"So good for African cycling, He's a legend isn't he!" - Mark Cavendish offers warm congratulations to Biniam Girmay after historic Tour de France stage win

Mark Cavendish has his own, much talked about goals of taking a history making stage win at the 2024 Tour de France. In the first bunch sprint of the race however, the Manxman was held up by a late crash, with Biniam Girmay being the man to take the win.

"Yeah, I wasn't the only one. I was just lucky to stay up," the Astana Qazaqstan Team sprinter reflects of the late crash in a post-stage interview with ITV Cycling. "I didn't hear it and I'm too little to see what's going on, so I just started hearing people closer and closer going. Then it's not about people crashing in front, it's about people hitting you from behind so as I'm skidding I'm just waiting to get hit from behind. But, luckily we didn't and we kind of got through."

Thankfully, Cavendish and the rest of the Astana Qazaqstan Team members caught up in the crash were able to escape without serious injury. "We're all okay I think," Cavendish updates of the conditions of those involved. "Nobody is seriously hurt are they? So that's good. That's the main thing."

After a rough couple of stages for the sprinting legend, Cavendish was also feeling slightly better prior to his crash. "I didn't feel bad, but I don't think anyone felt great," the Manx Missile assesses, noting his various bike changes and tyre changes. "I've always been fidgety haven't I? I actually haven't changed my cleats for once in my life!"

As mentioned, whilst all the talk of a history making win pre-stage was surrounding Cavendish, it was Biniam Girmay who wrote his own piece of history on stage 3, becoming the first black African to win a Tour de France stage. "The first Eritrean stage winner. I remember Daniel Teklehaimanot wore the polka-dot jersey but that's massive!" Cavendish says warmly. "This race is so massive and cycling is so massive in Eritrea... This is so good for him and for African cycling. He's a legend isn't he!"