Cycling's been my life for over 25 years.
I've lived an absolute dream.
I think it's important that now,
I can be there every birthday for my wife Peta
and all our children.
2023 will be my final season as a professional cyclist.
The 2023 Tour de France was my last race as a professional.
Erm…
I crashed out.
Sprinters crash.
Big, big crash on the left-hand side.
Cavendish is down.
And a big grimace here from the Manx Missile.
This is not good news.
This is very dramatic for the man who, at 38, still held the hope of winning
a historic 35th stage.
It's the end of a dream.
I think you've been this way, that way, and everywhere in between,
since it happened.
I've known you long enough,
and if you cut Mark, he bleeds the Tour de France.
Of course, you don't want to finish like that, but at 38…
It's hard.
I also know what it takes to be able to do that sprint.
It's not just a day's training. It's not a week's training.
I don't want crashing out to be the end of my career.
I've won 34 stages of the Tour de France.
If I had 35,
I'd have the most stage wins in history.
What do you think, D? Should Daddy carry on?
Can you go back on a retirement announcement?
I don't think anyone would be like,
"Why is he gonna say he's gonna do another year?"
And to be honest, even if they did, who gives a fuck?
Who gives a fuck?
Why have you chosen to come back to the Tour de France?
The Tour de France is…
It's the only bike race in the world that gets me emotional.
Like, crazy emotional.
Mark Cavendish! A second victory!
Mark Cavendish has won again!
I'm throwing everything into one last crack.
Whoa, they've missed the corner.
Cavendish, on his own. Cavendish.
Of course, I'm going for the record.
So, we start to go down. Stop at the bar. Just change clothes.
Then you go the direction up to La Peza, and stop at the climb.
So I started training again.
It took a bit longer to get on the bike than a normal collarbone break would.
There were days I was loving being on my bike,
and there were days when I was like,
struggling, 'cause it's hard to get back.
So everything was geared towards starting the Tour de France.
So today, we're doing some over-under thresholds,
because they need to survive the climbs in the Tour de France.
It's a bit harder to go there.
-Is it? -Yes, it's a bit harder. Yes.
-Good job we're hard then, innit? -Yeah.
We were talking about it, and we were quite lucky,
we're not gonna be doing it much longer.
When we were young, you just had to train.
If you trained, you were good.
Now, you have to train, and…
at altitude.
It's modern cycling, man! It's modern cycling.
All right, see you later.
The difficulty I have now is it gets harder as you get older.
To get sharp, to get the ability to win, to get the ability to go,
whenever these young guys go and go, it gets harder and harder.
My team, they were built around me.
Of course I'm stressed, you know.
We've got one goal. It was quite a bit to be stressed about.
Cav, he looks really fit.
I'm getting very confident in him winning a stage in the Tour de France.
This year, it's all or nothing for us.
It's a big gamble,
because everything is staked on a sprinter who's getting older,
who hasn't necessarily had much success in recent years.
I mean, it could be a very risky bet.
The sponsors pay for a win.
If Mark Cavendish doesn't rise to it,
it could mean jeopardy for the whole of the team.
There's absolute phenomenal human beings in the sprint,
with incredible power.
Jasper Philipsen
is the man that you have to beat after the last couple of years.
The whole company is here.
Everybody wants to see Mark win his 35th stage.
It would be history.
It would be a really great achievement, if he can do so.
Unfortunately, he has to beat me.
Hey!
Sorry, too busy signing.
Three, two, one.
Look at this. The boys.
Ah!
The 2023 Tour de France for us, was, uh, a great success.
Four stage wins.
Philipsen wins.
Jasper Philipsen. Philipsen comes out on top.
The green jersey.
Philipsen!
Every sprint team
fears Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel.
It's not just their speed.
It's their physicality.
Jasper and Mathieu have become superstars.
Bam, bam, bam The flame from Ham!
It's very clear to everybody, we are the best sprinters.
-That's for you. -Thank you.
What do you hope to achieve this year at the Tour?
People expect you to do at least the same.
The main goal, I think, is to go for a stage win.
But, of course, we are also targeting the green jersey.
So it puts some pressure this year.
I don't know yet, maybe…
The green jersey is the points jersey at the Tour de France,
with more points awarded for sprint.
So, essentially, the green jersey goes to the best sprinter at the Tour.
-Super inspiring, what you do. -Thank you.
The fight for a stage win will be up there.
It will not be a present for Mark Cavendish.
Lock the camera.
Of course, he is getting older every year.
For sure, it makes it harder to win a stage on a level like this.
A lot of things are without your control.
And the other opponents are also without your control.
My name is Biniam Girmay Hailu.
I'm from Eritrea.
What most people don't know, in Eritrea,
we have a really big passion of cycling.
It's the number one sport.
When I was a really small kid,
every single year, we follow the Tour de France.
So at that time, I remember Mark Cavendish.
Every sprint stage, I keep watching trying to act like he do.
He inspires me a lot.
But for us, you know, Tour de France, or any grand tour level,
we just think, yeah, this is only for European athletes,
or only for white people.
I just keep dreaming and keep working hard to be on the top level.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
In Rwanda, for under-18 race, I won an individual time trial,
and also team time trials.
UCI Switzerland invite me to show myself in Europe racing.
That's the big opportunity I find in my life.
And 2021, that's the first time I met with the Team Intermarché.
Bini! It's not too cold without leg warmers?
Don't make joke of me.
Allez, allez. We go now. For what we wait?
Again, Biniam… You look good.
Yeah. Sure.
I was, uh, 18 years old, to move to Europe.
To came in Europe from different country, different culture,
and in this age, it's quite hard.
To be honest, back then, I…
I really never even
imagined like even 50% of what I do now.
It's completely, like, yeah, more than my dream.
Thanks to my wife, I have a kid.
And she really takes care of me and her.
After every race, I must call her.
Because she give me a lot of extra motivation.
Because I'm away from home, I'm away from my daughter,
so I need to do this for my family.
Great sprinters are costly.
Um, so we set up a project with a development team.
For us, winning a stage this year is really important.
'Cause we, well, we've been competing here for seven years now
saying we're gonna win a stage, but we haven't won one yet.
And I think this time we really have the team for it.
Edging.
We chose Biniam for the Tour de France.
He has innate talent, that's for sure.
And I think he'll have some big victories in the future.
When I knew I will race the Tour de France…
How do you say? I cannot believe, like…
Fuck. I will be…
in Tour de France this year.
It's incredible.
I feel something great.
I cannot handle even the feeling inside myself.
They are good. Yeah?
-And the new bike is good? -Yeah. It's the best.
-Yes? -Oh, it's really good. I like it.
So, in three weeks,
you'll be in the Tour.
Yeah, crazy.
As an Eritrean rider,
if you are selected for Tour de France, it's something huge.
I always give myself 100%, but it's going to be hard to win races.
It's going to be super tough against Philipsen.
But I'm never dreaming of a race against Cavendish.
There aren't many sprint opportunities at a Tour de France.
Sprinting is a confidence game,
and an early win gives you that confidence,
it gives you the psychological edge over your rivals.
For Mark Cavendish, that's a huge pressure to have on your shoulders,
especially when you're competing against a raft of talented youngsters,
all hungry for a stage win.
Okay, our game plan.
Michael, you're gonna have to lead here.
You're gonna have to pick a moment when we move.
We just need to stay calm.
We just need to stay out of that washing machine.
Make sure you remember Cav's behind everybody
and he's the one that's at the back.
So we need to keep him maybe a little bit forward.
Look, you know what you're doing. Let's smash it today.
Let's go.
You get a feeling sometimes when you know everything's…
good.
Mark! Mark!
Yeah, let's just go all in and win.
This is going to be the world championship of sprinting
on this stage,
because every single one of the sprinters wants to win here.
This is a stage that really suits a team like Alpecin-Deceuninck.
We've got a flat finish, a long straight stretch,
a course that's not too difficult.
You'd think their superstar, Jasper Philipsen, will take it.
The Tour de France, it's three weeks,
but you want to win as quickly as possible.
Why not repeat last year's success?
This one is dedicated to Jasper.
The roses are red The violets are blue
All sprints are ours But the winner is you
Cav, this is your chance, okay?
We're going to fucking nail this final, okay?
Sixty-five kilometres an hour!
We can still get this. Come on, guys.
You need to be fearless to be a sprinter.
You switch everything.
-Big crash at the back. -Oh, massive crash.
-Huge crash. -Ooh…
A load of riders have hit the deck.
Ah, shit.
Philipsen is down.
138 is down, 131, 106. Philipsen, 106, Philipsen.
He's down.
-Jasper crashed. -Yes?
Jasper crashed.
Crap.
Where's Cavendish?
Can't see him.
Can't see the Manx Missile in there.
I don't see Cavendish.
Is he in those wheels somewhere?
We are out of the sprint.
Cav behind crash, we are out of the sprint.
Okay, Cav cannot sprint, guys.
Yeah…
Find your way out and move directly, eh, guys? Come on.
600 metres of racing to go now
to try and win this stage.
Pedersen now goes for the stage. Girmay goes across.
Biniam Girmay coming up alongside the barriers.
Girmay looking for a gap to get through.
Pedersen, Girmay, Biniam Girmay!
Biniam Girmay wins his first-ever stage of the Tour de France!
-Girmay! Biniam! -Biniam! Biniam!
What a moment! This rider has created history.
The first Black African rider to win a stage of the Tour de France.
Bravo!
When I crossed the line, like…
You know, it just reminds me of when I was young.
Trying to act the same like the guys they do on the Tour de France,
and trying to be like them.
But to find myself winning a stage, it was something…
incredible.
Bini! Bini!
Oh! You're the best! You make history!
You make fucking history. You know it? For Africa and for Intermarché.
You know it, Bini.
-Fuck, we're so proud of you. -Good job, Bini!
Oh, fuck!
Victory for Biniam Girmay, Intermarché-Wanty Gobert.
This is big, you know?
Oh…
Yeah, you know, it's, uh…
since I start cycling…
the Tour de France was…
I'm never dreaming to be part of a Tour de France.
But now, yeah, I can't believe it.
Yeah, it's for all Africans. Congrats, I would say.
Now is our moment, and yeah…
I'm super happy to win in front of the fastest in the world.
For me, it was really, yeah, it was really a big motivation.
You're making history. Enjoy the podium.
Thank you. Thanks so much.
Bini, Bini, Bini, Bini.
Representing Eritrea, Biniam Girmay.
Biniam Girmay…
From that day on, I believe, I say,
I can do more even, because, yeah, the first one is the hardest one.
Your chance is ruined by that crash in the last three kilometres.
Yeah.
I weren’t the only one, just lucky to stay upright.
Seeing it happen, you could hear it.
And I'm too little to see what's going on, so I hear it.
Kind of got through, but you're out of it, so, yeah…
Whoa.
That was terrifying, that.
In the stage, I was a bit nervous.
There's been times this year when I've wondered why I carried on.
It's not an easy life.
Not good, is it?
Nobody expected Intermarché to win the stage.
The impact is known by everybody.
That just sucks.
I didn't crash too bad, so I could continue the Tour.
That was the most important.
But, of course, it was also a big miss for the green jersey points.
A big miss for the win.
Yeah, it is what it is, but I wish to start on a better note.
I would love to see him break the record,
but I just don't think that there's a chance at this point.
NOPE NOT GONNA HAPPEN
SHOULD'VE RETIRED GRACEFULLY LAST YEAR
Cavendish, he's done.
I don't know if he's finished yet, but he's gonna need a miracle to make it.
HE'LL CRASH AGAINST THE WALL AND BLAME SOMEONE ELSE
HE'S NOT AS STRONG OR TACTICAL AS BEFORE
WINNING A STAGE WOULD BE A CINDERELLA STORY.
CAV CAN ONLY WIN IF EVERYTHING GOES WRONG WITH OTHERS
Do I fuck.
It feels like there's pressure, you know?
Stress, like…
When you approach something like this, you really think this is our race, no?
He told me.
He told me, yeah.
Of course, I'm human.
I hear, I read, I know what people say, but…
I have to keep focusing on that goal to win.
Hey, baby girl!
Sorry, mate.
-Hello, beautiful. -Daddy?
-Yeah? -Daddy?
-Yeah? -What you doing?
Me? I'm just with Mark.
Hello.
-Say hi to Mark. -Say, "Hi, Mark".
-Hi, Mark! -How are you doing?
I'm doing nails.
-You've done your nails. -Let's see your nails.
Go on, then, show your nails.
Oh, they're beautiful, baby.
-Pretty sure that's from yesterday. -Oh, they're beautiful. Mm.
My children live everything with me.
Those walls with
my little family, that's my sanctuary.
I love you, baby girl.
Say, "Love you, Daddy".
-I love you, Daddy. -I love you, baby. Can I have a kiss?
This year, I could count on two hands the amount of days I spent at home.
Sacrifices have to be made, I guess.
But, I just don't want it to be a waste of time.
Biniam's going day-by-day stronger. The green jersey is the main objective.
But, um, yeah, we should also see opportunities for stage wins.
Before, it was a dream, but now it's a really big goal because,
like Aike say,
the way how we ride was super impressive.
So, now, it's the big goal, uh, with the green jersey.
It's not a dream anymore.
Jasper?
No, I don't fear nobody.
Nobody. Why not?
I mean, it's, uh, it's me against me.
So, uh, we go for it.
No, it's okay.
I think now the upcoming days will be, yeah, tough.
But if we are in the gruppetto for sure we are with the Astana boys.
With Cav, yes.
I remember, guys, when I was like nine years old, 2009,
the first time he won the stage of the Tour.
It was unbelievable.
And now, he's still racing. He is still racing on a good level.
He is 39 years, and then he is still doing…
He's 39?
-Yeah, he's 39. -Yeah.
I think they're really going to be close to get that one stage more.
One stage in the Tour is crazy, but he win 34 already.
-Imagine, eh? -Imagine if you do this.
The stage between San-Jon-de-Maurienne and Saint-Vulbas
is tailor-made for a sprinter.
And Mark Cavendish is determined to make his mark on that front
and to make history again.
It's going to be a tense finish.
Having yet to win a stage this year,
Alpecin–Deceuninck is keen to make up for lost time.
Today, Jasper, we need to take the green jersey.
-Fuck. -What a nerd.
Guys, we have two category 4 climbs,
and in the middle, you go straight through the roundabout.
-Oh. Watch out, eh? -This was only…
It was a crazy start of the Tour.
I was really frustrated, and, of course, the year before, we had…
The success came immediately from the beginning,
and in the Tour de France, there's one chance less.
Yeah, so you can see how narrow that is there.
-And then it goes… -Go back. Go back.
-Go back. -Yeah.
Yep, see how…
So, once… So this is good.
If we can come into the first right, in position,
you don't move.
So, if shit hits the fan, you've got time to move here.
-You pass through. -You go straight through.
This is exactly a sprint that you can tactically play out beforehand.
In terms of pre-empting something,
you can be pretty sure that Alpecin are gonna
have it quite dialled in, a finish like that.
We know what to do.
Timing is crucial.
It's about being blocked or not.
Jasper, he has to save the most energy.
It's now or never.
Now, it's gonna be serious.
They know for sure I'm a fast guy, and now it's, uh, back to business.
Twenty minutes to go.
Allez!
Good luck, guys.
Allez!
-You all right? -Yeah.
Yeah, all right.
Dada…
-I'm just nervous. -I know you are.
Now, let's think about the favourites.
Philipsen, the other day, he was missing his key lead-out man
Mathieu van der Poel. And this is proper Van der Poel material.
It's a good chance for Biniam Girmay to take the green jersey.
This could be a very, very hard-fought situation.
What do you think, Zaza?
Everything is ready.
Cavendish looking for stage win number 35.
This is not going to be easy.
Come on then, guys.
Keep the concentration as good as possible.
We have to make sure, no regrets after the finish, eh?
Alpecin-Deceuninck are getting ready.
Mathieu van Der Poel comes up.
Now they're on their way. Now they're on their way.
Cavendish just easing a little bit there.
He looks like he is grimacing.
6.6 kilometres of racing to go. 61 kilometres an hour.
They are all fighting for this right-hand turn now as it goes narrow.
Moving up there, the Astana team looking around.
Cavendish is not on the wheel of his lead-out train.
No, he's in the middle there.
No, not good. We need to stay together.
Not a good position for Cavendish.
We're fucked here. We'll lose everything.
At three kilometres to go,
it is extremely key to be at the very, very front.
Really narrow now, as they take this turn.
Everybody gets safely through there.
Alpecin coming up right there on the left-hand side.
All together, wheel on wheel.
As soon as I saw Philipsen, I knew I could use him and his lead out.
One thousand metres of racing to go.
And suddenly, Philipsen is in great position.
Cav, if you can listen to me, just think of Ashford, mate.
Now's the time, okay? Let's go.
Ooh!
Cavendish bumps one rider out the way.
Philipsen is not prepared to give an inch here.
This is the moment.
Oh my God.
Mark Cavendish.
Mark Cavendish!
Mark Cavendish dives to the right-hand side.
Oh! Big crash.
Mark Cavendish all the way to the line!
Manx Missile, record breaker, stage 35 in the Tour de France.
The record has gone.
Mark Cavendish, the legend.
It's not working, that thing.
Work, please!
Hey, congrats.
He won?
-No! -Yeah.
Yes!
No!
Radio. Radio.
Yes!
The Manx Missile is now firmly in the record books.
Yeah, we did it!
Yeah!
Thirty-five stage wins in the Tour de France.
He is now the out-and-out record holder,
and everybody wants to congratulate him.
Woo-hoo!
Daddy!
You fucking did it!
Well done, Mark!
I'm just so proud of him.
Enjoy the moment, please. Okay?
Thank you.
Yes, come on.
A fucking mental effort.
I'm so proud.
I'm so proud of him, because these first few days,
there's been a lot of chat with, you know, "Why is he still here?"
"Why is he still doing this?" And… that's why.
I wanted him to just never lay in bed and think, "What if?"
And… now he won.
We ate. Me and the kids sat on the floor.
We had no restaurant in our hotel, and ate rubbish beige Uber Eats
off a sticky carpet in a French hotel.
And then we drove 210 kilometres to the start,
and then 230 kilometres to the finish
to show him that
we believe that he can do it.
Well, I'm a little bit in disbelief.
Like, uh, you know…
You've done it! You were amazing.
Thank you.
Yeah, we, uh…
We gambled coming here and trying to win at least one stage, you know?
It's a big gamble for my boss, Alex Vinokurov,
and the team to do, and yeah, we've done it.
Yeah!
You did it!
Mark Cavendish!
I always assumed when I was younger
that fans are watching you do what you do.
And it wasn't till probably when I became a father,
and I saw
the inspiration that my sons and daughters got from their heroes,
that I understood that
people live your journey with you.
Mark Cavendish's 35th stage win, it sets him apart in history.
He has confounded the critics time and time again,
and he's done it one last time.
It's phenomenal.
A moment in history.
Mark Cavendish wins 35 stages in the Tour de France,
beating Jasper Philipsen into second place.
You beat the record…
It won't be easy to win this year.
-No. -No.
Just be calm, okay?
-Just chill out. -Not again.
Calm down.
I just don't understand. It's all gone wrong.
The plan worked.
-This keeps on happening, you know? -Huh?
And I lose all the time.
I mean, last year, it was so simple. Come on. Last year, it was so easy.
The Tour is only 21 days, and it's counting down.
Every day that's gone, you cannot turn back time…
So, every time you haven't won, the pressure increases,
and you have to deliver.
Fuck.
We're gonna ride today from Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot,
a stage of 203.6 km.
It could be a tricky day on the roads of the Tour.
Biniam Girmay is still in the green jersey.
His advantage over Philipsen is still substantial.
If Philipsen can score, this gap will start to close.
This rider has got a lot of work to do to get the green jersey.
It's gonna be a tussle between him and Biniam Girmay for certain.
There are only a handful of stages available for the sprinters.
If Jasper is to stand any chance of catching Bini,
he needs a stage win to turn their Tour de France around.
Of course, you want to win.
Tension is going up. Everybody wants to be in a good place.
Eight, seven, six, five, four…
We're about to get stage 12 going.
…one.
They're off!
Get together and make sure
we have done all we could for Jasper today.
5.8 km to go.
Here's Biniam Girmay.
Right on the wheel of Philipsen.
Cavendish slipping back a little bit.
Is that Philipsen coming on the left here?
Mark Cavendish on the wheel.
Who's gonna take it?
Girmay timed it to perfection yet again.
What a finish!
-Yeah! Bini! -Yeah!
Cavendish was right behind Girmay. Nothing he could do.
Way to go. Great job, guys.
Another really shitty day. Let's just say.
Fuck!
You did such a good sprint.
Please.
Don't take it so heavy, Jasper.
Really. We're proud of you.
It's too much for him.
Should we call your girlfriend in?
Maybe, or?
Yeah, this moment was heartbreaking.
The green jersey this year, it's gonna be impossible.
In the 2024 Tour de France,
Eritrean Biniam Girmay is the sprint king.
Now leading the green jersey competition by over 100 points
on Jasper Philipsen in second place.
A special moment for this team
because they know that this green jersey is going to Girmay.
It's incredible.
It's like we're on another planet.
He's gonna be a legend.
I try to win in the Tour,
not only for my friends, my family,
you know, everybody.
For Africans, it's something special.
It makes them prouder.
HISTORY MAKER VENI, VIDI, BINI
This makes me the most happy guy.
Bini, one question on Mark Cavendish.
So now you're gonna try to beat his record?
Pfft.
No, no, no.
We will see.
I was not surprised Biniam Girmay won, no.
He's a good bike rider, isn't he?
He's won at the Tour de France.
You don't know anything until you've won at the Tour de France.
It changes your life.
That's a special feeling.
I could not have wished
for a better end to my Tour de France career.
It was just right.
You know, it felt like a fairy tale.
I'm not just any rider.
My body knows how to survive at 3,000 metres.
I'm made for the mountains.
So the job for the team is to get Richie the win.
EF's big hope is Richard Carapaz.
The chairman of EF probably watches six or seven races a year,
today will be one of the races that he watches.
Don't fuck it up.
You can do it, Richie, you can do it.
Go on now!