Mark Cavendish has claimed another stage victory at the Tour de France, his fifth at this year's event.

He's now on his own as the most successful British cyclist ever at the Tour de France with nine stage wins, one more than Barry Hoban.

Green jersey Thor Hushovd came second though, meaning the Manx Missile only clawed back five points on the Norwegian, leaving him 25 behind with just two stages left.

Stage 19 took the riders on the 178km from Bourgoin-Jallieu to Aubenas and contained a category two climb just before the finish.

Speaking afterwards Cav said he was quite surprised it'd finished in a bunch sprint and paid tribute to his Columbia-HTC team mates who kept him in contention on the final climb and delivered him into position for the final burst to the line.

Although you can never say never, it looks like the green jersey is out of his reach, so Cav's final target is the prestigious victory on Sunday's final stage as the riders finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.