Mark Cavendish has brushed aside questions about aiming for Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins at the Tour de France, saying it was so hard to even win one stage he was delighted to be able to do it again.
The British rider had last taken a win at the Tour way back in 2016 and before this week he hadn't ridden the race since 2018. However, in his comeback appearance during a season of rejuvenation, he won stage 4 on the race today in a bunch sprint into Fougères .
Now aged 36 years and with 31 Tour stages to his name, Cavendish was overcome with emotion, thanking Deceuninck-QuickStep team boss Patrick Lefevere for giving him a chance this year.
“Just being here is special, because I didn’t think for one moment I would come back to this beautiful race that I love so much," he said after his victory this afternoon.
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"I’m in complete disbelief, I don’t know what to say. So many people didn’t believe in me, but these guys did and continued to do it”, he said of his team. “This race has given my life to me and I’ve given my life to the Tour.”
He was "living an absolute dream" by being back at the race but insisted he always felt he could get into the mix in the sprints and really compete to win.
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“If I didn’t believe I could do it I wouldn’t be racing my bike,” he said. “I needed someone who understands racing, and someone who understands me, and that was Patrick Lefevere.
“When I signed I wasn’t thinking about coming to the Tour de France. You had Sam Bennett, but I just wanted to return to this team because they were the happiest days of my career,” he said.
“I needed a happy place, a team that functioned as a team, and I needed a bike that fit me. That’s why I wanted to come to QuickStep, where I always felt believed in.
“This isn’t about proving anyone wrong,” he added of winning a stage on the Tour again. “But half the people in the press room haven’t written a good story about me in years, but I’m still here at the Tour de France. You just want to be here, and I knew I could still do it.”
Asked if he could get close to the Eddy Merckx's Tour record of 34 stage victories, Cavendish was dismissive.
“It’s only been a half-hour since I won. You’ve already forgotten how big it is to win one Tour stage if you’re asking me questions like that,” he said.
"It may sound silly, but this win means as much to me as my first win. People seem to have forgotten how difficult it is to win a Tour de France stage because I’ve won 31 of them, but it’s not easy at all.”
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