- Mark Cavendish aims for record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win
- Cavendish’s emotional journey as he approaches stage win record
- Former teammate Mark Renshaw to assist Cavendish in quest for victory
Mark Cavendish, who is presently tied with five-time champion Eddy Merckx for the Tour de France stage win record, says there will be “no room for sentimentality” if he achieves a record-breaking 35th stage victory this year.
Cavendish, who won the final stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia in Rome, is experiencing yet another resurgence in form and will lead the Astana Qazaqstan team in the 2023 Tour de France, which begins on Saturday in Bilbao.
An emotional Cavendish, who intends to retire at the end of the year, struggled to articulate what it would mean to him, after a Tour career that began in 2007, to hold the record for stage wins.
Cavendish paused for thirty seconds after being posed the question before responding, “Honesty, I don’t know. I’m simply attempting to win as much as possible. I am apologetic.
“The entire Tour experience cannot be described,” he said. “I feel the most incredible emotions during this competition. Unfortunately, it cannot be analyzed and appreciated until after the fact.”
He added, however, that there was “no room for sentimentality.”
“It’s the same every year,” he stated. “Even though this is my last assignment, I still have work to do.”
Mark Renshaw, his former teammate, will act as a sprint consultant during the race, assisting him in his quest to win a 35th stage and, given the number of flat stages, possibly one or two more.
Throughout multiple seasons, the Australian assisted Cavendish in sprints and helped him win six stages in the 2009 Tour alone. However, competition is fiercer than ever. Cavendish, who will be riding a custom-painted bicycle for his final Tour, will compete against the most formidable sprinters in the peloton.
When asked about his form, Cavendish responded with caution. He stated, “You never truly know where you stand in the race until you begin running.” “Due to the nature of acceleration in cycling, it is more quantifiable. It elevates the physical level. I sense that everyone is getting closer.”
When the Tour reaches the Champs-Élysées in Paris, there have been rumors that if Cavendish breaks the record for most Tour stage victories, he will terminate his career. He declined, however, to affirm that a decision had been made.
“I have not considered it. I’m still racing, and I’m still relishing every pedal revolution. So I’m just doing it until I don’t enjoy it.”
David Lappartient, president of the governing authority of world cycling, Union Cycliste Internationale, was elected president of the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) until 2025.
Lappartient, 50, is a member of the International Olympic Committee, a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s board of directors, and holds a variety of positions in local governance and marine management in Brittany. He was also instrumental in Rwanda’s being awarded the 2025 UCI World Championships.
