British cycling legend Mark Cavendish, 39, confirms retirement with emotional message and plan for final race
SIR MARK CAVENDISH has confirmed that he will retire from professional cycling on Sunday.
The cycling icon, 39, took to social media to announce that this weekend’s Tour de France Singapore Criterium will be his final time on the saddle.
A statement on his Instagram read: “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.
“Thank you, everyone, for all the support, always.”
In July, Cavendish broke the all-time Tour de France stage wins record by claiming a 35th victory at cycling’s biggest race.
It took him one clear of Eddy Merckx – who he had shared the record with for three years.
The legendary sprinter, dubbed the Manx Missile, had originally planned to retire last year.
But after crashing out of the Tour de France he decided to get back on the bike for one more year in a final attempt to break Merckx’s record.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Cav won his first Tour de France stage back in 2008 and has been one of the best riders in world cycling since then.
But it hasn’t all been plane sailing for the star after was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus in 2018.
The diagnosis sparked a tough few years when he missed out on selection for the tour, before his incredible comeback in 2021 that included four stage wins and the green points jersey.
MORE TO FOLLOW…
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.