Mark Cavendish parks his retirement and renews with Astana for one more season
Euskaraz irakurri: Mark Cavendish ez da aurten erretiratuko, eta Astana taldean jarraituko beste denboraldi batez
The British cyclist Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan Team) leaves the withdrawal it announced in the past on hold Italy spin for the end of this year and announced this Wednesday his renewal with the Astana team for 2024, the year in which he will try to beat the record of stage victories in the Tour de France that he shares with the Belgian Eddy Merckx.
“One of the best sprinters in the history of cycling, Mark Cavendish, has decided to postpone the end of his professional career for another year. At the same time, Mark Cavendish and the Astana Qazaqstan team have reached an agreement for the next cycling season” Astana announced.
A news that the Isle of Man cyclist confirmed. “Well, this year I announced my retirement, and I was looking forward to not having to get up to train every day and not be away from home for so long, but to spend time with my family. “I love cycling, I love racing, however, I was happy with that decision,” he began to explain.
“But obviously being left out of the Tour de France (he had to retire due to a fall) was not the end of the race I expected. But it is what it is. Together with Astana Qazaqstan, we have grown incredibly as a team this year and we We have felt like we are in a real family. The first thing Alexandr Vinokurov said to me there in the Tour de France after my fall was: “why don’t you do another year?”, he revealed.
And, after an initial negative reaction, the sprinter thought about it, talked about it with his family and they encouraged him to continue “just one more year.” “So now I think I’m ready for this year more as a professional rider, and I’m happy to be able to do it and finish it with the Astana Qazaqstan team. I love this team and even beyond next year I would like to do something more for this project However, this is a question of the future,” noted Mark Cavendish.
In this way, the former road world champion (2011) temporarily puts aside the retirement he announced on the second rest day of the Giro d’Italia, having just turned 38 and with more than 160 victories under his belt.
“It’s no secret that Mark’s main goal was the Tour de France and winning a stage there. And on the seventh stage he was very close to breaking his all-time record. However, a heavy fall a day later ruined all plans. I think that a true champion should not end his career like this,” said the general director of the Astana Qazaqstan Team, Alexandr Vinokurov.
Source: Eitb
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