David Millar: "You should never write Mark Cavendish off"

Mark Cavendish has postponed his retirement and will return to the peloton for one last year. This gives the sprinting legend a final chance at taking sole ownership of the Tour de France stage win record and according to ex-pro turned commentator David Millar, there is no pressure on Cavendish this year.

“I’ve always said that you should never write Mark Cavendish off," says the 46-year-old, winner of four Tour de France stages in his own right, in an interview with GCN. "I came close in the past, more out of love for him because I just hated what he was going through a few years ago. I guess I underestimated him as well when he was going through his real down period because I just wanted him to get out and look after himself."

Cavendish did indeed have a very troubling period in his career a few years ago. Due to various reasons, both physical and mental, his career at the elite level seemed to be done and dusted before an emphatic return to winning ways at the 2021 Tour de France.

“It’s just insane how much he loves racing. Generally, with elite athletes, it’s their heads that go before their bodies but with Mark, it’s almost as if his head is getting better and that his head is overriding any physical decline. He’s holding himself up there by the sheer mental health that he has. I think he’s got incredible mental health when he’s good, far beyond any other cyclist. The love he takes from it, it’s a really powerful thing,” Millar says of the sprinting legend. “He just needs one day. We almost saw it this year at the Tour, and we did see it at the Giro this year when he won his stage. That was vintage Mark at his best. He needs the stars to align."

Millar also believes the pressure will not be on Cavendish, with this extra season seen as something of a bonus for the 38-year-old. “Even if he doesn’t make it to the Tour and he gets three months into the season and the wheels have properly fallen off, no one is going to begrudge him for trying. What he’s doing is absolutely magnificent and he deserved the respect of everyone. It’s a great narrative. He’s already the record holder, so he really does have nothing to lose. I can’t wait to see it.”

"There’s so much goodwill around him too, and that’s something that shouldn’t be underestimated in bike racing. If the chips are down in those final chances, part of me wouldn’t be surprised if some riders with nothing to lose, and nothing to gain help him out with leadout and positioning," concludes Millar. "I think that he’ll do it. And I enjoy believing in it.”