The fact that Mark Cavendish is the world's greatest sprinter is a given, regardless of the Tour. A truth set in stone. However, beating Eddy Merckx's record of stage wins at the Grande Boucle was a target and a satisfaction that was difficult to put into words.
Somehow wedging yourself into the legend of The Cannibal is an imaginative goal for anyone who pursues a career in professional cycling. It is a fully-fledged dream.
A dream that many have nurtured, but only Mark Cavendish was within reach of realising. That is why many, albeit vicariously, wanted to be part of this historic moment.
But, in Dourzanac, about 60 km from the finish of the Limoges stage, after having come so close to victory (and therefore great joy) the day before, it all ended in a crash within the peloton that quite often negatively characterises the Grand Tours.
The fateful word was “collarbone”.
As soon as the news of Cav abandoning the race broke, something stunning happened: the dreams of everyone (and we mean everyone) shattered on the asphalt at Dourzanac, and a feeling of profound disappointment travelled throughout every media. It was almost like fate had pulled a fast one on all cycling fans, as if the limits in both cycling and life - of which Eddy Merckx's 34 victories are a telling metaphor - had proved themselves to be insurmountable.
Of course, the feeling of letdown was also felt throughout the pack, because no one better than Mark Cavendish's colleagues could comprehend his suffering. The sense of despondency spread from Team Astana Qazaqstan to the entire group, down to the most important symbol: the yellow jersey.
“We shouldn't be saying this, but all of us wanted Mark to win another stage. Of course we would have battled it out to the last meter and tried to hinder him any way we could, but we wanted it because it went beyond a limit. A symbol. It was just like at the Giro d’Italia, in the last Rome stage. We tried beating him because we all would have loved to win at the Roman Forum. But, in the end, his victory eased everyone's disappointment”.
And as they say in cases like these: the king has fallen, long live the king!