Mark Cavendish’s sprint victory on stage five of this year’s Tour de France means the Manx Missile rises to ninth on the list of all-time Tour de France stage winners.
Frenchman André Darrigade, who won the green points jersey in 1959 and 1961, is the only sprinter above Cavendish, with 22 stage wins from 14 Tour de France appearances.
The 26-year-old Cavendish, however, has racked up his 16 victories in just four years – registering four, six and five wins in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively before opening his 2011 account in Cap Frehel on Wednesday.
Cavendish’s first Tour stage win came in Chateauroux, where stage seven finishes on Saturday. With a flat finish also suited to the fast man on stage six, Cavendish has the opportunity to triple his tally for this year’s race before the peloton heads into the lumpy terrain of the Massif Central.
Meanwhile, Eddy Merckx tops the list, with The Cannibal winning a remarkable 34 stages between 1969 and 1975 – and, of course, the Belgian won the overall race five times along the way.
Merckx is one of three riders to win eight stages in one Tour – in fact he done it twice in both 1970 and 1974 – alongside Charles Pélissier (1930), with whom Cavendish draws level on 16 wins, and Freddy Maertens (1976).
- Tour de France stage five: Cavendish comes from nowhere to open 2011 account
- Photo gallery: Mark Cavendish sprint special
All-time Tour de France stage winners
1. Eddy Merckx (1969-1975) – Belgium – 34 stage wins
2. Bernard Hinault (1978-1986) – France – 28
3. André Leducq (1927-1938) – France – 25
4. Lance Armstrong (1993-2005) – United States – 22
André Darrigade (1953-1964) – France – 22
6. Nicolas Frantz (1924-1929) – Luxembourg – 20
7. François Faber (1908-1914) – Luxembourg – 19
8. Jean Alavoine (1909-1923) – France – 17
9. Jacques Anquetil (1957-1964) – France – 16
René Le Greves (1933-1939) – France – 16
Charles Pelissier (1929-1935) – France – 16
Mark Cavendish (2008-present) – Great Britain – 16
13. Freddy Maertens (1976-1981) – Belgium – 15
