Mark Cavendish’s £1,000 socks are the tip of the iceberg in his quest for 35th Tour de France stage win

“Project 35 is still alive!” 

That was the phrase shouted in the direction of Mark Cavendish at the end of stage 1 of this year’s Tour de France. The British sprinting superstar had suffered a torturous day in the heat, vomiting as a result of the effort combined with the need to consume so much water to remain hydrated. He ultimately finished the day comfortably inside the time cut, and so his hopes to win a record-breaking 35th stage of the Tour de France are still alive, but it didn’t look so clear cut earlier in the day.