Mark Cavendish, record holder for stage victories in the Tour de France, announces his retirement

The sprinter with 35 successes on the Grande Boucle will give his last pedal strokes in the professional peloton on Sunday in Singapore.

“On Sunday, I will participate in the last race of my career as a professional cyclist”warned Mark Cavendish on his Instagram account on the eve of the Critérium du Tour de France in Singapore. The 39-year-old sprinter is preparing to draw the curtain for good on his rich career, which began in the professional peloton in 2005. Twice, the Briton had already made this announcement, but this time, he no longer has any reason to come back.

Four months ago, by winning in Saint-Vulbas (Ain), he became the record holder for stage victories in the Tour de France, dethroning the legend Eddy Merckx. In total, Mark Cavendish will have raised his arms 35 times in the most prestigious Cycling race, compared to 34 for the Belgian. “I'm pretty lucky to have done what I love for almost 20 years and I can now say I've accomplished everything I could do on the bikehe wrote on Saturday. Cycling has given me so much and I love this sport. I'm ready to see what the next chapter has in store for me.”

Professional since 2005, Cavendish has won 165 races, including the world championship in 2011. The “Cav” also raised his arms 17 times at the Tour of Italy and three times during the Vuelta. He also has a Monument to his name, Milan-San Remo in 2009. Coming from the track, the Briton also won the silver medal in the omnium at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.