After a fairy-tale ending for his career, you’d think Mark Cavendish would be content to hang up the cleats. But that may not be the case.
The Tour de France all-time stage win holder was at the presentation of the 2025 edition. He spoke about his 2024 Tour…but also the future.
It was Stage 5 of the 2024 Tour de France when Cavendish made history. The race had some early drama: Tadej Pogačar had a close call when he swerved to avoid a sign marking a traffic island but safely retained the yellow jersey. With his victory, Cavendish broke the record he had shared with Eddy Merckx, reaching 35 wins—a remarkable moment for cycling after his return from retirement for one last season. The first 50 kilometres featured a downhill stretch with only two Cat. 4 climbs and an uncategorized climb over the 177.4 km route, favouring the sprinters.
There were several breakaway attempts, including one by fourth-place Juan Ayuso, but only the French duo of Clément Russo and Matteo Vércher managed to stay ahead. The race culminated in a bunch sprint, with Astana taking control in the final kilometre amid fierce competition for the leadout. With 200 metres to go, Cavendish surged ahead for an incredible win, later being swarmed by teammates and friends who congratulated him.
Back for more at 40?
It was an incredible result given that the Astana rider was forced to quit the 2023 Tour. It seemed like he would end his career on the cusp of breaking the record until he came back. He said he would race for one more season and retire. But might that change?
Technically, Cavendish is still tied with Merckx for stage wins
“After a Tour, as a rider, you always think: I’ll never do this again. But after a few days, you miss it again; you miss the adrenaline. Will I return as a rider in the Tour? We’ll see,” he said at the presentation.
Cav will turn 40 in May of 2025, which is definitely up there with pro men. In fact, he is the second-oldest male rider to win a Tour stage at 39. In 1963, Pino Cerami won at the 202-km Stage 9 from Bordeaux to Pau at 41.
Check out his words from the interview below and judge for yourself.
“We’ll see…” 👀
Mark Cavendish refuses to rule out returning to the Tour de France in 2025 🇫🇷#TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/AJx4qHMQvO
— Eurosport (@eurosport) October 29, 2024
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