"What if Cav just had a clean run? Could he have got 40? 45?" - Van Garderen & Vande Velde believe Mark Cavendish's 35 Tour de France stages 'easily' could be more
Cycling
Mark Cavendish retires as the most successful sprinter of all time and the man with the most Tour de France stage victories in the long and storied history of cycling's most famous race. Could the 'Manx Missile's career have been even more successful though?
On the latest episode of NBC Sports Cycling's Beyond the Podium podcast, American ex-pros and former peloton rivals of Cavendish, Tejay van Garderen and Christian Vande Velde discuss Cavendish and the possibility that the Brit might look back on his 35 Tour de France stage victories as a total that could 'easily' have been improved upon.
"How many could he have won? I mean, you saw the massive career arch that had down years, the Epstein-Barr, the mental health issues. He got back at Quick-Step, but then he got snubbed that year... What if Cav just had a clean run?" Van Garderen asks aloud. "I know it's just part of the journey but could he have got 40? 45?"
"Oh easily!" Vande Velde answers emphatically. "It's ridiculous that could've, would've, should've, but especially for a sprinter, how many times did he lose by an inch or half an inch? Or how many did he not care as much because he already had 4 or 5 in the bag? And that year when he was on fire after winning the National Championships. That was a big snub from Quick-Step."
"Even in 2021. No one thought he'd come back to Quick-Step and win four stages, not even him. And on the Champs Elysses I thought it was going to be a storybook ending but that obviously did not come to fruition," Vande Velde adds in conclusion. "I think easily (Cavendish could win more ed.) if you go back and look at it... Let's say 42, all day long in a could've, would've, should've scenario."
Could Mark Cavendish potentially have won 40-45 Tour de France stages?
— NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) December 23, 2024
"Easily. easy." - @ChristianVDV https://t.co/WULnYVLldY pic.twitter.com/vQ2fmgC65p
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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