Mark Cavendish has opted not to retire and will race on in 2024, signing a new deal with Astana Qazaqstan, with the aim to target the Tour de France stage win record.
The Manxman had announced during May’s Giro d’Italia that he would call time on his storied career this winter, but he will return to the peloton in 2024 for an 18th season as he continues his quest for a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage victory.
“It’s not over yet” the Astana Qazaqstan announced via social media, with a video showing clips of Cavendish and the Tour de France in a sign of their intentions. Cyclingnews understands more details of Cavendish’s plan to race on will be revealed on Wednesday.
Cavendish joined the Kazakhstani squad for 2023, winning the final stage of the Giro d’Italia in Rome before heading to the Tour aiming for win number 35.
He finished second to Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) on stage 7 in Bordeaux despite a mechanical problem but disaster struck the next day as he crashed out and fractured his collarbone 60km from the end stage 8.
Almost immediately, talk turned to Cavendish’s future and whether he might change his mind on retirement, with Astana boss Alexander Vinokourov saying the following day that Astana would offer him the chance to go again next July.
“We’d like Mark to continue in 2024 and race his 15th Tour de France to win that 35th stage,” he told L’Equipe. We’re ready to offer him that chance, but it’s up to him to decide.”
Cavendish needed time to recover from his complex fractured collarbone and decided on his future. He is set to make his long-awaited return to the peloton at the Tour of Turkey which runs from October 8 to 15.
In the meantime, Astana Qazaqstan have been preparing to support Cavendish in 2024. The team has been busy in the transfer market bolstering their lead-out train for the upcoming season, with Max Kanter arriving from Movistar and Davide Ballerini joining from Soudal-QuickStep.
Michael Mørkøv, the Danish veteran regarded as one of the top lead-outs in the world, is also set to move to the team after six years at QuickStep. He told Ekstra Bladet in late September that Astana is “a possibility. A good possibility. It hasn’t been decided yet, so I can’t answer that.”
It’s not over yet. @MarkCavendish pic.twitter.com/DMIdfi4uqQOctober 4, 2023
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