Legendary British sprint cyclist Mark Cavendish has confirmed he will bring the curtain down on his glittering career in Singapore on Sunday.
The Manx rider, 39, is generally considered to be the greatest sprinter the sport has ever known, as well as arguably the greatest British cyclist of all time.
While it is pointless trying to compare riders of different generations and skill sets, not to mention different sexes, Cavendish won almost everything he could in an extraordinary 20-year career.
He is the all-time Tour de France stage record holder, delaying his retirement by 12 months to pick up his 35th and final win in Saint-Vulbas in July, going one clear of Belgian great Eddy Merckx, with whom he had been tied on 34 Tour stage wins.
Cavendish also has 17 stage wins at the Giro d’Italia and three at the Vuelta a Espana to his name.
A world champion on track and road, he not only dominated the sport on the bike, he was a huge character off it, too, with his spiky personality generating plenty of headlines.
The one notable absence from Cavendish’s glittering CV is an Olympic gold medal. He missed out on the track in 2008, when he and Bradley Wiggins were reigning world champions in the Madison, and on the road in 2012 when his team-mates failed to deliver him to the Mall for a sprint he was widely expected to win. In 2016, Cavendish won silver in the omnium.
There was some doubt over when his final race would be, with Cavendish offering a cryptic response when asked on stage about his plans at last week’s 2025 Tour de France route unveiling.
“After last year I was exhausted, you know how it is,” he told the event host. “I said ‘never again’. Then I went on holiday with my wife and kids and really relaxed for the first time in years. I saw things a bit differently.”
Asked whether he might ride on, he replied: “Yeah, we’ll see.” It is thought Cavendish might still do some riding or racing for his own enjoyment next year, but his professional career at least will end in Singapore on Sunday at the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium.
Writing on Instagram on Saturday morning, Cavendish said: “Sunday will be the final race of my professional cycling career. I am lucky enough to have done what I love for almost 20 years and I can now say that I have achieved everything that I can on the bike. Cycling has given me so much and I love the sport, I’ve always wanted to make a difference in it and now I am ready to see what the next chapter has in store for me.”
Cavendish, who claimed his first Tour stage win as a 23-year-old back in 2008, was knighted in June for services to cycling and charity work.
“I can only say that I’m truly humbled to be honoured by His Majesty The King,” he said. “It’s always been the biggest privilege to represent my country, and seeing cycling as the sport, pastime and mode of transport I’ve given my life to grow in Great Britain during the span of my career, has given me joy and pride beyond words. I’m truly thankful to everybody that has lived this journey with me.”
