"I saw things a bit differently" - Is Mark Cavendish hinting at possible Tour de France return in 2025?
Cycling
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.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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"We'll see..." 👀 Mark Cavendish refuses to rule out returning to the Tour de France in 2025 🇫🇷 #TDF2025
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