In the 2008 Tour de France he won four stages , a then unprecedented achievement for a British cyclist ( he surpassed the feat , winning six stages in 2009 and a further 5 in 2010 ) and he has been described as the fastest sprinter in the world . In the 2008 Tour de France he won four stages , a then unprecedented achievement for a British cyclist ( he surpassed the feat , winning six stages in 2009 and a further 5 in 2010 ) and he has since been described as the fastest sprinter in the world .