Eddy Merckx congratulated Mark Cavendish after he took his Tour de France stage win record from him on Wednesday.
Eddy Merckx, stripped of his record for stage wins in the Tour de France after Mark Cavendish’s 35th victory on Wednesday in Saint-Pulvas, congratulated the Briton on his “historical performance”. “Congratulations Mark for this historic performance. A great guy who broke my Tour record”wrote the “Cannibal” on his Instagram account, accompanying his message with a yellow heart.
Last summer, when Mark Cavendish broke his collarbone on a road in the Dordogne, Merckx was one of the first to wish him a speedy recovery, expressing his sadness at seeing him leave the Tour de France after a fall.
Merck, who turned 79 a few days ago, then welcomed Cavendish’s turnaround when the sprinter finally signed up for a final season. The two men have a real admiration for each other. On Wednesday, Cav’ also showed his respect for Merckx during his post-race interviews.
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“I love Eddy. He has always been very kind to me. I have not taken anything away from the great Eddy Merckx. He is just a number. Eddy Merckx remains Eddy Merckx.”said the Astana team rider.
