British cyclist, 38-year-old Mark Cavendish, said today that he has postponed his "retirement" for another year and will try to become the record holder for the number of stage victories at the Tour de France.
In 2021, Cavendish equaled official all-time cyclist Eddie Merck's 1970s record of 34 stage wins at the Tour, and announced earlier this year that he would retire at the end of the season.
Cavendish, the most successful sprinter in history, has changed his mind and will ride for Astana for another season, including the Tour d'France.
"I was looking forward to not having to get up and train in all kinds of weather and not being away from home, spending more time with the kids... But I would miss racing. I love racing. I was happy and I knew I could to be at the top. Of course, crashing out of the Tour d'France this year wouldn't be the ending I was hoping for," Cavendish said.
Cavendish had to withdraw from this year's Tour after he fell off his bike during the eighth stage and broke his collarbone.
Discouraged by a difficult recovery from injury, one of many during his career, he initially rejected the proposal of Astana team manager Alexander Vinokourov to extend the cooperation for another year.
However, after talking with the children, he changed his decision.
"I talked to the kids and asked, 'What should dad do?' They said to continue. It was a strange question. And here we are, another year," said the cyclist.
And Vinokurov had an influence on that decision.
"I asked Mark if in a few years he would regret not trying again and I suggested that he reconsider his decision. In the end Mark agreed. It will not be easy to break the record he shares with Eddy Merckx, it would be a historic achievement," said Vinokurov.
Merks dominated the sixties and seventies and earned the nickname "The Cannibal" during that time. Unlike Merks, who won a record five Tour titles, Cavendish never triumphed in that most famous race.
Cavendish drove in 206 stages and won 16,5 percent of them, according to the statistics of the organizers. His speed, strength and longevity among fellow sprinters on the Tour is unmatched.
He won the "green shirt" twice at the Tour as the best sprinter. He won stages at all three major races, the Tour d'France, the Giro d'Italia and the Spanish Vuelta, and he became world champion in 2011.
Among other things, he won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
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