Tour de France: Mark Cavendish’s comeback is one of cycling’s greatest | William Fotheringham
Not long ago the Manxman talked tearfully about retirement. Now Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour stage wins is in sightAs the French like to say, eating whets the appetite. So on Friday, the morning after winning the 32nd Tour de France stage of his career at Châteauroux, Mark Cavendish did not rest on his laurels, but formed part of a decisive 28-rider escape on the longest stage of the race. He spent much of the 249km run to Le Creusot several minutes ahead of the field, along with some of the strongest one-day racers in cycling: Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Philippe Gilbert and Vincenzo Nibali.Given the hills that peppered the finale of the stage, Cavendish was...