Cavendish sets new mark with narrow Tour stage win

Angeras : Mark Cavendish moved up to joint second on the all-time Tour de France stage win list with victory on Monday's third stage by the tightest of margins.

It was Cavendish's 28th Tour stage victory, and second of this edition in three days, to equal themark of French hero Bernard Hinault.

Only Belgian legend Eddy Merckx remains ahead of the Manx Missile now with an astonishing 34 stage wins.

"To be honest, when I started my career to think at any point that I'd be mentioned in the same sentence as Bernard Hinault or Eddy Merckx, it's more than I could have imagined," saidCavendish.

"No way could I compare myself to the greats in any way."

The 31-year-old Briton was a hair's breadth away from losing out to German Andre Greipel, who had dominated the Manxman last year in winning four stages to Cavendish's one.

A metre from the line, Greipel looked sure to win, yet somehow Cavendish stretched out his bike to snatch victory.

"I've won and lost by less than that before. I kind of thought I'd got it but you never know until it's confirmed," added Cavendish.

"Greipel's a gutsy rider, he's got balls on him. When I went to go around him, he went again.

"I didn't get him with the sprint, I got him with the lunge, so I was pretty lucky with that."

He had won far more comfortably on Saturday's opening stage in Normandy, after which he took young daughter Delilah up to the victory podium with him.

This time he took Delilah and her infant brother Frey too.