by Justin Davis

AUBENAS, France, July 25, 2009 (AFP) – One of the few sprinters’ rows of this year’s Tour de France appeared to be resolved, at least for a day, Friday as Mark Cavendish sprung a huge surprise to win his fifth stage of the race.

The 24-year-old Isle of Man rider set a new British record of nine wins on the race and, after beating Norwegian rival Thor Hushovd, relaunched the battle for the sprinters’ green jersey.

Last week Cavendish was involved in a nasty spat with Cervelo sprinter Hushovd, who accused him of barging during a sprint on stage 14. The race officials upheld the complaint and Cavendish was disqualified from the stage.

Their row continued and on the last day in the Alps on Wednesday Hushovd launched what turned out to be a gutsy ride which allowed him to add 12 points to his tally, the Norwegian defiantly grabbing at his jersey throughout.

Despite also being a sprinter, Cavendish can not match Hushovd’s prowess on the climbs and descents.

But the Manxman conceded on Friday that if Hushovd holds on to the green jersey in Paris on Sunday, he will deserve it.

“After Thor’s ride two days ago no one deserves the green jersey more than him,” Cavendish said after beating Englishman Barry Hoban’s previous record of eight stage wins on the race.

“I can’t compete with that, that was humiliating to me the other day. It was a beautiful ride.”

Despite his undisputed top end speed, Cavendish’s victories usually come after a perfectly orchestrated lead-out to the finish line by his committed Columbia team.

As their last man, it leaves them to jump out from behind the lead-out man’s wheel in the final 150-300 metres and launch a dash for the line.

It is a benefit few of his rivals possess, and Cavendish admitted: “He’s fought for the jersey, he hasn’t been put in the best position for it.”

But Cavendish’s win, which gave him 35 points to the 30 won by Hushovd for second place, means their battle could still be fought out on the Champs Elysees on Sunday.

After starting the day with a 30-point lead, Hushovd now has a 25-point cushion.

When it came to their duel at the finish, Hushovd hinted that the efforts he spent on Wednesday’s audacious ride in the Alps had finally taken their toll.

“In the final sprint I tried to pull through and made it back to him at the end, but I was very tired,” said Hushovd.

“For me this was the hardest stage of the race. It was non-stop racing all day over undulating terrain and there were a lot of crosswinds and sometimes a headwind.

“My lead over Cavendish is still 25 points but I will be fighting for every last point.”

Saturday’s stage is a 167km ride from Montelimar to the summit of Mont Ventoux, which is likely to host a battle for the podium places on the Tour.

It has two intermediate sprints, where six, four and two points can be won, at the 48km and 138.5km mark.