Tour de France great Bernard Hinault has backed Mark Cavendish to break the race's all-time record for stage wins.
Cavendish won his second stage of the 2016 edition on stage three to move level with Hinault on 28, second to Eddy Merckx's record of 34, but he missed out on a 29th win when finishing only eighth on stage four.
Hinault, the last Frenchman to win the Tour in 1985, was happy to see his tally matched and said he hoped and expected there was more to come from the Manxman.
"It's good, what he has done," Hinault said. "I hope he has more than us. That's the goal."
Asked if the 31-year-old Cavendish could go on to catch Belgian great Merckx, he added: "Why not? He will need six more and he is not old. He still has the possibility, I think."
Cavendish said after Monday's win that he had never as a youngster dreamed of a day when he would be mentioned in the same breath as the sport's greatest, but Hinault was keen to correct him.
"Why would he think like that?" he said. "It's a goal in a career to say, 'I am capable of going in search of this trophy'.
"Even if it is not a trophy, these are victories that accumulate one after another. That is the most beautiful thing of all about it."
The Tour continues on Wednesday with a rolling, 216km fifth stage from Limoges to Le Lioran. Find out more about the route in a our race guide and follow the stage with our live blog from 12pm BST.