"Multiple stage wins for Mark Cavendish at this year's Tour de France" predict optimistic Bob Roll & Christian Vande Velde
Cycling
In the farewell year of his legendary career, there is no secret about what the goal is for Mark Cavendish in 2024. The Manx Missile is searching for what would be a record-breaking 35th Tour de France win and at the recent Tour de Hongrie, Cavendish's hopes were boosted by his second win of the season.
"It was, to my eyes at least, a very impressive win in Hungary against a high-quality field of sprinters," reflected American cycling expert and ex-pro Bob Roll, in conversation with compatriot, Christan Vande Velde on NBC Sports Cycling's podcast. "How sharp his sprint was, how dynamic his pedalling motion, it was very impressive. Seeing it, it was like 'Woah, that is a fantastic sprint!' To imagine he's doing that now, with time to be even further prepared for the Tour de France with his strong leadout team, I'm giving him the edge to go one better than Eddy Merckx. I'm thinking maybe it's multiple stage wins for Mark Cavendish at this year's Tour."
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Cavendish beat some quality riders such as the likes of Dylan Groenewegen and Sam Welsford in Hungary. As always at the Tour de France however, the best of the best congregate and as such, it will be tougher again to secure himself a 35th victory. Assessing the 38-year-old's chances, Vande Velde admits he was surprised by Cavendish's choice to skip the Giro d'Italia.
"He loves to put a number on his back. He loves race days, especially at a Grand Tour such as the Giro d'Italia, where he has had so much success in the past," the American, 4th placed finisher in the GC at the 2008 Tour de France explains. "But, having that win takes a ton off his shoulders and a ton off his team's shoulders as well. And he beat Dylan Groenewegen so yeah, it's a big deal."
Do you think Cavendish will be able to take a stage of the Tour de France later this summer? Use the poll down below to cast your vote!
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
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"I'm thinking maybe it's multiple stage wins for Mark Cavendish at this year's Tour." 👀 #TDF2024 @ChristianVDV @bobkeroll
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