Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck- Quick Step) screamed across the line in Fougeres, arms aloft, to claim victory on Stage 4 of the Tour de France from Arkea Samsic’s Nacer Bouhanni and Jasper Philippsen (Alpecin Fenix). Not only does that bland statement fail to capture the whole Cav experience (oh yes, there will be tears!!!), it also does no justice whatsoever to the edge-of-the-seat excitement of the finale (oh yes, there will be screaming!!!) Let’s get into it.
The protest
The stage started in Redon set for a shortish 150km jaunt to the finish in Fougeres, scene of a Cavendish victory in 2015. A planned one-minute rider protest was supposed to happen at kilometre zero. Some teams were not keen, but Andre Greipel (Israel Start Up Nation) came to front and forced them to stop. I’m voting for Andre as Patron of the peloton.
“We agreed on something before the race but they didn’t stop so I went to the front…
“Maybe I’m one of the oldest riders in the bunch, so I took responsibility.”
Hear from @AndreGreipel about the situation at the start of stage 4 🎥
____
🇫🇷 #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/RfLFdxHqgn— Israel Start-Up Nation / Israel Cycling Academy (@TeamIsraelSUN) June 29, 2021
It’s times like these that I wonder if the teams and riders will ever be able to work together to bring about the changes they wish to see.
Greipel taking authority there. The fact he had to, says so much.
— Orla Chennaoui (@SportsOrla) June 29, 2021
The break
The peloton wanted nothing more than an easy sprint stage and to get to the finish without further stress and crashes. Lotto Soudal’s Brent Van Moer attacked off the front first, soon to be joined by Pierre-Luc Perichon of Cofidis. Riders, fans and team social media accounts settled in for a stage ending in a sprint. Whoever is running social media for The Mighty ‘Dis ™ deserves plaudits for the CouCou gif. The inhabitants of VeloVoices Towers were much amused.
🇫🇷 #TDF2021
First one to attack today is @Brentvanmoer! 👊 Together with Périchon, our youngsters forms the breakaway of today. pic.twitter.com/vWJQzTLtAa
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2021
Let's go 💪
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2021
The kilometres ticked down, the gap was maintained and fans were treated to gorgeous shots of Breton countryside, discussions on chateaux, tractor field art and windmills with donkeys! I think the GCN+ strapline just about sums it up.
Le Moulin de Bertaud – avec un âne! 🥰 #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/BuQXEtmbB6
— (((Lukas Knöfler))) (@lukascph) June 29, 2021
Those watching with GCN found out that King Kelly is a dab hand at triple-cooked frites and that… [What? GCN couldn’t spring for separate rooms???? For a legend … and Brian – ed]
Hey up, Brian Smith and King Kelly are TDF Roomies 💜
— midge (@pariswheels) June 29, 2021
The intermediate sprint saw Michael Morkov deliver Cav perfectly to take the peloton bunch sprint.
.@MarkCavendish is first from the #TDF2021 peloton at the intermediate sprint in Vitré, scoring 15 points.
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/LwbX3PTxBl— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) June 29, 2021
That was a decent preview of the sprint finish (provided we don't have any more carnage). Michael Morkov is worth his weight in gold #TDF2021
— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) June 29, 2021
Michael Mørkøv, do that again in 36km pls #tdf2021
— Issie 💙 (@IssieAtch) June 29, 2021
With 20km to go the pair out front held onto a slim one-minute advantage. It looked like the sprinter teams had it all under control and Cav fans were in a happy state of nervousness
The Finale
And THEN, with 13.6km to go Brent Van Moer flew solo.
🇫🇷 #TDF2021
He's going solo! 👊 Go @Brentvanmoer! pic.twitter.com/E6qRcX6OLu
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2021
He has form in holding marauding sprint teams at bay, we saw him grab a fantastic victory on the opening stage of the Dauphine this year.
🇫🇷 #TDF2021
Could Brent Van Moer be upsetting the sprint teams today? He has 1'03" with 7km to go!
— Team Qhubeka NextHash (@QhubekaAssos) June 29, 2021
🇫🇷 #TDF2021
Come on, @Brentvanmoer!!! pic.twitter.com/NcLPE77vOL
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2021
Brent’s teammate Jasper De Buyst rode an absolute blinder a s a major disrupter to the sprint teams efforts, they gave their man in front every chance to maintain his precious seconds. Under the flamme rouge and he was still holding an advantage. The sprint teams were now in full flight and Twitter was a whole screaming match.
Is Brent van Moer about to do a Taco van der Hoorn? Wouldn't that be a wonderful salve after the early madness of the #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/bYn2tIRU7I
— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) June 29, 2021
Pretty sure this was a lot of us
Wanting Brent Van Moer to win the stage from the break but also wanting a sprint cause Cav #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/zFVyEco7C8
— Issie 💙 (@IssieAtch) June 29, 2021
Flamme Rouge OMG GO GO GO
— midge (@pariswheels) June 29, 2021
It wasn’t to be, Brent was caught with 200m to go
200 metres. How close can you get to stage victory?! Brent van Moer, we do take a bow for you!
🚄 like a high-speed train that doesn’t run out of energy! Massive power performance!
📸 Photonews pic.twitter.com/4Es0XBFApy
— Ridley Bikes (@Ridley_Bikes) June 29, 2021
Victoire
Mark Cavendish returns to the top step of the Tour de France podium for the first time in 5 years – the Manx Missile is back! pic.twitter.com/oE1GYbBAZ0
— GlobalCyclingNetwork (@gcntweet) June 29, 2021
I can’t really believe I am writing this, because it still feels like a dream of Disney fairy-tale proportions. It is something I thought I would never write about again. So let me do it justice: The Manx Missile took his 31st victory at the Tour de France, five years after his last, and 13 years after his first.
Let that sink in.
Think about the completely different eras of sprinters he has faced.
It’s mind-blowing.
I want to see that overhead. NOW
— Luke (@LukeTheCycliste) June 29, 2021
He had to work for this victory. I have waxed lyrical many times about the prowess and skill of Michael Morkov, but Cav was not dropped off at the perfect moment. No, he had to improvise because the Quicksteppers had to throw all their resources to bring Van Moer back. Watch the overhead and see him weave his way to the line after Tim Merlier (Alpecin Fenix) leads out Jasper Philipsen. There is a particularly heartstopping moment where he has to avoid the young Dutchman who is travelling backward through the melee. Once he has Philipsen in his sight, he zooms past and holds off a fast-finishing Nacer Bouhanni.
🦅 An aerial view of @MarkCavendish's winning sprint!
🦅 Une vue aérienne du sprint final du @MarkCavendish !#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/ZbDDGryvSL
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 29, 2021
That improvisation is just classic Cav and I have to agree with John here.
That was a hell of a win as well. That wasn't an old man dropped off to an easy win by Morkov. That was @MarkCavendish being smart and, most importantly, fast as fuck.
— John Galloway (@VelocastJohn) June 29, 2021
I was ecstatic with the win, but it also gave him the Green Jersey. WHAT A DAY
The emotion
Sheer release over the line
Love Cav’s raw, visceral scream as he crosses the line. So much of pro cycling revolves around data and careful team planning these days. Sometimes they can look and sound like robots on bikes. But these are real people with real emotions. And this is why we love sport so much 😁 https://t.co/duJVEAErZr
— Tim | ThatchamDad (@thatchamdad) June 29, 2021
That smile
🏅 @MarkCavendish WINS!!
🏅 @MarkCavendish S'IMPOSE !!#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/ODeIHN81jM
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 29, 2021
I refuse to believe anyone could watch his post race interview without a lump in their throat and leaking eyes.
he who is not moved to tears by mark cavendish is tired of life
— базаров нет (@chewy_sky) June 29, 2021
"I don't know what to say man"
First words from the 🇮🇲 Manx Missile, fresh from a 31st stage win. @MarkCavendish#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/9tMygrixNA
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 29, 2021
Because you see, it’s not just the win or the manner of its taking. It’s because this man has overcome so much in recent years – Epstein-Barr virus, his struggles with depression, the fact he could not find a team and thought his career was over at Gent Wevelgem last year.
But through it all, some little spark, that essential piece of Mark Cavendish just would not give up. We saw him fight at the Tour of Turkey and in Belgium, and now we see here on the stage he graced for so many years. The VeloVoices have often said we always want a rider to retire on his own terms, not to be forced into it. It is the fairy-tale ending we all wanted.
Let’s all get a little emotional again as we read the tweets from his teammates, contemporaries and fans.
Get the tissues ready
Watch this without getting emotional 🤗#TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/3GBwUdc1Bh
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) June 29, 2021
Asgreen: ‘All of us could see how emotional Mark was. It hits us and it hits me, when I’m able to see how much it means to him and how much he’s fought for this the last couple of years’ #TDF2021
— Dennis Korsbæk Præst (@DennisPraest) June 29, 2021
Asgreen: ‘Every night he’s on the phone talking to his son who’s also named Kasper. It’s great to see someone you’ve gotten to know succeed like this’ #TDF2021
— Dennis Korsbæk Præst (@DennisPraest) June 29, 2021
The peloton past and present
Oh my heart. @MarkCavendish I’m so happy for you. Big man tears today watching that replay 🥲🥰 I love you brother.
— Taylor Phinney (@taylorphinney) June 29, 2021
Hoy a ganado el ciclismo!@MarkCavendish smash it!! Congrats mate🥳 #chapeau #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/98xT00Jqtc
— Iván Garcia Cortina (@ivan_cortina) June 29, 2021
Remember: Lion never sleeps! 🦁
LEGEND! 👏🏻 @MarkCavendish#TDF2021
📷 @GettySport pic.twitter.com/ulfuEy6Mky— Michał Kwiatkowski (@kwiato) June 29, 2021
Oh @MarkCavendish. What. A. Hero.
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 29, 2021
GOAT @MarkCavendish ✨🌟⭐️⚡️
— David Millar (@millarmind) June 29, 2021
This was from Kittel earlier. Real classy thing to do #cav #TDF2021 #tdf #kittel pic.twitter.com/JKEcyVpT04
— Maxi Lopez 🚴🏽⚽️🏎 (@MaxiWardley) June 29, 2021
Never in doubt eh, @GeraintThomas86 😜
Congrats, @MarkCavendish #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/TOln8s83um
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) June 29, 2021
#TdF2021
Wow. Just wow. There are times when we all have to be happy when a competitor wins. This was a finish to behold.
Congrats @MarkCavendish. 🙌— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) June 29, 2021
Love this snap with Adam Blythe
Joy distilled into a moment of wonder. What an incredibly beautiful win. Utter class. Just class. @MarkCavendish #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/bJ1PMs51u4
— Matt Stephens (@RealStephens) June 29, 2021
Oh Cav, how wonderful! I'm in tears too, so pleased for you @MarkCavendish #TDF2021
— Fully Vaccinated. 3.5%😷💚💙 Please keep your space. (@alswifejacky) June 29, 2021
Our very own Luke had quite the day…
My dad is on a call in the next room so I withheld my shouts, but I just slammed my hands in my bed repeatedly
— Luke (@LukeTheCycliste) June 29, 2021
This interview is going to have me in tears after thinking back on his Gent interview last year
— Luke (@LukeTheCycliste) June 29, 2021
11/10/2020: Mark Cavendish crying because he doesn't find a team anymore after Gent-Wevelgem. End of career is close.
29/06/2021: Mark Cavendish in tears after winning his 31st stage at Le Tour.
Cycling. 😍#TDF2021
— Domestique (@Cyclingvision) June 29, 2021
I might need a lay down after that one, frankly.
— Luke (@LukeTheCycliste) June 29, 2021
Cav has updated his palmares once this Tour de France.
That sign needs a little update 😉
Le panneau doit être mise à jour 😉
x31 @MarkCavendish #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/If6bDU4Gzd
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 29, 2021
Dare we hope for more?
Mark Cavendish has now 31 Tour de France stages, only three behind Eddy Merckx.
— CafeRoubaix (@CafeRoubaix) June 29, 2021
A word for Brent Van Moer
I can’t finish this write-up without a word for the rider that so very nearly pulled off an incredible solo victory the man who Twitter fans were also cheering their hardest for.
🇫🇷 #TDF2021
Who else needs a lie-down after that crazy final? 😅 pic.twitter.com/FQpkMCWkUF
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2021
After the loss of Caleb Ewan, Lotto Soudal had to reset their Tour de France goals to breakaway chances.
We won't forget the ending of #TDF2021 stage four anytime soon, that's for sure 🙈 pic.twitter.com/2IFw3CqCJd
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2021
💬"In the final 15 kilometres of the stage, my teammates told me through the radio that I could win the stage, which gave me a huge boost."
Read what @Brentvanmoer had to say after coming close to victory on stage four of the #TDF2021.https://t.co/lbFjClL2S8
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2021
Proud of you, @Brentvanmoer! #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/DhYyu5QV8L
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2021
He must have been so disappointed but chapeau for this show of sportsmanship
🤝
Congrats, @MarkCavendish! pic.twitter.com/ZetuvceNUS
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) June 29, 2021
Props to Brent Van Moer, I think the cycling world would be talking about his absolute class ride a lot more if anyone bar one guy won the stage. What a race.
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 29, 2021
Final Word
Unreal. What a Tour de France. Van der Poel and Poulidor. Cavendish winning 13 YEARS after his first win. I honestly don’t know which is the better story. Doesn’t matter. Both are absolutely sensational.
— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) June 29, 2021
Results
Stage 4 Top 5
1 Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck Quick Step) 3:20:17
2 Nacer Bouhanni (Team Arkea-Samsic) same time
3 Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) s.t
4 Michael Matthews (Bike Exchange) s.t
5 Peter Sagan (BORA hansgrohe) s.t
General Classification Top 10
1 Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 16:19:10
2 Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) +0:08
3 Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:31
4 Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) same time
5 Wilco Kelderman (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:38
6 Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +0:39
7 Enric Mas Nicolau (Movistar Team) +0:40
8 Nairo Quintana (Col) Team Arkea-Samsic
9 Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) +0:45
10 Sergio Higuita Garcia (EF Education-Nippo)
All the Jerseys
🏆Rankings Stage/Etape 4
The Jerseys and rankings following stage 4. ⬇️
Les maillots distinctifs et les classements après l'étape 4. ⬇️ #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/FOtiMIyatR
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 29, 2021
Leaders jersey : Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)
Points jersey : Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick Step)
KOM jersey : Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgroghe)
Best young rider jersey : Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates)
For full stage review, go to cyclingnews