Cavendish announces farewell with tears: ‘Can now experience every birthday of wife and children’

On the second rest day in the Giro, Mark Cavendish confirmed at a press conference attended by Sporza, the rumours: in a few months the British sprinter will hang up his bike. A weary and deeply emotional Cavendish was accompanied by wife Peta Todd and their four children during his announcement.

“Yesterday I celebrated my 38th birthday and today my son turned 5 years old. From now on I will be able to experience every birthday of my wife and children.”

Cavendish is still there in the Giro, despite all the failures, but could not yet make the victory gesture. “It was a brutal two weeks. Like so many other riders, I have been ill and bear the marks of crashes. But the great team got me through it. I am convinced that I can win another stage.”

Cavendish will also ride the Tour in July, where he wants to chase the record number of stage victories. At the moment he has 34, just like Eddy Merckx.

Honors

Mark Cavendish is one of the greatest sprinters in cycling history. The ‘Manx Express’, as it is nicknamed, recorded no less than 161 professional victories, the highest number of all active riders. He is doing much better than the number two, Peter Sagan, who has 121 victories on his record and is also in his last season.

He achieved his greatest triumph in 2011 by winning the world title in Copenhagen. In 2009 he also put a monument on his palmares with Milan-San Remo. In the grand tours, and especially the Tour, he was very successful. Of his 53 stage victories, he won 34 in the Tour, a record he shares with Eddy Merckx. He also took home the green points jersey twice.