Cavendish says he’s ready to break his tie with Merckx for most Tour de France stage wins

By The Associated Press

Britain's Mark Cavendish greets spectators as he arrives for the team presentation in Florence, Italy, Thursday, June 27, 2024, two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Daniel Cole]

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Mark Cavendish must have a big circle around Monday’s third stage of the Tour de France. The mostly flat 144-mile leg from Piacenza to Turin likely represents the race’s first chance of a mass sprint finish. That means it’s an opportunity for Cavendish to break one of the Tour’s most hallowed records. Cavendish equaled Eddy Merckx’s mark of 34 stage wins during the 2021 Tour then put off retirement by a year to come back and try again at breaking his tie with Merckx. He says “we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think it was possible to win.”