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Tour de France 2024

Stage 5

Cavendish makes history

  • Wednesday 3 July 2024
  • 178 km
  • 1,124 m climbed
  • Won by Mark Cavendish

The road

646 m0 km255075100125150177 km12

At the start

Cavendish, and a flat road at last

The Galibier handed Pogačar the yellow jersey back: Remco Evenepoel is 45 seconds down, Jonas Vingegaard 50, Primož Roglič 1:14. Every sprinter made the time cut at Valloire, which is the only reason today matters to them — 178 flat kilometres to Saint-Vulbas, two right-hand turns inside the final three, and the first finish of this Tour they can win. Mark Cavendish sits on 34 stage wins, level with Merckx.

How it was won

  1. 13 km to go

    The sprinters reel in the break

    A two-man French move is gradually hauled back in gentle rain as the fast men's teams line up for the expected bunch kick into Saint-Vulbas.

  2. At the line

    Cavendish makes history

    In a chaotic finale Mark Cavendish reads the shifting sprint perfectly, diving onto the right wheel and launching inside 100 metres to beat Philipsen for a record-breaking 35th Tour stage win, past Eddy Merckx at last.

The result

Podium, Stage 5, Tour de France 2024
RankRiderTeamTime
1Mark CavendishAstana Qazaqstan Team4:08:46
2Jasper PhilipsenAlpecin - Deceuninck+0:00
3Alexander KristoffUno-X Mobility+0:00
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