Mark Cavendish set a record for Tour de France victories in 2024 and, barring any surprises, is set to end his fantastic career: “I had no idea what my head would be like after doing my last Tour,” Cavendish told Men’s Health. “But it’s a feeling like any other. When you finish, you always say the same thing: ‘Fuck it, I’ll never do it again.’ Then, two days later, you say to yourself, ‘I can’t wait to get going again.’ But it takes time to readjust to normal life. You can feel a little lost. You’ve been doing a month in a race where your breakfast time is set, your start schedule, your massage, your dinner: everything is planned and set for you. All you do is exist and do it. You live in a bubble. It’s hard, but I love it. I finished the Tour because I won one race out of six or seven I did, or something like that. It’s crazy compared to most other riders. Most cyclists have one win out of 300, some don’t win at all. With that in mind, the time you spend on the bike is just suffering. It’s horrible and that’s part of the result.”

Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency