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 in the saddle.

Reuters

Mark Cavendish has announced his retirement from cycling[/caption]

AFP

Cavendish holds the record for the most Tour de France stage wins[/caption]

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.

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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 he 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.

Now, after being awarded a knighthood earlier this year, Cavendish is looking ahead to what is next in his career.

Speaking to Men’s Health, he said: “For me, though, it’s not about stopping, it’s about starting something new.

“I will always ride a bike, but the past few years I’ve known what I want to do after.

“I’ve set the wheels in motion for that. I want to stay in management in the sport, I still love it.

“I brought a lot of people to this team [Astana Qazaqstan] over the past two years, and I know what it takes to be successful.

“I’ve been building up to the moment I’m not racing.”

While he has also said he’s going to be swapping his tyres for trainers going forward.

He added: “I will always ride my bike, but I want to run now. It’s pure – get your shoes on and off you go!

“I’ve already agreed to do the Paris Marathon with my brother.

“I’m really looking forward to the time when I don’t have to wake up and do a specific programme on a computer.

“I can just ride with my friends, it doesn’t matter if I go fast or slow.”

Cavendish retires as a cycling legendGetty Images - Getty