Mark Cavendish – Philippe Gilbert has ‘no hesitation’ that Manx Missile will break Tour de France win record

Eurosport expert Philippe Gilbert says he has “no hesitation” that Mark Cavendish will claim the outright record for most stage wins at the Tour de France.

Cavendish is currently tied with Eddy Merckx on 34 victories at cycling’s most prestigious event, having drawn alongside the Belgian great with a stunning four-stage haul in 2021. However, he was overlooked for the Tour by Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl last year, prompting the 37-year-old to seal a move to Astana Qazaqstan for the new campaign.

The Manx Missile has not triumphed on the road since June last year, but Gilbert believes it remains a matter of when – not if – he wins again at the Tour.

Tour de France

Gilbert has ‘no hesitation’ Cavendish will break Tour stage win record

39 MINUTES AGO

“I was really happy to see that Cavendish found a team with Astana,” said Gilbert.

“I’m sure that he has this goal in mind and this is his main motivation to still be a cyclist today – to break the record of wins in the Tour.

“I have no hesitation, I know he can do it. I don’t think Cav needs advice, he’s one of the best sprinters ever and he will follow his instincts and make it.”

‘It’s pretty nuts!’ – Cavendish explains why the Tour de France is ‘above the sport’

In an exclusive interview with Eurosport last week, Cavendish described the Tour as “above the sport” as he explained why the race was so special.

“I explain to everybody who’s never been at the Tour de France, you have amateurs that think they know cycling. But they can’t have an idea of what it’s like to ride as a professional, it’s another level,” he said.

“Then you have to go from professional to WorldTour, it’s an obvious step up. But you haven’t just got to step up to the Tour de France, it’s above the sport

“You’ve got the 170 best bike riders in the world. None of them are really doing their first Grand Tour, none of them are really coming back from injury, none of them are using the Grand Tour to prepare.

“The consequences of winning and losing that race are so much greater than anything. So you have the 170 best, all at the peak of their fitness for that year, all with not just the cycling world’s eyes on them, but the world’s eyes looking at them. It’s pretty nuts, not even just in the racing.

“Everything around it is just bigger, the highs, the lows. It’s so special.”

Cavendish also branded his new team the “perfect opportunity” as he seeks to return to the top of cycling. Astana are transitioning to sprints in 2023, with the team previously forging their reputation on general classification bids at Grand Tours.

“Me coming to Astana, I don’t just want a job. If things aren’t right it’s not going to happen,” said Cavendish.

“Astana’s the perfect opportunity to win in sprints. It’s something the team hasn’t done before, but my god, they’ve got the capacity to do it. It’s really exciting.”

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Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk

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