I cannot begin to tell you how long and hard I have been waiting for a Mark Cavendish stage victory on a day when I am on the review desk. It has been 84 years! The day has arrived today, folks! The myth. The man. THE LEGEND. Cavendish has won again! His second stage win of this year’s Tour de France, making him the most successful sprinter thus far of this year’s race. And he even did it in the green jersey – what a Hulk of Greatness™! Take that, Wout van Aert and MvdP! Not that it necessarily matters, because this review is all about the Mark Cavendish love, but Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) and Nacer Bouhanni (Arkea-Samsic) rounded out the podium. A slight nod to Bouhanni, I suppose, as the man is having his best ever sprint showing. Can he snag a win this year? The answer is no, because of Mark Cavendish.
In the GC fight, the top 10 remained untouched. Mathieu van der Poel continues to dazzle in yellow for another day as the race’s first glimpse of the mountains comes this weekend.