Mark Cavendish survives final mountain stage to sit poised for 35th Tour de France victory

Mark Cavendish has beaten the mountains, now he’s got to beat the sprinters.

Cavendish suffered through the final climbing stage of the 2021 Tour de France on Thursday to beat the time cut and tee up the prospect of him grabbing a record 35th stage win before this year’s race is done.

Also read:

• What Mark Cavendish and gear experts say about his chain coming off
• Cavendish looking beyond ’35’ and toward 2022 season
• Race against the time cut a cruel inevitability of Tour de France

“I got a bit emotional there crossing the line, now it seems all the obstacles have gone and I can get to Paris,” Cavendish said after rolling to the top of the Luz Ardiden climb Thursday.

The 36-year-old tamped down the prospect of number 35 coming as soon as Friday’s long, hilly stage into Libourne, suggesting his Deceuninck-Quick-Step teammates may be blunted after three consecutive days in the Pyrénées.

“I don’t know… If there is a sprint [Friday], we’ll try for it – but it’s 205km and hard,” Cavendish said. “I’d like my boys to be able to sit in the peloton, they deserve it.”

That would leave Paris and the Champs-Élysées. Cavendish won four times on the iconic boulevard during a prolific spell from 2009-2012.

He would not be drawn too deeply into speculation as to whether he would add extra glamor to his stunning comeback by crossing the line first in Paris.

“Hopefully, yes,” was all he had to say about the possibility.

With a dwindling sprint field of sprinters to beat and a rich, winning history on the Champs, it’s hard to bet against the so-called “Manx Missile” making it 35 on Sunday.

Unless he’s already done it on Friday’s roads into Libourne of course.