Will the Merckx brand still fall?
Cavendish ends his incredible career
5/22/2023 3:53 p.m
Mark Cavendish is one of the most successful professional cyclists in history. The Brit has celebrated 161 victories in his career so far, including 34 stage wins in the Tour de France. However, Cavendish has been waiting for a win for over a year. At the end of the season it’s over.
Sprint king Mark Cavendish is putting his racing bike in the corner at the end of this season after four world championship titles and 17 years as a pro. The Brit announced this one day after his 38th birthday on the sidelines of the Giro d’Italia. “I’ve absolutely enjoyed every kilometer so far so I think it’s the perfect time to say it’s my last Giro d’Italia and 2023 will be my last season as a professional cyclist,” said the former track cyclist Rest day at a press conference in Coccaglio.
“I’ve lived an absolute dream,” said Cavendish, who was joined in the announcement by his wife Peta and their children. “The bike has given me the opportunity to see the world and meet incredible people, many of whom I am proud to call friends.” Joining the Astana Qazaqstan team this year, he has racked up 161 victories in his successful career so far. His 34 stage wins in the Tour de France put him on a par with Belgium’s legend Eddy Merckx. In July he wants to become the sole record holder.
However, Cavendish has been waiting for a win for over a year. His last success was at the British road cycling championships in 2022. Even at the Giro, the best result so far was third place on the eleventh stage, when Pascal Ackermann from the Palatinate won. For the first time Cavendish got the green jersey of the rider with the best points at the Tour in 2011, in the same year he became road bike world champion in Copenhagen. In 2021, the family man from the Isle of Man also finished the Tour of France in green. He also won the points classification at the Vuelta (2010) and the Giro (2013).
Three-time Madison World Champion Cavendish signed his first professional contract with T-Mobile in 2007. On the track, in addition to the three world championship titles, he won silver in the omnium at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Cavendish, who won the Milan-San Remo classic in 2009, has three wins at the Giro 16 and the Vuelta.