According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Mark Cavendish will announce his retirement tomorrow during the remainder of the Giro d’Italia.
The Manxman’s 2023 season is expected to be his last in the pro peloton for 17 years.
He is still set to participate in the Tour de France in July, where he aims to win another stage to increase his career tally to 35 and thus the absolute record holder for most stage wins in the Tour. becomes. Eddy Merckx’s. But after that, it is unclear whether he will compete again.
Cavendish is currently competing in the Giro d’Italia and celebrated his 38th birthday on Sunday. He hasn’t won a stage yet, but he did come third behind Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonathan Milan (Bahrain–Victorious), and fourth on stage five despite falling dramatically at the finish line. Was.
There were doubts about Cavendish’s future during the off-season, during which he struggled to find a new team after Soudal–Quickstep decided not to extend his contract. But in January he signed for Astana Kazakhstan.
On joining the Kazakh team he said, “I have already enjoyed a long career, but the joy of riding a bike and the hunger to win are as bright as ever.” “So I look forward to being part of a successful team, whether it’s working with the team to win, crossing the line first, or cheering on my teammates.
“As always, the target will be to be on top of the podium.”
There were rumors in 2020 that Cavendish was set to retire from the game after years of battling illness and injury, which left him struggling for form and finding a new contract.
But after signing with Dessinc-QuickStep, he made an impressive comeback, rediscovering his best form and winning four stages in the 2021 Tour de France.
During that Tour, he equaled Merckx’s record of 34 career stage wins and has been trying to break the record outright ever since.
Cavendish has been one of the most successful cyclists the sport has ever seen, and by most accounts he is the greatest sprinter of all time. He is, without exception, the winningest rider to come out of the British Isles.
His career win count currently stands at 161, including victories at Milan–Sanremo, the world championship in 2011, and stages at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.
