The quiet Ain commune of Saint Vrba came alive as stage 5 of the Tour de France came to a close. With a population of only 1,200, the village may not have been historically well-known, but on Wednesday afternoon, Mark Cavendish changed all that.

This Mark Cavendish overtook Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Desseuninck) and Alexander Kristoff (UnoXmobility) in a sprint win on stage 2 of the Tour to take his historic 35th stage win, one ahead of Eddy Merckx. The stage win was the 35th in the history of the race. It was no surprise that Astana Kazakstan's accomplishment became the center of the conversation after four hours of tedious racing.

Geraint Thomas, Cavendish's former teammate on Team Sky and the British track racing team, also weighed in on his old friend's feat.

"It's unbelievable. I can't believe it. He's 39 years old, and people say that as you get older you slow down, but he's proved them wrong. I can't believe what he's doing.

Cavendish has survived a tough start to the Tour, battling heat, illness, and the Apennines on the opening stage to Rimini. Even on the race's first sprint stage, stage 3 in Turin, Cavendish was caught in a group crash in the last 3km, dropping him well down the order.

Last summer, his first Tour in Astana-Cazakstan, Philipsen took three stage wins and the green points jersey.

While many onlookers have given up on the sprinter, who is seeking his 35th win in the past two Tours, Thomas, who helped Cavendish win the closing stage of the Giro d'Italia last May, said he had no hesitation.

"I knew he could do it. He said that on my podcast, so you can hear it," Thomas joked. 'He's always in pain, he has bad days in the mountains, bad days in everything. He's always suffering, and he has bad days in the mountains and everything."

"He just has to be there and see the goal. It's unbelievable. It's amazing that he achieved this record alone, without sharing it with anyone. Chapeau."

At 39, Cavendish is still a couple of years away from breaking another Tour de France record, that of the oldest stage winner. Belgian racer Pino Cerami holds this record, winning in Pau in 1963 at the age of 41.

Cavendish is set to retire at the end of this season, so Cerami's record is safe. However, Thomas said after his record-breaking stage win that he does not intend to end his days immediately.

"I told him at the ASO briefing, 'If you win this stage, put the bike down and walk away,'" Thomas said.

"But he said, 'No, young man. But he said, 'No, young man. He's incredible and I think he deserves another win.'"

Unlimited access to all coverage of the Tour de France. Click here for more information.