Tour de France | Mark Cavendish wins 5th stage

CHATEAUROUX, France — His dream was within reach, and Mark Cavendish didn't let it get away.

The British sprinter had been frustrated Monday when his chance to win a stage of this year's Tour de France was thwarted by a breakaway. On Wednesday, he got revenge by recording his first victory in cycling's premier race.

The Team Columbia rider took the fifth stage in a sprint after a three-rider breakaway that led almost the entire way in the Tour's longest leg was caught within sight of the finish line.

Stefan Schumacher of Germany retained the leader's yellow jersey on a day that allowed the sprinters to show their mettle but had no impact on the standings. Contenders for the overall victory all finished safely in the pack.

Cavendish had hoped to win the third stage Monday, but the breakaway held out to the end, denying the sprinters a chance for a victory.

"Obviously after the other day we were really disappointed, so it made us motivated for today," said the 23-year-old. "For sure it is the biggest thing that has happened to me."

French national champion Nicolas Vogondy, who had been in Wednesday's breakaway, tried to hold off the pack at the end but didn't have the strength.

"I wore [the French champion's jersey] nicely until 100 meters from the end, but I missed out on the most important 100 meters," Vogondy said. "I still had some reserves, but it's difficult to resist when the sprinters set off."

Cavendish completed the flat, 144-mile ride from Cholet to Chateauroux in 5 hours, 27 minutes, 52 seconds, edging veterans Oscar Freire of Spain and Erik Zabel of Germany.

All but five of the 177 finishers were given the same time, meaning there were no changes to the overall standings, where Schumacher leads Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg and David Millar of Britain by 12 seconds.

"It was great to enjoy this stage in the yellow jersey," Schumacher said.