When Mark Cavendish hugged his teammates with a bandaged shoulder after returning from hospital, the loving hugs didn’t seem like a goodbye.
His boss, Alexander Vinokurow, immediately opened the door for the superstar to make another attempt at the big goal. “Yes, we want Mark to continue in 2024 and be able to compete in his 15th Tour de France to win his 35th stage,” said the former telecom professional of “L’Équipe”. “We are ready to give him that opportunity. But he will decide.”
Door is wide open
A decision for which the 38-year-old will certainly give himself some time. On the one hand, of course, there is the dream of becoming the sole record stage winner on the tour. Cavendish currently shares this record with Eddy Merckx. This dream was actually shattered on Saturday when the Briton broke his collarbone in a fall on the eighth stage and had to retire. It should be his last tour, his last year in the peloton, Cavendish announced in May.
However, Cavendish will also feel his age. It’s hard to say whether, at the age of 39, he still has the explosive power to win a mass sprint on the Tour. But Vinokourov’s words should increase his fans’ hopes of participating in the tour again. Cavendish initially returned home on Sunday.
Return possible despite announced career end
The ex-world champion occasionally showed his class before his retirement, but he also had to accept setbacks. Several times he had to watch as his young opponent Jasper Philipsen clinched an impressive three victories in a row. Things got particularly bitter on Friday when Cavendish had to settle for second place behind the Belgian in Bordeaux. Problems with the gearshift slowed down Cavendish, who was in the lead, while Philipsen overtook the last 30 meters.
The painful final act followed on Saturday when Cavendish touched the rear wheel of another rider with his front wheel and fell. The images of him staring blankly in the tour doctor’s minibus saddened the cycling world. “It’s a shame when a legend has to leave the Tour like this,” said Mads Pedersen, Saturday’s stage winner. Superstar Tadej Pogacar also regretted the end. Tour director Christian Prudhomme honored Cavendish: “He is the best sprinter in Tour history.”
