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MARK CAVENDISH called time on his legendary cycling career with a stunning victory at the Singapore Criterium.
The British cycling legend, 39, announced on Saturday that today’s Tour de France Criterium in Singapore would be the final race of his incredible career.
Mark Cavendish has retired on a high[/caption]
And the Isle of Man speedster produced an incredible ride to secure a fairytale finish in his final professional race.
Moments after crossing the finish line, an emotional Cavendish told Eurosport: “I realised in the last five laps it was the last 15 kilometres of my career.
“I passed the flamme rouge (which indicates the final kilometre to go) for the last time in my career and I felt that.
“I didn’t race since the Tour de France so I missed that sharpness and, when the guys are here with the lead-out teams.
“It was always going to be difficult, but you see the amazing job that my team, Astana Kazakhstan, did leading me out, I had to go.
“‘I had to let Jasper [Philipse] and Biniam [Girmay] in in the final lap, I was nervous about crashing or something if I fight.
“I really wanted to finish at least my last race.
“I could feel the lead coming, and when I passed Jasper I could feel him speed up, but I really wanted that so bad.
“I’m so proud to win the Tour de France Prudential Criterium as my last professional race.”
Cavendish calls time on his career following a whopping 166 career victories on the road and the most Tour de France stage wins, 35, to his name.
He permanently etched his name into the Tour’s history books in July by breaking the record of 34 stage wins he previously jointly held with Eddy Merck.
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