Mark Cavendish is still hoping to break his record of 34 Tour de France stage wins. Photo: Luca Bettini/AFP
Mark Cavendish says his children convinced him to delay retirement and race for another season in 2024.
The 38-year-old, who announced back at the Giro d' ;Italy signed a new one-year contract with his Astana-Kazakhstan team in May in what would be his final year.
The decision came after he crashed out of July's Tour de France, where he was aiming to break the record of 34 Tour stage wins that he shares. with the great Belgian Eddy Merckx.
A mechanical failure on his final run in Bordeaux the night before his late-race crash cost him that chance, and the Isle of Man rider is clearly still itching.
Cavendish crashes out of July's Tour de France Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP
“I was looking forward to staying up and training in all weather conditions, not being away from home and spending time with the children,” he explained in an announcement on Astana social media. “[I knew] I would miss racing, but I was happy. I was in a happy place. I knew I could come out on top.
“Obviously it wasn't the finish I was hoping for after crashing the Tour de France, but it is what it is.”
< p> He added: “We grew incredibly as a team at Astana Kazakhstan – we felt like a real family. So much so that the first thing Vino [Astana general manager Alexander Vinokurov] said when I crashed was: “Why don’t you do another year?”
” [I said] “No, No”. Coming back, even if it was just a collarbone, but coming back from another injury… I thought a little: “Pfft…”. I was ready. I was calm.
“But the more I rode this summer… I just love riding a bike. I talked to the kids and asked, “What should daddy do?” And they said, “Go ahead.” It was not a question. So here we are. One more year, eh?
Cavendish will return to the Tour of Turkey, which starts on Sunday. He is expected to ride rather than race to get some miles back on his legs.
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