No record but promising signs for Mark Cavendish on first sprint stage

2023 Tour de France stage 3: Mark Cavendish finished sixth
2023 Tour de France stage 3: Mark Cavendish finished sixth (Image credit: Getty)

After the hardest Tour de France start in recent memory, Monday's stage of the 2023 Tour de France provided the first opportunity for Mark Cavendish to take his 35th win, a number that would see him surpass the current record of 34, which he shares with Eddy Merckx. 

Unfortunately for the Astana Qazaqstan rider, today wasn't to be. His sixth place finish in Bayonne in the south west of France means the fairytale will have to wait, but the 38-year-old showed promise with a fast final 200 metres and a well-executed team plan. 

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.