack. Nerves will be coursing through the pack now.
02:14 PM
Kluge abandons the Tour
Roger Kluge (Lotto-Soudal) has quit the Tour, not sure if he was involved in that pile-up but hopefully he is not injured can still head off to the Olympics where he is due to race on the track for Germany. The breakaway is moments away from being swallowed up. The script for this stage may have been ripped up following that crash.
02:11 PM
55km to go
Omer Goldstein and Pierre Latour lead the stage by just 27sec. A flurry of attacks have gone off the front of the peloton, but it appears to have calmed down briefly, a peace accord has, perhaps, been reached while those that crashed – and there were many – chase back on. Absolute chaos as we have come to expect at this year’s race.
02:07 PM
58km to go
Simon Yates is one of those that crashed, the BikeExchange rider has just remounted and will be chasing back on fairly soon. Deceuninck-Quick Step’s day may be unravelling here, the chaos and action perhaps sparked by that initial attack from Philippe Gilbert.
02:04 PM
Massive crash in the peloton!
Tim Declercq is down and is looking in pain. Rafal Majka, Nacer Bouhanni, Wout Poels and Sergio Higuita also went down. A number of others also went down, flying off the edge of the road. Riders are clambering up out of the trees as bikes are being handed up. Bizarre scenes. Once I can work out who was involved I will relay that information to you – there’s lots of speculation about who crashed, but we prefer to deal in facts.
01:58 PM
Gilbert launches a grenade!
Former Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Philippe Gilbert (Lotto-Soudal) attacks the peloton in an attempt to shake things up a little. Kasper Asgreen was quick to the move and the Tour of Flanders champion chases the veteran Belgian down. Simultaneous to Gilbert’s move, the leading trio have their own little shakedown and, as it stands, Sean Bennett appears to have lost out.
01:50 PM
70km to go
Tim Declercq, the rider nicknamed El Tractor, pulls hard on the front for Deceuninck-Quick Step and the deficit on the breakaway has dropped to 1min 20sec. Nobody in the blue train of Deceuninck-Quick Step will be wanting to catch Sean Bennett Omer Goldstein and Pierre Latour just yet – they will be happy enough for the trio to hang out for another 60 kilometres before attempting to set up Mark Cavendish with yet another textbook leadout as we saw in Valence on Tuesday when the Manxman won the 33rd Tour stage of his career.
01:43 PM
75km to go
Up and down, the road undulates with each kilometre putting further climbing metres into these riders legs. Mark Cavendish has been riding in the bunch on the wheel of Michael Morkov, the best lead-out rider in the world right now, but will the great Dane be delivering the Manx Missile to glory in Carcassonne this afternoon?
The leading trio’s advantage has dropped to 1min 47sec.
01:29 PM
85km to go
Mark Cavendish, resplendent on his emerald green jersey, is riding at around ninth wheel in the peloton, tucked in behind his entire Deceuninck-Quick Step team who are working tirelessly for the British sprinter here today. Sat on the front the team are not only staying out of harm’s way, but also perfectly positioned should any crosswinds whip up a storm. There has been some talk of the crosswinds blowing in and as a result the peloton is on high alert.
01:23 PM
‘Agony and ecstasy of the most dramatic Tour I have known’
Writing exclusively for Telegraph Sport, Mark Cavendish explained earlier this week how this Tour de France, like no other he has race in, packed more drama into the opening nine days than you normally get in three weeks. It really is a wonderful read and a great insight into the mind of the man who could win a mind-blowing 34th Tour de France stage win later on today. Read his column right here.
01:14 PM
95km to go | Friends reunited
Petr Vakov has been riding on the front for Alpecin-Fenix team-mate Jasper Philipsen, but it has not gone unnoticed that the former Czech Republic champion used to ride for another Belgian team. The 28-year-old was at Deceuninck-Quick Step during Mark Cavendish’s first stint with Patrick Lefevere’s squad.
01:05 PM
100km to go
Not too many changes at the higher end of the points classification, although Sonny Colbrelli has gone level with Jasper Philipsen on 151 points after the Italian increased his tally by 13 having won the sprint from the bunch. Mark Cavendish’s lead was reduced by three points, though one suspects he will not be too concerned by that. Back on the road the breakaway’s advantage has dropped to 2min 45sec.
12:56 PM
Those intermediate results in full . . .
12:49 PM
Colbrelli is the best of the rest
Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) wins the second sprint of the day, the Italian national champion beating Michael Matthews (BikeExchange), Michael Morkov (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) while Mark Cavendish was fifth, but the Briton didn’t appear too concerned. With a possible stage win up for grabs – a record-equalling 34th in case you had not heard? – the Deceuninck-Quick Step sprinter will not have wanted top burn up too much energy over a handful of points when he could collect 50 for the win in Carcassonne. Full details to follow shortly.
12:43 PM
Goldstein wins intermediate sprint
Sean Bennett winds the pace up from some distance out from the intermediate sprint in Fontès, but the young American did too much work too soon and was overhauled by Omer Goldstein who, incidentally, is the first rider from Israel to ever ride in a breakaway at the Tour de France. Pierre Latour takes third on the slight uphill ramp and the bunch will follow in a couple of minutes.
12:30 PM
125km to go
Not too far away from the day’s intermediate sprint in Fontès. It will be interesting to see who challenges for the points and see if anybody uses the key point in this stage as a launchpad for any attacks. I’m guessing they will not, but who knows?
12:20 PM
130km to go
The breakaway’s advantage has dropped to below three minutes.
12:06 PM
140km to go
Another 10km clicked off, another couple of roundabouts navigated by the peloton safely. By the way, there are a staggering number of roundabouts – 97 to be precise – in today’s stage. The breakaway’s lead has dropped slightly to 3min 15sec as Deceuninck-Quick Step share the work on front of the peloton with Alpecin-Fenix.
11:55 AM
150km to go
All fairly calm out on the road right now. The leading trio of Sean Bennett, Omer Goldstein and Pierre Latour have an advantage of 3min 40sec on the peloton which is currently tapping away in a long strung out line. A few riders have slight bulges in the rear of their jerseys which will be where they have stuffed ice packs in order to cool down in the heat. Others are swigging away from their bidons filled with energy drinks or just plain old water.
11:41 AM
Beautiful blue skies down in the south
11:34 AM
168.4km to go | Latour cashes in
Sean Bennett, the 25-year-old who is making his Tour de France debut this year, attacked from the breakaway off in pursuit of the single point atop the côte du Pic Saint-Loup, but the American was closed down by Pierre Latour. The Frenchman who arrived as TotalÉnergies’ main general classification challenger, overhauled Bennett before adding to his tally of points while also trousering a cash bonus of €300.
11:20 AM
172km to go
Sean Bennett (Qhubeka-NextHash), Omer Goldstein (ISN) and Pierre Latour (TotalÉnergies) are onto the only categorised climb of the day, the côte du Pic Saint-Loup which is
5.6km long with an average gradient of 3.60%. There is just one point available on the summit in the mountains classification. The best placed breakaway rider in that competition is Latour who started the day in 22nd place with five points and so should he add a point to his tally today he will finish the day… in 22nd place with six points.
11:07 AM
180km to go
Once again, Deceuninck-Quick Step have fanned across the road in an attempt to block any further attacks. The Belgian squad, which has the maillot vert of Mark Cavendish riding on the frontline, is getting some help from Alpecin-Fenix and UAE Team Emirates. Alpecin-Fenix, of course, have sprinter Jasper Philipsen within their ranks and will be hoping their Belgian can challenge for the line honours later on this afternoon, while UAE Team Emirates, the team of overall leader Tadej Pogacar, will be more than happy for a calm couple of hours ahead of a couple of days in the hills / mountains before Monday’s rest day.
11:00 AM
185km to go
Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) has clipped off in pursuit of that three-man break, but he may have left it too late. Sean Bennett, Omer Goldstein and Pierre Latour are riding at full pelt and have 2min 15sec on the peloton. A number of riders from DSM, Trek-Segafredo have attacked off the front of the bunch but Deceuninck-Quick Step straight away put a man onto them.
10:51 AM
192km to go
Sean Bennett (Qhubeka-NextHash), Omer Goldstein (ISN) and Pierre Latour (TotalÉnergies) have attacked and Deceuninck-Quick Step appear to have blocked the front of the bunch at the very point where the road narrowed. That could be the breakaway of the day. Deceuninck-Quick Step played that perfectly, an absolute tactical masterclass in race management and using their numbers.
10:49 AM
195km to go
Oliver Naesen (Ag2r-Citroën) has been forced to stop and take a new wheel, the former Belgian national champion having picked up a rear puncture. That trio has been reined back in, and now plenty of others are loitering near the front waiting for the day’s move to go. Deceuninck-Quick Step, however, are monitoring everything very closely. Interesting to not that Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) has been sniffing around, but he will not be given an inch by Mark Cavendish’s team – the Belgian is a favourite for this stage.
10:41 AM
200km to go
Max Walscheid (Qhubeka-NextHash) is the next to attack and the German is joined by Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), the 2019 world champion, and Lorenzo Rota (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux). Apparently the riders are currently going into a block headwind. Deceuninck-Quick Step and Mark Cavendish, one assumes, would be delighted if this group were to hang out the front all day. But one suspects others may want to bridge over, or the breakaway’s composition may completely change in a short while.
10:34 AM
205km to go
Next to clip off the front is Nils Eekhoff (DSM), but the Dutch neo-pro is marked out by Marco Haller (Bahrain Victorious).
10:31 AM
Deceuninck-Quick Step on the front
Interesting to note that from the start Deceuninck-Quick Step riders Kasper Asgreen and Tim Declercq have ridden on the front. One assumes they are not looking to get into a breakaway, but instead setting such a pace that it is difficult for one to form just yet – ideally a break will go, but the team of Mark Cavendish will want to monitor who goes in it and manage the size of it.
10:29 AM
210km to go
A flurry of riders have put in a few little efforts on the front, and there are some clear signs of crosswinds – small groups have been riding in echelons leading to a few splits – but as yet nothing has stuck.
10:19 AM
And they’re off!
Having navigated their way safely through the neutralised section of road out from the centre of Nîmes, race director Christian Prudhomme has popped his head out of the shiny red Skoda that sits at the head of each stage and dropped the flag to signify that this stage is very much on. As is mandatory, all of the classification leaders started the short ride tucked in behind Prudhomme, while a handful of others shunted themselves towards the front. Some may be thinking of getting into a breakaway, while others will simply be wanting to stay out of harm’s way either thinking about themselves or their team’s protected rider. Today, as you will know, is a very long stage and with 1,960 metres in vertical elevation is far from being panflat. Running as it does parallel to the coastline, there is a threat of crosswinds which may be key to how the day plays out.
Incidentally, Michael Gogl was a non-starter today making the Austrian the third Qhubeka-NextHash rider to leave this year’s Tour de France after Nicholas Dlamini was eliminated after stage nine and Victor Campenaerts abandoned on the slopes of Mont Ventoux.
09:45 AM
Bonjour!
Hello and welcome to our live rolling blog from stage 12 at the Tour de France, the 219.9-kilometre run from Nîmes to Carcassonne.
As transitional stages go Thursday’s was a relatively satisfactory one, especially for Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe) who clipped off the front of a small three-man group before going solo all the way to the line in Nîmes. Whether or not today’s stage is won by a breakaway rider or comes down to a bunch sprint remains to be seen.
With the threat of crosswinds teams hoping to contest the stage win and those challenging in the general classification will be minded to have their diesel engines as near the the front of the bunch as is humanly possible. Likewise, protected riders will need to be shielded from any dangers if they are to finish their jobs off.
Here’s a quick reminder of who will be wearing what as respective leader in each of the four main classifications – in other words those that have jerseys. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) will be dressed in the maillot jaune, the leader’s yellow jersey, for the fifth consecutive day with a healthy margin of over five minutes.
Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick Step), who many are tipping to win today’s stage, is still in the maillot vert, the green jersey, as leader in the points classification.
Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) will again be dressed in the maillot à pois, or polka dot jersey, as leader in the mountains classification. With just one category four featuring today all he needs to do is complete the stage within the time cut to retain it.
As overall leader of the race, Pogacar also tops the best young rider classification, although Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) will wear the Slovenian’s maillot blanc, the white jersey, as second best.
And for anybody that missed Politt’s finest hour with his solo ride into Nîmes on Thursday, you can relive the highlights here . . .
So, what’s on today’s menu?
Here’s a look at the all-important numbers from that one climb . . .
But what about those who only have eyes for the green jersey?