Tour de France: Mark Cavendish matches Eddy Merckx

Carcassonne will forever be linked with Mark Cavendish as the place where the Manxman – supported by a phenomenal Deceuninck – Quick-Step team – sprinted to his 34th stage victory at the race and equalled a record that the great Eddy Merckx had been holding since 1975.

But maybe the most important lesson served by the 36-year-old on that warm Friday afternoon was that it doesn’t matter from where you come from and who you are as long as you believe in yourself and fight hard to turn your dreams into reality.

Video: Nick Poole