Manxman

The Manxman fell just short of taking the record outright on stage seven, when a gear issue hampered his sprint as he finished second to Jasper Philipsen.

Manxman Cavendish, 38, broke a collarbone in an innocuous-looking crash about 60km from the finish of stage eight from Libourne to Limoges.

Mr Cavendish, the Manxman who jointly holds the record for most stage wins in the Tour de France, was recovering from broken ribs sustained in a cycling crash at the time of the incident.

The Manxman is currently level with the legendary Eddy Merckx on 34 Tour stage wins.

The Manxman won four stages at this year's Tour de France, equalling the Tour record of 34 set by Eddy Merckx.