The Manx cyclist plans to retire at the end of the cycling season but Astana Qazaqstan boss Alexander Vinokourov offers him a contract extension to race for one last Tour de France in 2024.
Isle of Man cyclist Mark Cavendish has abandoned his final Tour de France run after breaking his right collarbone on the race's eighth stage Saturday (July 8). His team, Astana Qazaqstan, said he would need surgery.
The incident came as the veteran racer earlier announced his intention to retire at the end of the cycling season later this year.
In terms of records, 38-year-old Cavendish would have to share the most career stage wins at the world-famous cycling race with Eddy Merckx's record of 34 during the 2021 tour, 13 years after his first success.
Manx Missile's Mighty Fall
During the Tour's stage 8, the "Manx Missile," as Cavendish was called, crashed with 63 kilometers left while riding at the back of the peloton (the main group of cyclists in a race) at about 45 kph (28 mph). Footages show him lying on the ground and holding his right shoulder in pain.
His Astana teammate Gianni Moscon said he had to stop because of the crash in front of him suddenly. Moscon also alleged someone in the peloton "changed line" and "hit the rear wheel of the [cyclist] in front of him" before coming down.
"It was quite bad," he added. "I stayed with him but he wasn't able to go on with the race so we had to go back in the peloton."
Cavendish was assisted to sit in an ambulance for treatment, with photographs and videos showing him despondent for what seemed to be his final Tour de France.
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A Sad Way to Bow Out
Astana Qazaqstan spokesperson Philippe Maertens told The Associated Press Cavendish was taken to a hospital in the French city of Perigueux. He added that a screw inserted in the injured rider during the 2017 tour to fix a scapula injury came loose after the crash. Maertens also said he would return home as soon as he was discharged from hospital.
As the race continued, former world champion Mads Pedersen emerged victorious in Saturday's stage 8. He, along with most of the competitors of the race and the whole cycling community, was devastated by how Cavendish had to bow out for what seemed to be his final Tour de France.
"For me it was a pleasure to be able to ride with Mark Cavendish," he said in his post-race interview. "I always had a good relationship with him in the peloton. Hopefully I can do some of the last races he does."
Cavendish was the fifth rider to abandon the race this year after Enric Mas, Richard Carapaz, Jacopo Guarnieri, and Luis Leon Sanchez, all of whom crashed out. He previously won the Tour de France best sprinter's green jersey twice, as well as stages in the other two Grand Tours, namely the Giro d'Italia and Spanish Vuelta.
Astana Offers Cavendish One Last Ride
Meanwhile, Astana Qazaqstan hopes Cavendish could still redeem himself for one last ride.
The team's general manager Alexander Vinokourov said Astana had offered the Manx rider a contract extension on the Tour de France in 2024 despite his decision to retire at the end of the season.
"[W]e want Mark to go on to 2024 and race his 15th Tour de France to win his 35th stage," he told L'Equipe.
Vinokourov, who won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics after suffering a fractured femur in the 2011 Tour de France, wanted to encourage Cavendish to bow out much more gracefully than what happened to him on this year's Tour.
"Mark has the same mentality and the same determination to achieve his ultimate goal. We're ready to give him that opportunity. But it's up to him," he added.
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