Mark Cavendish wins stage 4 as rider protest halts Tour de France

Mark Cavendish won his 31st stage at stage 4 of the 108th Tour de France after all cyclists in the race went on strike.

Mark Cavendish won Stage 4 of the 108th Tour de France on Tuesday 29 June after all the cyclists stopped racing and went on a silent strike partway through the stage from Redon to Fougeres.

Andre Greipel held up a hand at the start of the race as the signal for the peloton to stop.

Tour de France Riders went on strike saying the routes were too dangerous after crashes in Stage 3

Riders protested at the dangerous routes planned for the race after Stage 3 saw several crash and abandon the race in what was meant to be a smooth sprint finish. After several minutes of not moving, the riders started again but rode extremely slowly for the next 50 kilometres.

The UCI stated that the route was safe and crashes were due to rider error and that several more dangerous routes had been considered and dismissed before choosing Stage 3’s route.

Riders sent out a statement via the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA) asking the UCI officials to adjust rulings around final timings for Stage 3.

Local towns bid to have the UCI and ASO plan the routes through their centres as this increases tourism. Urban roads, however, are narrower and have more obstacles that become hazards in a high-speed cycling race.

Mark Cavendish wins his 31st stage after fearing he would never return to the race

Cavendish has won 31 stages in 13 years and broke down in tears after his win as he was sure he would never get to race in the Tour de France again. Lotto Soudal’s Brent Van Moer was caught 150 metres from the finish line but went on to win the stage’s most combative jersey as he maintained being in a breakaway group for over 100 kilometres.

Mathieu van der Poel retains the overall race leader’s yellow jersey with his eight-second lead over Julian Alaphilippe who lost the points lead and green jersey to Cavendish. Ide Schelling retains the King of the Mountains polka-dotted jersey and Tadej Pogacar, the best young rider’s white jersey.

Stage 5 is the Individual Time Trial where riders will ride the same course one by one in the hope to get a better position in the overall time standings and a chance at the yellow jersey.