"I saw things a bit differently" - Is Mark Cavendish hinting at possible Tour de France return in 2025?

Mark Cavendish announced his retirement in 2023 and then changed his mind to return to racing in 2024 where he raced the Tour de France and won his record-breaking 35th stage win. All the pieces have aligned and it seemed like a walk towards retirement in the best of ways... But maybe the 'Manx Missile' is not yet done.

Lacking the figures such as Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel; the Briton was perhaps the headliner at this morning's Tour de France route presentation in Paris. Of course, the presenter looked to get some words from one of the race's legends and Cavendish's current situation, where his future in 2025 remains in the dark.

Remaining in pro cycling and aim for another win, retiring from racing and becoming part of the staff for the Astana Qazaqstan Team, or perhaps retiring and focusing on being an ambassador for a brand and enjoying his post pro-cycling life... Several options are on the table and after what he achieved this year, the pressure is off for the first time in many many years.

“After last year I was exhausted, you know how it is. I said ‘never again’. Then I went on holiday with my wife and kids and really relaxed for the first time in years. I saw things a bit differently," Cavendish admit on the stage of the Palais de Congress. Whilst retirement was almost a given, slowly this becomes a secondary question and the main one becomes if he is actually intending on racing for one more year in the peloton. “Yeah, we’ll see," he enigmatically answered.