Mark Cavendish's retirement marks the end of an era for pure sprinters according to Renaat Schotte: "He himself has said that he is a sprinter of a dying breed"

After a record breaking and history making career, Mark Cavendish made his last few pedal strokes in anger over the weekend, emerging victorious at the Tour de France Singapore Criterium. The most successful sprinter in the history of the sport, the 'Manx Missile's retirement might mark the end of the pure sprinter.

"Of course, the race was no big deal, but it did mark the end of an era of sprinters we may never see again," Sporza expert Renaat Schotte says of the Singapore Criterium that saw Cavendish take victory ahead of Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay among others. "Cavendish is and was also a distinct personality. That is why it is still a shame that he is leaving the battlefield as an active sportsman. Although I am sure he will find a new role within the cycling world."

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Most a palmares the majority of riders could only dream of, Cavendish ends his professional career with a total of 165 wins, including 35 Tour de France stages, 17 Giro d'Italia stages, 3 Vuelta a Espana stages, a World Championship road race title, a monument victory at Milano-Sanremo and much, much more. There were even rumours Cavendish could prolong his retirement again for one last crack at a sprinter-friendly Tour de France, although that speculation has now proven to be way off the mark.

“I think an extra year is out of the question, yes. Behind his rough exterior and fragile personality lies an intelligent man, who simply played his farewell very cleverly. He always left it unclear when he would retire, so that there was still extra attention for it now," Schotte notes. "If you look back at his career, he has certainly experienced a few generations. He was already there at the World Championships in team pursuit in 2005, his first important victory was the Scheldeprijs in 2007. So twenty years ago he already came to the surface of top cycling. The fact that he has been successful in all those generations makes him one of the greatest sprinters of all time. He belongs in the gallery of the very greatest."

Cavendish broke Eddy Merckx's long standing record with his 35th Tour stage in 2024

That's not to say it was a career with complete joy though. Among the many successes, there were repeated occasions where Cavendish was written off and cast aside by teams. "Okay, there were deep valleys that almost drove him to say goodbye before, but he came back to say goodbye in the most beautiful way possible," analyses Schotte. 

The highlight of his most recent resurgence being the record 35 Tour stage earlier this summer. "I expected that now, although the puzzle had to fit together perfectly. It only had to fit once and he also had some luck, but everyone was happy for him in the end," says Schotte. "That also illustrates the importance of the figure of Cavendish in cycling history. He broke an unassailable record and received congratulations from everyone from all levels of cycling. The same people who would have loved to beat him for that."

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As mentioned though, the retirement of Cavendish might now mark the end of the pure sprinter. "He himself has said that he is a sprinter of a dying breed," Schotte explains. "With the pure wattages that he recorded, he should not even be allowed to compete now. But he is really the story of someone who, against all expectations, made it to top rider."

"From the troubled young bank clerk who was a bit overweight and was sent to dance school by his mother as a little boy in ballet shoes, to the sole record holder in the Tour. It has ensured that he was always hungry for revenge and has become a top champion," Schotte concludes. "He had a great nose for positioning. He knew he had to gamble and he did. The way he did it was sometimes over the top, but he is a man of emotions, during and after the sprints. And over all periods he is the best sprinter in history."

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