CAVENDISH'S FINAL RACE

Legend confirms that S'pore Criterium is his swansong - and he wants to claim it

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Mark Cavendish's professional career spanning 20 years will come to an end on Nov 10 at the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium, the cyclist confirmed.

The Briton, one of the greatest sprinters in cycling history, confirmed the news on social media a day earlier.

In a video on his Instagram profile, the "Manx Missile" said: "Sunday will be the final race of my professional cycling career. I am lucky enough to have done what I love for almost 20 years and I can now say that I have achieved everything that I can on the bike.

"Cycling has given me so much and I love the sport, I've always wanted to make a difference in it and now I am ready to see what the next chapter has in store for me."

Hours earlier, ahead of the race billed as the Briton's swansong, he had been non-committal on whether it would be his final race, telling The Sunday Times that he still has new "goals" he wants to achieve in his professional career.

The 39-year-old, who finished second in the 2023 edition of the Singapore Criterium, said at a media session held at Mandarin Oriental: "I think I've completed more (challenges) than any other sprinter in history.