Mark Cavendish not sure whether Tadej Pogacar will break his Tour record in next few years: "In any case, it's great to witness his success"

Mark Cavendish did break the record and seventeen years after his Tour de France debut became the sole record-holder with 35 stage triumphs to his name. However while his predecessor Eddy Merckx was on top of the leaderboard for 50 years, the Manxman may not have to wait for half a century to be dethroned. Yes, we are speaking about the Slovenian phenomenon Tadej Poagacar who is already almost half-way there.

In an interview with Marca, Cavendish discussed his retirement. Of course, he also talked about his record victory. "We put a lot of work into it this year, it was a great goal for the team. It was really good," he discussed the road to the stage victory. "It was my last Tour, I'm not going back. The last time I did it, because I have an incredible group of people around me who believed I could still win the Tour."

Cavendish did not yet discuss his future, although he does think he will remain closely involved with the sport. He did, however, discuss Pogacar's role in cycling. "The group of winners we have now, including Pogacar, are great ambassadors for cycling and help the sport grow. I am lucky to know Tadej as a cyclist and as a person, because he is not only an excellent athlete, he is also an incredible guy. As an athlete you want him to be the poster boy for cycling," the sprinter speaks of the Slovenian very highly.

And then to answer the big question: will the Slovenian be the one to beat Cavendish? Pogacar is 25, has already won 17 stages and is almost halfway there. "I have no idea, it depends on him. I think you can dream of winning whatever you want. He has to want to win to inspire, that's the nature of the sport. In any case, it's great to witness his success," said the retiring 39-year-old.