Mark Cavendish wins record 35th stage in Tour de France - WATCH

Mark Cavendish has created history by winning 35th Tour de France stage win on Wednesday (Jul 3). Cavendish reached the milestone on stage five to surpass legendary Eddy Merckx.

Speaking to ITV after his historic win, Cavendish said: "You sprint and go as hard as you can until you get to the finish and maybe your life changes if you cross that line first, maybe it doesn't if you don't. That is the nature of this race and what makes it so beautiful."

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"We just wanted the run in to do it. I'm in a little bit of disbelief. Astana have put a big gamble on to make sure I'm here to win at least one stage here. We've done it," also said Cavendish after the race.

He was the joint record holder for most stage wins in Tour de France with Merckx since winning his 34th stage win in 2021. The win comes an year after 39-year-old's tournament ending crash in stage eight.

The crash broke his collarbone but the Manx Missile came back strongly to not only continue his career but create history as well.

Reacting to Cavendish's win, former teammate Geraint Thomas said: "It's unbelievable, I am super happy for him. It is great he has the record alone and is not sharing it with anyone.

"I said, 'Mate, if you win this stage just drop your bike and walk away' - but he was like, 'If I win the first one, I'll want to win more'. So he’s definitely going to hang around, isn't he," Thomas added.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme also showered Cavendish with praise and called him the 'yellow jersey of the sprinters.'

"Everyone has a smile today - even Eddy Merckx. Everybody thought it was too late but him. It is a wonderful story," added Prudhomme.