"The one thing I've always tried to inspire is a never-give-up attitude" - Emotional Mark Cavendish ready for final crack at historic 35th Tour de France stage win
Cycling
For the final time in his long and storied career, Mark Cavendish is set to ride the race he has become synonymous with over the years, the Tour de France.
It is almost impossible to mention Cavendish without also mentioning the Tour de France. Both rider and race have become intertwined over the past 15 years and over the coming month or so, that story comes to an end. Prior to the start of the action, Cavendish sat down with Eurosport's Orla Chennaoui for an open and honest interview.
"The Tour is amazing. Everything about it is just elevated and it's been my life, it's been my career," says the 'Manx Missile'. "I'm so lucky to be in this exclusive club of Tour de France stage winners. Like, there's not that many."
"It doesn't get old. The music when you go out, that last sort of crescendo of the piece you know. Then you go through that process after with the press and seeing the boys, I love it and it's different there to anywhere else. It's amazing," he continues. "I just want to win as much as I can win and if I can never win again at the Tour de France, I've won 34, I'm alright. But if I can win ten more I'll be buzzing because I know how hard it is to win one!"
After announcing his impending retirement at the recent Giro d'Italia, Cavendish finished the race with an emotional stage win in Rome. "It was special, Rome is special. It blows you away," he recalls before referencing the help given to him by his old friend Geraint Thomas. "And then you had what 'G' did... I'm getting quite emotional."
"It wouldn't have happened without 'G'. We wouldn't have been able to do how we wanted to do it in the final without 'G'," Cavendish concludes. "The one thing I've always tried to inspire is a never-give-up attitude. Just never give up! It's the biggest thing I try and put on the kids. Just don't give up."
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