"There is more and more chance after yesterday that he will break Merckx's record" - Christophe Vandegoor on Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish has had a roller-coaster few years, with his career almost ending before Bahrain - Victorious gave him an opportunity, then his return to stardom with Quick-Step and subsequent fall-out, the demise of B&B Hotels-KTM and now a new surge with Astana. The Manxman continues his career with the ultimate goal of breaking the Tour de France record of stage wins, and Christophe Vandegoor argues he can.

"You can see that now. He is riding over all those climbs in this Giro, at his age. The door is open to the end of his career, but he still makes all those sacrifices to possibly grab that mini chance in Rome," Christophe Vandegoor told Sporza's De Tribune. "And he does. That can only be explained by one word: dedication, the love for the bicycle."

The veteran had spent most of his season under trouble, struggling with form which saw him fail to net a win but also rarely be in contention. The Giro didn't start too different, but his form clearly grew throughout the weeks. The Manxman didn't know that he was heading towards what was an emotional and brilliant end to the race, but he survived through the brutal mountain days and rough weather to still have a chance in the third week.

He missed his first shot at stage 17, but in the final day of the race everything went as good as he could've imagined. "What Geraint Thomas is doing, putting on the sprint for Cav, shows how loved he is in the peloton, with his teammates. Hence the many congratulations in Rome. There is not a single rider who did not give him a hug. Everyone was happy. That says a lot," Vandegoor continued. "That you can go through the last door of your career without too many enemies and just friends."

Cavendish has seen his speed come back to him, and also confidence with his first win of the year. He will with no doubt be Astana's headliner for the Tour de France where he will seek his 35th career win, something he's been pursuing for several years and has this weekend became a much more possible scenario.

"That's why he lasts so long. And that's why there is more and more chance after yesterday that he will break Merckx's record and that he will lash out again in the Tour de France. Because Astana is not doing much this year. They know that - in marketing terms and now also in sporting terms - they cannot leave this Cavendish at home and have to take it to the Tour. In terms of his career, Sunday could count and in the Tour maybe there will be another nice icing on that cake."