Cavendish keeps green jersey bid rolling along

Winning the green jersey and the final stage to the Champs-Elysees in Paris are the only things still missing from Mark Cavendish's Tour de France wish list.

But if the Isle of Man sprinter keeps his cool in the world's biggest and most mentally draining bike race, he should achieve both those goals in a week's time.

After a mainly flat but wind-buffeted ride over 193 km from Limoux to Montpellier Sunday Cavendish claimed his fourth stage win this year to take his career tally to an unrivalled 19 on stage 15.

Yet it wasn't all plain sailing.

A similar stage in 2009 had left half the yellow jersey favourites, including eventual champion Alberto Contador, losing 41secs to rivals when Cavendish's team drove the pace so hard as to cause splits in the peloton.

Although that scenario wasn't repeated, Cavendish said it had been almost as stressful as the previous day's 14th stage in the Pyrenees. AFP