British cyclist Mark Cavendish won this year’s Tour de France best sprinter green jersey.
This is the second time in his career, after 2011, that he has triumphed in the battle for the points classification.
Cavendish aimed to set a new all-time record of 35 Tour stage wins, but narrowly missed out on victory on Chatou’s final stage at the Champs-Elysées in Paris.
He hit his handlebars in frustration as he finished third in the mass sprint won by Belgian Wout van Aert, with Jasper Philipsen, also of Belgium, second.
Cavendish pictured with Eddy Merckx
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar won the yellow jersey with his second consecutive Tour title after Sunday’s 21st and final stage.
The rider from the United Arab Emirates 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.
Earlier this month, Cavendish tied Belgian TdF legend Eddy Merckx’s mark of 34 – a record set since 1975.
The manx rider claimed his last victory crossing the finish line in Carcassonne on July 9 to win the 13th stage of this year’s race.
He also won stages four, six and 10 of the 2021 tour.
It capped a remarkable turn of fortune for the 36-year-old runner, who hinted last year that his career may be over after poor form and illness.
In October, Cavendish suggested he could retire from cycling following the Gent-Wevelgem race in Belgium.
He said this race could be his last, but signed for Deceuninck-Quick Step for the 2021 season and was drafted on the Tour de France squad roster last month after injury to his teammate and fellow sprinter Sam Bennett.
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-07-18 16:57:00
