Tour de France: Mark Cavendish wins green jersey - but narrowly misses out on record 35 stage wins
The British racer had been aiming to set a new all-time record of 35 Tour stage wins but he just missed out on victory in the final leg in Paris as he banged his handlebars in frustration at the finish.
Sunday 18 July 2021 21:55, UK
British rider Mark Cavendish has won the green jersey for best sprinter at the Tour de France.
It is the second time in his career that he has triumphed in the points classification battle.
But after equalling Belgian TdF legend Eddy Merckx's mark of 34 Tour stage victories earlier this month, Cavendish was denied another piece of cycling history on the last day of competition.
He had been aiming to set a new all-time record of 35 wins but he just missed out in the final leg from Chatou to the Champs-Elysees in Paris as he got squeezed out on the run to the finish line.
He banged his handlebars in frustration as he came third in the mass sprint which was won by Belgian Wout van Aert, with Jasper Philipsen, also of Belgium, second.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar claimed the yellow jersey with his second successive Tour title after Sunday's 21st and final stage.
The UAE Emirates rider also won the white jersey for the best Under-25 rider and the polka-dot jersey for the mountains classification after a dominant performance throughout.
Cavendish, who last won the green jersey in 2011, on 9 July equalled Merckx's record - which had stood since 1975.
The Manx rider, 36, crossed the finish line in Carcassonne earlier this month to win stage 13. He also won stages four, six and 10 on the 2021 tour.
On Sunday, Cavendish was able to celebrate his green jersey with his family on the podium.
Speaking about the close finish in the French capital, he said: "I shouldn't have left (Michael) Morkov's wheel. I knew I was in a pretty dark situation, I knew I was boxed in."
He added: "It's a blessing just to be in this Tour de France, let alone here in Paris, so I'm really happy with that.
"It's been an emotional three weeks, there's a beautiful bond we've got with the riders, management and staff, and the success we've had these three weeks will live a long time in our memories."
It capped a remarkable turnabout in fortune for the rider, who had hinted last year that his career may be over after a run of poor form and illness.
In October, Cavendish suggested he may retire from cycling at the conclusion of the Gent-Wevelgem race in Belgium.
He said that race could be his final one, but signed for Deceuninck-Quick Step for the 2021 season and was drafted on to the team's Tour de France roster last month after an injury to his teammate and fellow sprinter Sam Bennett.
On Pogacar's success, five-time Tour champion Merckx said: "I see him as the new Cannibal."
Merckx, who won his first Tour in 1969 at the age of 23, earned that nickname due to his insatiable appetite for victory.
He added: "He is extremely strong. I see him winning several editions of the Tour in the years to come. If nothing happens to him, he can certainly win the Tour de France more than five times."