Mark Cavendish has announced he will retire from professional cycling at the end of the current season. Cavendish, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Sunday, made the announcement at a press conference on the rest day of the Giro d’Italia.
Cavendish said: ‘I’ve absolutely loved racing every kilometre of this race so far, so I feel it’s the perfect time to say it’s my final Giro d’Italia and 2023 will be my final season as a professional cyclist.’
It marks the end of a glittering 17-year career that has seen the British sprinter rack up 161 victories including 34 individual stages at the Tour de France, to equal the record set by Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx.
He rose to the scene in 2005 where he won his first gold medal in the Madison at the Los Angeles World Track Championships in 2005, replacing Geraint Thomas as Rob Hayles’ partner for the event.
A year later he went on to win a gold medal in the Scratch Race at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, the Isle of Man’s third ever gold medal at the event. He would then amass an enormous 133 victories between 2007 and 2015, while becoming Britain’s leading Grand Tour cyclist at the age of 22.
Since then, 38-year-old, who hails from the Isle of Man, has risen to the pinnacle of the sport, earning himself the nickname the ‘Manx Missile’, thanks to his explosive power, endurance and ability to win sprints.
Some of those wins would include an unprecedented six stages of the 2009 Tour de France while also becoming only the second Briton to win a Monument that same year at the Milan–San Remo cycling race.
‘Like many others I’ve been struggling with sickness during the race as well as the effects of some unfortunate crashes. To get me through, I can’t thank this group of friends enough.
Cavendish also won the 2011 Green Jersey after clinching five stage wins on the Tour before going on to win an omnium silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. ‘Yesterday I celebrated my 38th birthday,’ the British rider said.
‘Cycling has been my life for over 25 years. I have lived an absolute dream and the bike has given me the opportunity to see the world and meet some incredible people.
‘It’s taught me so much about life – dedication, loyalty, companionship, teamwork, sacrifice, humility and perseverance – all things that now, as a father, I can show my children.’
British Cycling performance director Stephen Park lauded Cavendish for his achievements, saying in a statement: ‘On behalf of British Cycling, I would like to congratulate Mark on a truly outstanding career.
Having raced for ten professional teams during his career, including Team Sky, Cavendish left Quick-Step last year and signed for Astana Qazaqstan for the 2023 season.
Park added: ‘Professional and passionate, Cav has been a real asset to our team over the years and will be remembered as both a peerless rider and a fantastic teammate with time for everyone. ‘We wish him the very best of luck both for the rest of his final season in the peloton and in the next stage of his career.’
‘Cav is without doubt the sport’s greatest sprinter and will be remembered by fans across the world for his 53 Grand Tour stage wins, and I’m sure that we will all be cheering him on as he looks to add to that total in his final months of racing.’
