Stage 13

The road

At the start

Sagan out, 220 km to Carcassonne

Peter Sagan does not start. The knee he hurt in the Pontivy pile-up has beaten a rider who has won this points classification seven times, which leaves Cavendish's green jersey unchallenged and his pursuit of Merckx the only thing the sprinters have to settle. Pogačar's lead stands at 5:18. Today is 220 kilometres of Occitanie scrubland, and a hard crosswind.

How it was won

1. 1116 km to go

   Eight more points

   Cavendish takes the intermediate sprint at Fontès on a long, hot 220-kilometre day, quietly extending a green jersey lead that is already past a hundred points.

2. 21 km to go

   The train comes apart

   Six hundred metres out the DSM and Bahrain trains barge into the QuickStep lead-out and break it up. Ballerini is left driving alone at 300 metres before García Cortina jumps — with exactly the wrong men on his wheel.

3. 3At the line

   Thirty-four, and level with Merckx

   Mørkøv leads through and Cavendish surges past him by half a bike length in Carcassonne. It is his 34th Tour de France stage win, equalling the record Eddy Merckx has held since 1975.

The result