Mark Cavendish is a cycling legend. © APA/afp / JEFF PACHOUD

Cycling icon announces retirement

On the second rest day of the Giro d'Italia, Mark Cavendish announced his retirement for the end of the 2023 season. His successes are unique.

22 May 2023

From: dpa/dl

“Cycling has been my life for more than 25 years. I lived an absolute dream. It is the perfect time to say that it is my last Giro d'Italia and that 2023 will be my last season as a professional cyclist,” Cavendish said at a press conference a day after his 38th birthday.

The sprinter won 17 professional victories in his 161-year career, including the 2011 World Championship title in Copenhagen, the spring classic Milan-Sanremo and a total of 53 stage victories in the three major tours. At the Tour de France he holds the record with 34 daily victories together with Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.

Sprinter Mark Cavendish won, among other things, 34 stages in the Tour de France. © APA/afp / GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

In the summer, Cavendish, who drives for the Kazakh Astana racing team, could become the sole record winner in his possible 14th Tour participation. But records are not his priority. “Even if I had 45 wins, I would go to the Tour de France to win,” he said. However, Cavendish has been waiting for a win for over a year. His last success came at the British Road Cycling Championships in 2022. The best result at the Giro so far was third place on the eleventh stage, when Pascal Ackermann from the Palatinate won.

In addition to Cavendish, other riders who have shaped the sport for more than a decade are ending their road cycling careers this fall. Former Tour third-place finisher Thibaut Pinot is retiring, as is Rio Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet. Three-time world champion Peter Sagan will only be on mountain bikes in 2024.