MARSEILLE, France -- Mark Cavendish will never be the greatest Tour de France rider, because he will never win the race five times like Eddy Merkcx of Belgium and Frenchman Bernard Hinault. Hassan Whiteside Jersey . Still, the sprinter with thighs like thick hams could outdo both of those legends -- by winning more stages than them at cyclings premier race. By Cavendishs warp-speed standards, his 24th stage win on Wednesday was like taking candy from a baby. The teammates who led Cavendish to the finish, sucking him along in their wheels, building up his speed, were toiling like clockwork. Stamping on his pedals, head down, thighs pumping like pistons, Cavendish then whooshed off alone for the last 150 metres (yards), leaving everyone else in his wake. Cavendish was carrying so much momentum and this win in Marseille, Frances second-largest city, was so comfortable that he was able to sit up in the saddle and make a hand motion like cracking a whip as he crossed the line. One more stage win will tie Cavendish with Andre Leducq, the Frenchman who got 25 stage wins in the 1920s and 1930s, putting him third on the all-time list. Beyond Leducq is Hinault, who notched up 28 wins in the 1970s and 80s. Merckxs monument is 34, won from 1969 to 1975. Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain also won five Tours, but didnt win as many stages as Hinault and Merckx. Anquetil won 16; Indurain got 12. All seven of Lance Armstrong Tour wins were stripped from him for doping. This 100th Tour is the first since Armstrongs fall last year. Victorias Ryder Hesjedal was the top Canadian in the fifth stage, finishing 103rd. Hesjedal, who confirmed Wednesday that hes racing with a broken rib, is 14th in the overall classification, 17 seconds behind Gerrans. Quebec Citys David Veilleux is 143rd, 25 minutes and 28 seconds off the pace, while Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., is 169th, 33:23 off the pace. Cavendish makes out that he isnt fixated on Hinault or Merckxs numbers. He notes that for many riders, winning just one stage at the 110-year-old Tour -- let alone the 11 he needs to overhaul Merckx -- is a career-defining feat. "You have to show the Tour de France the respect it deserves," he said. But then Cavendish isnt any other rider. Before this edition, he collected on average nearly five wins at every Tour since 2008. In 2009, he got six. He won the last four sprint finishes on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, where he is unbeaten since 2009. While Merckxs record is still a way off, Hinault and most certainly Leducq look within Cavendishs grasp. "Obviously I aim to win multiple stages each year. But to set any goals, any number ... it does one of two things: It sets you up to fail for something or it puts like a mark on what you want to achieve and it can kind of stop you trying to move forward," he said. Were Cavendish to overtake Hinault, it wouldnt mean he is a better overall rider than the famously bad-tempered "Badger," who was strong on every terrain. But in a sprint, Cavendish has no equal, at least in this generation. Although Cavendish downplays the chase for stage-win milestones, he is certainly very aware of them. The Tour director, Christian Prudhomme, says that more than a year ago, at the Tour of Oman, he quietly tested Cavendishs knowledge of Tour de France history and was delighted when he rattled off the names of Andre Darrigade, who won 22 stages in the 1950s and 60s, as well as Leducq, Hinault, Merckx and their respective totals. "He is aware of what does it take ... to become No. 1 on the list of most winning riders ever," confirmed Rolf Aldag, one of the managers of Cavendishs Omega Pharma-Quick Step team. "He has a chance to make history," he said. "Its a goal, its a target." Cavendish would be the first to note that, unlike Merckx, he doesnt win alone. His teammates worked tirelessly to manoeuvre him into place in Marseille. They helped reel in breakaway riders who scooted off ahead and then delivered him like express mail to within sight of the line. Omegas Italian rider, Matteo Trentin, surged to the front and pedalled as hard as he could up to and around the final left-hand bend, pulling Gert Steegmans and Cavendish behind him. Exhausted, Trentin then made way for Steegmans, who led Cavendish at top speed to the signboard marking 150 metres to go. From there, the man known as the "Manx Missile," because he comes from the Isle of Man, did the rest. "Perfect, man, perfect," Trentin said. "The basic plan never changes," Aldag said. "The basic plan is always we believe hes the fastest sprinter and we do everything that needs to be done to try to make him win." "I didnt do anything," Cavendish said. "Gert went with such speed that I could accelerate off his wheel and just carried on the speed he delivered me at." Stage 6 on Thursday -- 176.5 kilometres (110 miles) from Aix-en-Provence to Montpellier -- should also suit Cavendish, because it is flat. With his short, muscular frame, he doesnt like steep climbs. Simon Gerrans of Australia will again wear the yellow jersey, after keeping the race lead on Wednesdays bumpy 228.5-kilometre (142-mile) trek from the beach resort of Cagnes-sur-Mer. Chris Bosh Jersey .com) - Thursday marks the official debut of a new dirt racing surface at Meydan Racecourse. Goran Dragic Jersey . Wheeler said Kane was just making a joke that was misunderstood and misinterpreted by "Winnipeg folks" and the media once again. Wheeler repeated that he believes Kane is a player who has the ability to help the Jets get to the next level as they try once again to reach the playoffs in 2014. He made the comments initially in an interview, when asked how the Jets could compete in the Central Division with teams that have made some high-profile off-season signings. http://www.basketballheatshop.com/Cheap-James-Johnson-Heat-Jersey/ . Radulov scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the Predators edged the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night to reach 100 points for the second time in three seasons and fourth in seven.Sporting the best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors have charged to the top of the standings on the strength of truly inspired team basketball. In the hours before arguably their toughest test yet against LeBron James and the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers at the ACC on Friday night, the organization took time to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, the personal inspiration of the man at the helm, Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri. Marking the first anniversary of Mandela’s passing, The Giant of Africa presented by Bell was a pre-game celebration of the late former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Funds raised by the event will support both the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Giants of Africa, a not-for-profit organization founded by Ujiri in 2003 to continue to educate and enrich the lives of African youth. As he stepped to the front of the packed house gathered in the teams transformed upper level practice court (which had been rapidly transformed into a red carpet event space for the occasion), the first African-born General Manager in NBA history promised to refrain from firing up the crowd in advance of the impending game, recounting instead the way that meeting Mandela changed his life. Ujiri went on to share his personal reflections on Mandelas legacy, saying, I dont know where the world is going, but Mandela made the world a better place. And even though hes passed, he is going to continue to grow. Through whether it was poverty, diseases, or injustice, Nelson Mandela is a man that stood for us, and the world needs that. The world deserves that. Courtesy: Giants of Africa Twitter The GMs address was a prelude to a panel discussion moderated by TSN’s James Duthie featuring the evenings celebrity guests: a trio of NBA legends in Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Dikembe Mutombo, along with UN Goodwill Ambassador and 1999 Miss Universe winner Mpule Kwelagobe. Much of the panel discussion revolved around the guests personall memories of meeting Mandela, as well as his lifelong determination to create hope and encourage global harmony. Gerald Green Jersey. Courtesy: Giants of Africa Twitter For me it was a dream come true to meet someone who lifted the world up, taught us so much, inspired me to do what I do every day: look after my people on the continent of Africa. 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Other notable guests at the event included Raptors alumnus Tracy McGrady, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier, Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan, TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey, Toronto Argos legend Michael “Pinball” Clemons, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, and Amadou Fall, Vice President of NBA Africa. Courtesy: Toronto Raptors Twitter In conjunction with the evening’s theme, limited edition The Giant of Africa t-shirts were sold by the Toronto Raptors Store powered by Real Sports Apparel, with proceeds supporting Giants of Africa. The shirts display messages inspired by Mandela’s five pillars: being a leader, fighting for freedom, creating a better future, committing to the community, and using sport to inspire change. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '