Mark Cavendish is set for a chance to finally break the long-standing record of Tour de France stage wins this summer after signing for Astana Qazaqstan.
Cavendish, 37, left QuickStep Alpha Vinyl after falling behind Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen in the pecking order. It meant he missed last year’s Tour and the chance to surpass Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins, which has stood for 45 years. Cavendish needs just one stage victory to take the record outright, and is likely to get plenty of support from his team to do so in July.
