Mark Cavendish: I just want to keep winning Tour stages

2011 – Stage seven – Le Mans to Chateauroux: Secures victory in his trademark style, pipping Petacchi and Andre Greipel in a sprint finish after fellow Briton Bradley Wiggins had crashed out. That was like the old days of wheel-surfing.

Having famously failed to beat Kittel in a head-to-head sprint prior to this year’s Tour, Cavendish has got the better of the German on three occasions – including Monday’s nail-biting photo finish in Angers.

“I knew I wanted Marcel Kittel’s wheel”, the 31-year-old said.

Kittel launched the sprint but Cavendish, who was without his lead-out man Bernhard Eisel in the final sprint, attached himself patiently to Kittel’s wheel before overtaking him in the final 200 meters. I was a little too far back into the first.

The Manxman claimed victory on the sixth stage of this year’s Tour as he moved past Bernard Hinault onto 29 stage wins, only five behind all-time leader Eddy Merckx. “I stayed safe in the fast long run-in”.

“I don’t give a shit what people say”, he said with trademark defiance. I said this morning there are two finish lines, there’s one with 12km to go when out on the small road.

“I wanted Kittel’s wheel and I knew it was the right thing to go early”.

One curiosity of this year’s race is that all 198 riders who took to the start at Mont St-Michel on Saturday are still riding.

“I think so, after today, I can be confident that I have the legs, I just have to use them”, McLay added.

2009 – Stage three – Marseille to La Grande-Motte: Holds on to the green jersey after triumphing from a group of 27 riders who made the break with 30 kilometres to go.

Czech Jan Barta and Japan’s Yukiya Arashiro (Lampre) opened a maximum lead of five minutes but their breakaway was never likely to succeed.

BMC’s Greg Van Avermaet finished safely in the pack to retain the yellow jersey he took on Wednesday, while Team Sky’s defending champion Chris Froome remains fifth overall, five minutes and 17 seconds down.

The 190.5km (118.3mi) flat stage from Arpajon-sur-Cère to Montauban was the last opportunity for the pure sprinters until after the Tour’s first rest day on Monday.