BALATONFURED, Hungary (AP) — Mark Cavendish marked his return to the Giro d’Italia by winning a bunch sprint at the end of Stage 3 while Mathieu van der Poel kept hold of the pink jersey.
Cavendish, who rides for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, raised his arms over his head and beamed broadly after crossing the line just ahead of Arnaud Demare and Fernando Gaviria.
It was a 16th stage win in the Giro for the 36-year-old Cavendish, who hasn’t ridden the Italian race in nine years.
It was also a 53rd win in the three grand tours for the sprint superstar from the Isle of Man, inching him closer to Mario Cipollini, who is second in the table of stage winners on 57. Eddy Merckx won 64 stages.
“I just want to carry on winning, it doesn’t matter how many, I just love racing my bike, I love being with my mates and I’d like to win some more,” said Cavendish, who turns 37 during the Giro.
Dutch cyclist Van der Poel remained 11 seconds ahead of Simon Yates and 16 ahead of 2017 Giro winner Tom Dumoulin.
It was the last of three stages in Hungary and the race has its first rest day on Monday as the riders transfer to the Italian island of Sicily.
The riders face their first serious test as Stage 4 culminates in a category-one climb up Mount Etna after a 172-kilometer (107-mile) route from Avola.