Sir Mark Cavendish hints he could U-turn on retirement to race 2025 Tour de France

Cavendish was expected to retire at November’s Tour de France Criterium in Singapore

Mark Cavendish greets the crowd at the presentation for the 2025 Tour de France routes (AFP via Getty Images)

Sir Mark Cavendish hinted he could still U-turn on his decision to retire from cycling and ride the 2025 Tour de France.

Cavendish was in Paris for the presentation of the Tour de France routes on Tuesday, and the great sprinter was interviewed on stage.

The Manxman won a historic 35th Tour stage this summer to finally surpass Eddy Merckx’s record haul of 34, and said afterwards that he would never race the Tour de France again.

The 39-year-old is set to retire after the Tour de France Criterium in Singapore next month. But he grinned as he suggested all was not decided.

“After last year I was exhausted, you know how it is. I said ‘never again’,” said Cavendish. “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.”

Asked whether he liked the idea of winning stage No 36 at the age of 40, he replied: “Yeah, we’ll see.”

Recently Cavendish revealed he will stay in the world of cycling after he retires from the sport, with plans in place to move into management.

“I speak to Peta [his wife] a lot about replacing the thrill of what I do,” Cavendish told Men’s Health. “For me, though, it’s not about stopping, it’s about starting something new.

“I will always ride a bike, but the past few years I’ve known what I want to do after. I’ve set the wheels in motion for that. I want to stay in management in the sport, I still love it. I brought a lot of people to this team [Astana Qazaqstan] over the past two years, and I know what it takes to be successful. I’ve been building up to the moment I’m not racing.”