Mark Cavendish wins a stage at the Tour de France two years after his last victory

Mark Cavendish claimed a win at the Tour de France two years after his last victory, a triumph he attributed to patience and dedicated to his teammate, German Tony Martin, who had to withdraw on Thursday due to a crash while wearing the yellow jersey.

"In the past few days, I was equally strong but I was too impatient, I didn't know how to wait for the right moment. Today, I think I waited too long, but in the end, it worked out well," commented the British cyclist from Etixx.

Cavendish followed the wheel of Norwegian Alexander Kristoff, "who usually launches very early," but this time, the Katusha cyclist waited too long.

"I was afraid of being closed in, but in the end, I was able to get out. Fortunately, (André) Greipel didn't close me off, he could have pushed me into the barriers, but he was a gentleman," he pointed out.

In Fougères, the Manx cyclist achieved his twenty-sixth win at the Tour, making him the third cyclist of all time with the most victories, two behind Frenchman Bernard Hinault and eight behind Belgian Eddy Merckx.

"Winning a stage in the Tour justifies a career and I am proud to have won so many. This one is special because it comes after two years of drought. I knew how to wait for my moment," said the cyclist, who had been visited by his wife and daughter.

Cavendish dedicated the victory to Martin, who couldn't start due to a broken collarbone from a crash when he was leading. "It is a great loss for us, and I wanted to win for him. He is a great teammate. It's like we started with 12 cyclists and now we are 8," he said. At the end of his contract with Etixx, Cavendish said he would like to renew with the Belgian team.

"This team has made me grow, it works, and I would like to continue. It is a very Belgian team, very welcoming people, it's like a family. In Belgium, everyone loves cycling, something I love, being with people with whom I can share my passion for cycling," he stated.