Cycling world reacts to Mark Cavendish's 34th Tour de France stage win
The plaudits are coming in from current and old stars of the sport
Following Mark Cavendish's historic 34th stage win at the Tour de France, the cycling world has been quick to laud the achievement of the Briton.
Cavendish sprinted to his fourth stage success of this year's race in Carcassonne on Friday afternoon to equal Eddy Merckx's long-standing record of 34 stage wins in the race.
Immediately after the race his Deceuninck - Quick Step teammate Michael Morkov called the accomplishment "amazing" and "special", while social media exploded with congratulations flowing in for the 36-year-old.
One of the first to react was young British star Jake Stewart who grew up with Cavendish acting as his hero and inspiration.
34. That's all.July 9, 2021
What an icon. Hero. Legend. I don't think words can sum up @MarkCavendish and how inspiring it's been as a young rider to watch his utter domination over the last decade! 🥵 The true epitome of never stop believing. You're a fuckin legend! 🙏July 9, 2021
Tom Pidcock was once one of the young fans that Cavendish has been inspiring for almost 15 years.
A post shared by ᵀᴼᴹ ᴾᴵᴰᶜᴼᶜᴷ (@tompidcock)
A photo posted by on
2012 Tour champion Bradley Wiggins met his former teammate and close friend after the stage.
Number 34. Proud. @MarkCavendish x pic.twitter.com/8d4OVI1tEAJuly 10, 2021
Cavendish's Deceuninck - Quick Ste teammate Iljo Keisse showed that he is just as handy on Photoshop as he is winning 6-day track meetings.
The GOAT!! #34 @MarkCavendish pic.twitter.com/OPBAjoGkjHJuly 9, 2021
The man who has been closest to beating Cavendish in this year's Tour has his say.
Congrats @MarkCavendish with an impressive record @LeTour. I hoped to make it a little more difficult to you, but I’ll keep on trying! 💪 #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/Q3AcoWB1T4July 9, 2021
British Cycling didn't hide their allegiances, celebrating Cavendish's latest triumph.
HE'S DONE IT! 💚@MarkCavendish WINS his 34th stage of the Le Tour de France 🤯🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/Mxm68YumG4July 9, 2021
The Tour got in on the act, too, producing a side-by-side photo of the two joint record-holders.
🐐 CAV𝟯𝟰DISH 🐐#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/I7iHVp7AlAJuly 9, 2021
Whatever Keisse can do on his computer, Specialized can do bett... ah, well, it made us chuckle.
pic.twitter.com/42pdTChmlcJuly 9, 2021
Michael Kwiatkowski called Cavendish's record-equalling win incredible.
INCROYABLE! Chapeaux @MarkCavendish 🙌🏻 3️⃣4️⃣📷 @GettySport pic.twitter.com/GEApJPNbNIJuly 9, 2021
It wasn't just the world of cycling getting involved: former rugby star and BBC broadcaster Brian Moore believes the achievement should be measured on par with England's success at the Euro 2020 football tournament.
If Cavendish takes the all-time stage wins record, and England win the Euros, his achievement will probably not get the acclamation it should, but on any metric you name it is one of the highest. https://t.co/lAT1qbOyAlJuly 9, 2021
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A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and feature writing across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in a number of places, but mostly in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.
He lives in Valencia, Spain.
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