Cavendish is the most exciting British prospect in years, even if some of the hype is self-generated. The 23-year-old from the Isle of Man says he is confident, not arrogant, and that when he claims to be "the fastest sprinter in the world" he is merely "stating facts." On yesterday's evidence it is difficult to argue.

Certainly those left floundering behind him – Oscar Freire, Erik Zabel, Thor Hushovd and Robbie McEwen, with 33 stage wins between them – will concur.

Cavendish didn't just win the sprint, he romped it, in a thrilling finish that was perfectly set-up by his Columbia team, but almost ruined in the final kilometre. As is the custom, three plucky Frenchmen tried their luck, Nicolas Vogondy, Lilian Jegou and Florent Brard escaping early and building a lead in excess of eight minutes 50km into the 232km from Cholet to Chateauroux.

On the gently rolling roads of the Loire Valley the peloton refused to panic, but – mindful of their error on Tuesday, when the pursuit was misjudged – the sprinters' teams kept an eye on the situation, nibbling at their advantage. Mainly though, it was left to the Gerolsteiner team of the yellow jersey, Stefan Schumacher, to keep the break on a tight leash. Coming into the final 20km and responsibility was handed back to the sprinters' squads, with Cavendish's pale blue-clad Columbia team-mates particularly prominent, organising themselves in a 'train' in which each man has a designated roll, the plan being to give Cavendish as easy a ride as possible until the final 200 metres.

Approaching the red kite, signifying a kilometre to go, the three escapees were clinging on to the last few seconds of their advantage, and about to be caught, when Vogondy launched a final, desperate bid for the stage. Behind him, the peloton appeared to pause, waiting for the sprint – and in the lull it seemed that Vogondy would hang on. Finally he was swallowed up, less than 100m from the line, as the heaving pack, led by Cavendish, galloped past. Crossing the line at least a length clear of Freire, Cavendish had time to throw his arms in the air, pump his right fist and scream.

"Although I've won quite a lot in my career, and this was my eighth win this year, it's a stage in the Tour I've always wanted since I was a kid," said Cavendish.

"I was anxious to do it, my team was anxious for me to do it, and they worked selflessly for me today. At the end, when the break was still away, we had all nine guys, strong guys, working on the front to bring them back. I saw Mark Renshaw (Hushovd's lead-out man] go with 250m to go, which is too early for me, but I had to go then, and my form's good enough that I was able to hold it to the line."

Since turning professional last year Cavendish has won 19 races, putting him eighth on the all-time list of British cyclists. So far he has juggled road and track racing, and from the Tour he will go to Beijing to partner Bradley Wiggins in the Madison in a bid to add an Olympic gold medal to the world title the pair won in Manchester in March.

"A stage of the Tour is much more difficult to win than the Olympics," said Cavendish. "But I want to win both."

Schumacher finished in the same time as Cavendish to retain the yellow jersey with David Millar 50th across the line, to remain third overall ahead of today's first day of mountains in the Massif Central.