Tour de France getting harder for sprinters, says Mark Cavendish

Every year the Tour de France gets tougher for sprinters, British speed king Mark Cavendish claimed ahead of a distinctly mountainous 2016 edition

Saint-LA (France): Every year the Tour de France gets tougher for sprinters, British speed king Mark Cavendish claimed ahead of a distinctly mountainous 2016 edition.

Cavendish

The 31-year-old Manxman is third in the all-time list of Tour stages wins with 26 behind only legends Eddie Merckx (34) of Belgium and France’s Bernard Hinault (28). But having won 20 Tour stages in his first four years from 2008-11, he has managed only six in the four years since.

“It’s just got harder. In 2008 there were 18 category 2 and above climbs in the Tour de France; last year there were 18 in the last week alone and this year there are 28!,” said Cavendish.

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