Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) competed this Sunday in his last race as a professional runner, on the occasion of the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium. An exhibition race that he obviously won, ahead of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) et Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny). Sir Mark Cavendishthe one we nickname the “Cav” or the Isle of Man missile, weighs a total of 165 victories throughout his rich career, which began with fanfare at HTC-Columbiabefore joining Omega Pharma-Quickstep, Dimension Data and finally Astana Kazakhstan. If we especially remember from this last year this famous record of 35 victories on the Tour de Francesurpassing that previously held by legend Eddy Merckxthe sprinter with a strong character has not less than 55 successes on the Grand Tours (17 on the Giro, 3 on the La Vuelta), a world champion title, a Milan-SanRemoand many other prestigious races on the world calendar.
Video – Mark Cavendish's last career interview
“I will do everything I can to help the sport progress”
On the arrival of this Singapore Criterium, Cavendish was very moved. “It’s quite emotional. In the last laps, I realized ‘these are the last fifteen kilometers of my career’. But I was so at the limit”he declared. “The heat here… I haven't raced since the Tour de France, so I miss the rhythm and the liveliness of the competition. But my teammates did a great job.”
“Cycling also offers a lot of freedom. It's a way to meet people and express yourself. It has so much potential. I will do everything I can to help the sport progress. It won't stop , even now that my cycling career is over I am very excited to see what the future holds for me and to face new challenges.he explains. “I was quite nervous about crashing, because I really wanted to finish my last race. I'm so proud to win it. I've always loved this sport, and especially the Tour de France. It's the biggest sporting event in the world. Children and adults dream of participating in it.continues the Briton. “I couldn't have asked for a better ending, here in Singapore, with an incredible crowd, an incredible race, an incredible group of athletes… I also had my wife and my friends here, I'm so moved and grateful I hope everyone enjoyed it.“, he concludes.
