Britain’s Mark Cavendish claimed his first victory of the season in a sprint finish on stage four of the Tour of Colombia.

Cavendish edged out home favourite Fernando Gaviria on the 181.8km route from Paipa to Zipaquira.

The 38-year-old’s triumph was his first since reversing his decision to retire – and also the 163rd in his career.

It places him joint-second on the all-time list of male riders with the most career successes., external

Cavendish sits alongside former Italian sprinter Mario Cipollini, although he is some way behind Belgian great Eddy Merckx, who won 276 times during his professional career.

The ‘Manx Missile’ penned a new one-year contract with his Astana-Qazaqstan team last Autumn, delaying plans to bow out of the sport to pursue a record 35th Tour de France stage win this summer.

Cavendish is currently equal with five-time Tour champion Merckx on 34 stage wins at La Grande Boucle.

Colombia’s Rodrigo Contreras currently leads the general classification of his home event, with his compatriot Harold Tejada in second and Italy’s Andrea Piccolo in third.

The 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal is 11th overall, with the six-stage Tour of Colombia ending in the nation’s capital Bogota on Sunday.