Last evening after returning from the hospital @MarkCavendish visited the team’s hotel to say goodbye to his teammates. Today he’ll fly home. A very fast recovery, good luck, thank you for the great moments and see you soon, Mark! #TDF2023 #AstanaQazaqstanTeam
"He’s got the talent and speed to do it" - Former DS Rolf Aldag argues Mark Cavendish should reconsider decision to retire
CyclingWednesday, 12 July 2023 at 12:20
Mark Cavendish announced his departure from pro cycling at the Giro d'Italia. He then won a stage in spectacular fashion, however his Tour de France stint ended prematurely with a crash the day following a second spot. Rolf Aldag who guided him at the former HTC team argues the Manxman could continue.
“He’s got the talent and speed to do it, but he needs to think long and hard about what the implications are of sticking around for another season," Aldag, now a DS for BORA - hansgrohe, told Cyclingnews. "My instinct is that he should take time, recover well, breath in and out and then consider all the options. Then if he comes back, if I was him, I’d say that has to come with some conditions and some more support."
Cavendish has been showing good form since May and although he has already accomplished more than virtually any rider has throughout his career, but with the possibility of a record breaking stage win at the Tour de France as a career and epoch defining goal, some argue the Manxman has all the cards in the table to continue his career in the chance of taking another step in making cycling history.
“He should be thankful to Astana for giving him that chance because you know how late his signing was. 'I’m really grateful, guys, for you helping me out. But it’s like - if you want me to continue then there’s point 1, point 2, point 3 we have to work on and we really have to get the structures right'," he says, with the Kazakh team providing little support in the Grand Tours lineup-wise to help his goal of chasing a win.
“But now, let it sink in, then sit back and look at your training files, look at your time away from home, look at all the mental struggles older guys have - ‘ah, modern cycling is crazy, you can’t believe how many risks young kids take…’ Then you weigh that up yourself and with your family," he continues.
"On the other hand if it all works out well and if there is a Tour with a lot of sprint opportunities, too, to increase the number of chances, then Cavendish could well be back on track for a 35th stage victory in 2024."
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