I don’t get why you’d think Wout van Aert was “allowed” to win that. It wasn’t just some random guy who won- it’s freakin’ Wout van Aert, who was ahead of Cavendish for most of the lap, no?
Also, how does letting a Belgian win the stage today help Cavendish vis a vis Merckx - like, he wants to win the all-time stage record, but wants to do so slightly more slowly so as to spare Eddy’s feelings?
I watched the end and I saw Cav a bit squeezed and van Aert just powered steadily… serious question: do you have a video clip of the “hesitation” moment you’re talking about??