- Mark Cavendish beaten by Wout Van Aert on Champs-Élysées
- Tadej Pogacar secures second consecutive overall Tour title
The Belgian national champion, Wout van Aert, played the part of the ultimate party pooper after stymieing Mark Cavendish’s attempt to surpass cycling legend Eddy Merckx’s longstanding record of 34 stage wins in the Tour de France.
In the 2021 Tour’s final stage from Chatou to the Champs Élysées, Van Aert, of the Jumbo-Visma team, already saddled with the nickname of the “new Merckx” due to his ability to win mountain stages, time trials and sprint finishes, was too cunning and too quick for Cavendish who, for once, found his sprint train derailed.
