Mark Cavendish wasn't even supposed to race the Tour de France this year, but he made cycling history on Friday by equaling the all-time stage-win record after claiming stage 13 and tying Eddy Merckx's record of 34 victories.

Cavendish tied the record after winning a field sprint in Carcassonne, in the south of France. With eight stages remaining, "Cav" now has a shot to set a record of 35 stage wins in the world's greatest race.

Meanwhile, Tadej Pogačar kept his overall lead, and there were no changes in the top 10.

Leading up to this Tour, Cav's Deceuninck-QuickStep team had its sights set not on Cav but on his teammate Sam Bennett to be its sprinter. But before the start, Bennett was pulled from the lineup because of an injured knee, and the team tapped Cav last minute.

Read more: The cycling world is baffled by why the fastest Tour de France rider's chain falls off as he celebrates over finish line

Cav didn't win a single race in the previous two seasons and hadn't even been to the Tour in that time. Before this year, his last win was in February 2018. Many speculated whether the 36-year-old from the Isle of Man would ever return to his best and win another Tour stage, let alone equal or beat Merckx's long-standing record.

But this year Cav's come back and done so in style, with numerous wins and top-10 results. This Tour, he's won a whopping four stages.

You can watch Cav's record-tying win here:

Earlier on Friday, before Cav matched Merckx's record, NBC reported comments made by Merckx — comments that drew criticism from many on Twitter.

Merckx, now age 76, dominated cycling in the 1970s, and he is widely considered to be the greatest cyclist of all time, having won nearly every major race in the sport. But his comments Friday rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way.

Merckx took the opportunity to point out that he won 34 stages not just in sprints, like Cavendish, but also in the mountains, in time trials, and even attacking on descents. He also mentioned he wore the race leader's yellow jersey for 96 days during his career.

To many, it all sounded like sour grapes.

Read more: Defending Tour de France champ is a 22-year-old Slovenian whose freakish physiology and metabolism mean he can recover 3 times as fast as his rivals

Merckx did add: "Naturally I'm not trying to play down what he's achieved. Also because he's been through a difficult time and has fallen in love with cycling again. That's a great message for young people in the sport."

Here was Cavendish postrace on Friday:

Cav's next best shot at winning a stage — and setting a record for 35 stage wins — is stage 19. 

But the Tour now heads into the mountains again, and he'll have to finish within the time cut each day to continue in the race, and hope for a shot at making even greater Tour history.

While of course it's possible, it's difficult to see anyone ever matching or beating Cav and Merckx's record. The closest rider racing today is Peter Sagan, but he's far back with 12 stage wins.

PS: Cav again dropped his chain in the sprint. (Context here.)

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Sneaky ways stores like H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo get you to spend more money on clothes

Before Peloton,  I'd never taken a spin class to save my life. 

I found the culture around spinning and cycling to be a bit intimidating — plus, it's not exactly an inexpensive endeavor. But after doing some research, and hearing rave reviews from a close friend, I decided to invest in a Peloton bike in June. The cost for a bike was $1,895 (including shipping) plus a $39 per-month for an unlimited subscription.  

Here's how it's helped change my life in the first 30 days. 

Getting started is the hardest part

Getting started is, in my opinion, the hardest part, and exercise is no exception. If you're anything like me, you'll come up with any number of excuses to put it off. 

The idea of physically strapping myself into an exercise bike — or in the case of Peloton, clicking in — was challenging, both figuratively and actually. It wasn't until my third ride and an hour or so of YouTube videos and intro tutorials that I was able to get both cleats completely clipped into and out of the pedals successfully.

Getting over that first ride anxiety hump

My first ride was a 20-minute beginner ride with Peloton trainer Cody Rigsby.

Before I knew anything about Peloton, I knew about Rigsby. "You will LOVE him," my best friend texted me when I asked her advice on how I should get started. "He's the best when it comes to a fun and lighthearted workout." 

That first ride wasn't easy, but true to her word, it was surprisingly fun. I loved Rigsby's energy which was surprisingly devoid of any kitsch or "you can do it" moments that I find a bit patronizing with other popular workout apps.

Set an intention and click with it

Creating a simple goal and staying accountable is helpful for meeting your physical and mental goals. My first intention was to set aside time every morning to ride. 

Now, I'm not a morning person, but I found that exercising first thing after waking up was key for me to actually seeing it through. 

It was also important for me to be able to use the Peloton app when I'm on the road for work. To my surprise, many hotels have a Peloton bike in their gyms if you call and ask in advance. The app also offers a variety of non-bike related workouts like yoga, barre, and meditation. 

The second intention I set was that once I started, I'd see the ride through from beginning to end. This one wasn't always easy, but I stuck to it. 

It's only as competitive as you want it to be

There's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to Peloton. You have to get to know your saddle, which is Peloton parlance for the seat, before things like resistance and cadence become second nature. 

The leaderboard features your metrics for each ride, including your output, cadence (speed), and resistance (road). The leaderboard also lists everyone else in the Peloton stratosphere who's ever taken that ride along with their metrics. If competition motivates you, then this is a great way to level up your cycling skills. If you're like me, and still just getting your bearings, it can be aspirational for future goals.

There's a class and instructor for everybody

The most commonly shared piece of advice I heard from friends and Peloton instructors was to try and take as wide a variety of classes and instructors as possible.

Since I'm still a beginner, I took a six-week intro course called "Mastering The Basics of Cycling." The first week of rides focused mainly on form and technique. Every class was "in the saddle" (meaning you don't get up out of the seat) and featured a different instructor each time.

I'm now going on my sixth week of this course and have peppered in a few extra classes along the way, including a 20-minute Pop Punk ride with Bradley Rose and Hip Hop with Ally Love. I also took a 30-minute Spice Girls Ride with Leanne Hainsby and am looking forward to doing the 30 minute "In The Heights" Yoga Flow with Mariana Fernandez next.

I'm still building a foundation, but after 30 days of Peloton, I love the road I'm on

One of the biggest reasons Peloton has such a big following is because of the community it creates, as well as the results it produces.

I joined with no cycling experience or expectations other than developing a healthy habit and a new routine, and while I haven't had the courage to join a live class just yet, I'm already seeing my efforts pay off. 

I set out with the goal of creating some stability in my life. Improving my strength, agility, and confidence have been an added bonus, and it's great to feel myself getting stronger every day.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: You can technically dig through the Earth to get to China, but it's more challenging than it sounds