One last one for the road. Or rather before leaving the road. Mark Cavendish offered himself a final victory for his last appearance on the professional Cycling circuit, by winning the Singapore criterium on Sunday, November 10, ahead of Belgians Jasper Philipsen and Arnaud De Lie.
As he crossed the line, the 39-year-old British sprinter raised his arms in triumph: his farewell to the competition was successful. “I’m really movedhe explained afterwards. I achieved in the last five laps [du circuit de 2,3 km, parcouru à 25 reprises] that these were the last 15 kilometers of my career, my last red flame, but I was so at the limit, the heat here is not very pleasant for me. »
Holder of the record for stage victories in the Tour de France, 17 stage victories in the Giro and three in the Vuelta, world champion of the road race in 2011, winner of the Milan San Remo monument in 2009, the runner from the Isle of Man, will remain one of the figures of the peloton, in which he has been playing since 2005. He was also entitled to a guard of honor from the others runners, this Sunday, before the start.
The day before the Singapore criterium, he declared on his Instagram account that he would retire from sports once the next day's event was completed. Many personalities from the cycling world, from the Australian Robbie McEwen (three times green jersey on the Champs-Elysées) to the Dane Michael Morkov, his pilot fish within the Belgian team Quick-Step then his current team Astana Qazaqstan , then saluted one of the greatest sprinters of all time.
His greatest accomplishment
This announcement from the Briton was not really a surprise, however. The one we nickname “the Cav” had already expressed his desire to hang up, at the end of 2023, before reversing his decision. Because he still had a crazy bet: to surpass the legend Eddy Merckx in the annals of the Grande Boucle.
The greatest achievement of his life as a runner arrived, sixteen years after his first victory on the Tour, on July 3 in Saint-Vulbas, in Ain when he raised his arms in the event for the 35e times, one more than the Belgian “Cannibal”.
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Mark Cavendish took advantage of his last stand on Sunday to remind people of the love he has for his sport: “Cycling is such a form of freedom. It's a way to be who you want to be. It has so much potential as a sport, as a mode of transportation, as a leisure activity. I will do everything I can to help him progress. It won't stop, even if I stop cycling. »
