The cyclist Mark Cavendish announced this Saturday through his social networks that he is retiring from cycling. This Sunday’s race in Singapore will be the last that the Briton will compete professionally. Cavendish gets off the bike at 39 years old and with a great legacy: 35 stage victories in the Tour de France, a record that places him ahead of the legend Eddy Merckx. In addition, he will wear number 35 as a farewell and in commemoration of each of those victories in the French round.
“Sunday will be the last race of my professional cycling career. I am lucky to have done what I love for almost 20 years and now I can say that I have achieved everything I could on the bike. Cycling has given me a lot and I love the sport, I always wanted to make a difference and now I am ready to see what the next chapter has in store for me,” he published on his social networks.
Cavendish initially planned to retire after the 2023 season, but changed his mind and returned with the goal of overtaking Merckx in Tour de France stage wins. He equaled the Belgian’s mark of 34 victories during the 2021 Tour, Cavendish never won the overall title. Cavendish won stages in all three Grand Tours – the others being the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España – and became world champion in 2011.
