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Sir Mark Cavendish has revealed he will stay in the world of cycling after he retires from the sport with plans in place to move into management.
Cavendish will ride his final race at the two-day Tour de France Criterium in Singapore on 9-10 November, before hanging up his lycra for good.
He will step off the bike for the final time having completed one of the great British sporting careers, and will go down as perhaps the best sprinter in cycling history after breaking Eddy Merckx’s record of Tour de France stage wins with victory No 35 this year.
And after two decades dedicated to his bike, the 39-year-old has already made plans for the future.
“I speak to Peta [his wife] a lot about replacing the thrill of what I do,” Cavendish told Men’s Health. “For me, though, it’s not about stopping, it’s about starting something new.
“I will always ride a bike, but the past few years I’ve known what I want to do after. I’ve set the wheels in motion for that. I want to stay in management in the sport, I still love it. I brought a lot of people to this team [Astana Qazaqstan] over the past two years, and I know what it takes to be successful. I’ve been building up to the moment I’m not racing.”
Cavendish announced that the 2023 Tour de France would be his final ride on cycling’s most famous race, but injury curtailed his bid and he returned for one more go this summer. He broke the stage wins record to surpass the legendary Merckx with a sensational sprint finish in Saint Vulbas.
He admits it will be hard to watch on from the sidelines from now on and not immerse himself in the “bubble”.
“It’s mad, you’ve been in this one race for a month where your breakfast time is set for you, your schedule for departing, your massage, your dinner – everything is on a tight schedule and laid out for you,” Cavendish said. “All you do is exist and do it. You live in a bubble. It’s hard, but I love it.
“I finished the Tour because I’ve won one in every six or seven races I’ve taken part in, or something like that…Most guys might have one win out of 300, some don’t win at all. With that in mind, the time you have on the bike is just suffering. It’s horrible and that is part of the accomplishment.”
Cavendish, who was recently made a knight of the realm, has set his sights on a new athletic feat, swapping his cycling shoes for running trainers.
“I will always ride my bike, but I want to run now. It’s pure – get your shoes on and off you go! I’ve already agreed to do the Paris marathon with my brother… I’m really looking forward to the time when I don’t have to wake up and do a specific programme on a computer. I can just ride with my friends, it doesn’t matter if I go fast or slow.”
The full interview can be read in the November issue of Men’s Health UK, on sale now
