Just shy of 40 years of age, cycling legend Mark Cavendish has ridden his final Tour de France, and while he never claimed an overall win, he signed off with a remarkable record: the most stage wins on the Tour.

In 2023 he equalled Eddy Merckx’s record for the most number of Tour de France stage wins, with 34, so 2024 represented possibly his final chance to steal the record from a Tour de France legend.

“Winning one more was always what got me out of bed in the morning, what got me on the bike, what made me do that extra half hour, what made me not eat that extra french fry the kids had left, you know what I mean?” said Cavendish in an interview with the Independent newspaper.

“Life’s taught me enough never to take anything for granted, whether that’s in a bike race or out of it, so you keep going as hard as you can and you hope you can hang on.

“When the paint starts before the finish line – the big advertising painted on the road – you know. You know from experience: if no-one’s next to you there, you’ve won.

“Most of the peloton get to absorb the Champs-Elysees but as a sprinter, you can’t. I actually absorbed the final day, absorbed the emotions of finishing the Tour. Fifteen Tours, and that’s the first time I’ve felt that.”

Had he not clinched that 35th stage, would he still retire from the Tour? Cavendish thought for a moment, before answering.

“It’s a good question. All I know is I feel complete. Everything’s a possibility. That’s the beauty of sport. If someone is inspired to achieve something and they achieve it, that leaves an inspiration for somebody else to come and achieve more.”