Late gamble doesn't pay as Mark Cavendish misses Tour de France record

Jasper Philipsen, Phil Bauhaus, Caleb Ewan and Mark Cavendish sprinting on stage 4 at the Tour de France
Jasper Philipsen, Phil Bauhaus, Caleb Ewan and Mark Cavendish sprinting on stage 4 at the Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images)

Going one better than his 6th place finish on stage 3, Mark Cavendish sprinted to 5th on stage 4 from Dax to Nogaro. But it was another opportunity and another strike out for the Manxman, whose chances to take the record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage are slowly beginning to run out. 

The day was one of two very polarising halves. After the toughest Tour start in recent memory in the Basque country, the only thing the peloton seemed motivated for on stage 4 was a very easy day. It was more than 100km before a breakaway finally set off for its procession of sponsor-appeasing TV time after the intermediate sprint, despite a halfhearted charge from Wout Van Aert and a few fellow Belgians before.

Josh Croxton
Associate Editor (Tech)

Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews. 

On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.