"I'm very disappointed, but we'll keep trying" - Defiant Mark Cavendish not giving up hope

The closest Mark Cavendish has come to taking that elusive 35th Tour de France stage win, stage 7 was both a massive disappointment for the 'Manx Missile' whilst also being a massive positive.

"I was in a good position, that was okay. It was a long finish straight ahead and Cees Bol kept me in a good position in the last kilometre, after which I started my sprint early. I did the same in 2010," said Cavendish in his post-stage interview, recalling his prior Tour de France stage win in Bordeaux from back when Jasper Philipsen was only 12 years old.

Cavendish was the first to launch his sprint and it seemed to have been timed to perfection. As the finish line neared however, Jasper Philipsen came flying around Cavendish, taking the victory for himself. “The moment I turned it on, my acceleration shot from 11 to 12 and back again, forcing me to sit down. That's something you couldn't do anything about," he explains. "I'm very disappointed, but we'll keep trying. Once again I saw the guys doing a great job."