S'pore Criterium likely to be Cavendish's swansong

As the curtain comes down on sprint legend Mark Cavendish's storied career, the cyclist is expected to make one last competitive appearance at the Nov 9-10 Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium.

- Kimberly Kwek

While the 39-year-old has not publicly announced his retirement, the Isle of Man rider has not competed since claiming a record 35th Tour de France stage victory in July, and has made it clear that he will not feature on the Tour again.

Known as "The Manx Missile", Cavendish had initially announced his intention to retire in May 2023 but delayed it and signed a contract extension with Astana-Qazaqstan team until the end of the 2024 season to pursue the record for the most Tour de France stage wins.

Before his history-making victory at Saint Vulbas three months ago, Cavendish, who also won the 2011 world road title and an omnium silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, shared the record (34) with the iconic Eddy Merckx.

Cavendish, who received his knighthood on Oct 2, is among several top cyclists who will be racing along Singapore's streets in November as organisers unveiled the nine teams competing in the professional criterium.