Mark Cavendish believes he played the waiting game to perfection after sprinting to his fourth stage win of this year’s Tour de France and 30th in total.
The Manx Missile maintained his impressive form in this year’s Tour by edging out Alexander Kristoff and Peter Sagan on the stage 14 route from Montelimar to Villars-les-Dombes Parc des Oiseaux.
In a hectic finish, Cavendish came around the wheel of Marcel Kittel in the final straight to take the win – although the German felt his rival had unfairly cut across him in the final metres and made his feelings clear.
However, after reviewing the images, officials eventually confirmed Cavendish as the victor fair and square, moving him within four stage wins of five-time Tour winner Eddy Merckx.
"We knew we had to be there, it went from narrow to narrower with 6km to go. There was a little crosswind there,” said Cavendish.
“Bernie kept us there for the narrow section, and then it was about jumping trains to the end, actually.
"Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg is not very experienced, he needs Bernie to guide him there. Reinardt messed up a bit - I was on Kittel and he brought the other trains past, and I thought, oh this is it, it's finished.
"I followed Kittel, Edvald stayed there, he made sure I was there. We got through, and then I saw they led out quite early Etixx did, and I knew Kittel would be left on the front quite soon into the headwind. So I knew I had to wait, wait, wait and let him die and then come around.
"I jumped around him and obviously it bent over to the right and he's kicked off a little bit, but I was way past him by then. I don't figure there's anything wrong there. I think he was just frustrated."
Meanwhile yellow jersey winner and fellow Brit Chris Froome finished safely in the peleton, preserving his lead in the general classification which stands at one minute 47 seconds.
Sportsbeat 2016