There’s a new question that’s making Sir Mark Cavendish wince.
For the last two years, his media interviews have been all about the Tour de France – more specifically, breaking the all-time stage win record. The most obvious question was always the one journalists were afraid to ask.
I remember in 2023, at his pre-race press conference in Bilbao, it wasn’t until the final moment that somebody plucked up the courage to ask Cavendish what it would mean to him to win a 35th stage. The question was followed by 30 seconds of uncomfortable, and slightly humorous, silence. Then came the response: “Honestly, I don’t know.”
It was a similar story before the race this year. This time, and it’s with pride that I say this, I was on the other end of a pensive Cavendish pause. In a crowded room on the outskirts of Florence, I waited 20 seconds for his thoughts on the legacy he’d like to leave in cycling. “I don’t really know,” were his words that broke the silence.
I sympathise with Cavendish. I can imagine it’s excruciating to be asked the same questions, every day, more times than you can count on both hands. Now, there’s a new one he’s sick of. It’s straightforward and to the point – only two words, in fact: “What’s next?”
The question took prominence well before he bowed out with victory at his final race at last weekend’s Singapore Criterium. For months now, people have been asking the Brit about his life beyond sprinting, the next steps in his career. We’re desperate to know. Currently, he’s yet to give a concrete answer.
This week on social media, Cavendish mocked the two-word question, posing it back and forth to Valtteri Bottas, himself also at a crossroads. (For the uninitiated, Bottas is an F1 driver and cycling lover – a bit like how Gareth Bale was a professional footballer, but preferred playing golf. He recently announced he’s leaving his current team.)
The exchange goes like this: “What’s next?” Bottas serves to Cavendish. “What’s next?” Cavendish returns. “What’s next?” counters Bottas. And so on. Sixteen times the question is asked in the video, which makes for dizzying viewing.
So, what is next for Cavendish? The closest we’ve gotten to knowing is in an interview he did with Men’s Health magazine last month. “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,” he said.
There’s a vague answer for you, Valtteri: management in sport. Oh, and he’s also planning to run the Paris Marathon next year.
Elsewhere on social media, Izzy Sharp swims with dolphins, Tadej Pogačar gets his hair cut, and two dogs take to a wind tunnel.
1. What's next?
2. Valtteri Bottas rode 180km on an indoor bike
3. Matthew Richardson's home track debut is going to be brew-tea-ful
4. Katie Archibald is gunning for a return to the track (ok, I'll ease up on the puns now)
5. As someone with a very similar hairstyle, I am in no position to start throwing stones
Can you find a difference? 🤣😜 #pogacar #cycling #roglic #funny pic.twitter.com/Hzq5AAgTOoNovember 11, 2024
6. Life's a beach for Matteo Jorgenson during his off-season
Surf dude or pro cyclist @MatteoJorg? 😜🏄 @cervelo pic.twitter.com/MgdO419zqxNovember 13, 2024
7. Why ride a surfboard when you can ride dolphins?
8. What's the key to track success? Rice, apparently, and lots of it
9. It's not just humans who need carbs for performance
10. These two at Specialized HQ are really putting the 'lab' into labrador (I know they're Golden Retrievers, but allow it for the joke)
11. How many cyclists can say they've played the piano in Buckingham Palace? Well, Archie Atkinson can
12. And finally, here's a showreel of some of Cavendish's greatest moments, to help you start your weekend right
