Tour de France: Mark Cavendish 'an immortal of the sport' with 'an amazing career' - Experts pay tribute to 'legend'

Updated 21/07/2024 at 14:47 GMT

Eurosport's experts have been paying tribute to the great Mark Cavendish as he bows out of the 2024 Tour de France with the record he so desperately wanted. The British cycling legend completed 'Project 35' by Stage 5 and then proceeded to battle through the mountain stages to ensure that he was there to ride in the Stage 21 finale on Sunday - a fitting way to end his Tour adventure.

'He's inspired so many people' - Kelly, Rowe and McEwen pay tribute to Cavendish

Mark Cavendish was hailed as a "legend" and lauded for the fact that "he has inspired so many people" as he bowed out from the Tour de France on Stage 21 on Sunday.

It has been a remarkable career for the 'Manx Missile', who incredibly moved beyond Eddy Merckx's tally of 34 Tour de France stage wins in Saint-Vulbas on July 4.

Cavendish’s 2023 Tour de France ended in a collarbone-snapping crash, a moment many feared would be the end of his legendary era, but he has now roared back and provided a much more fitting finale.

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Eurosport's Sean Kelly, Dani Rowe and Robbie McEwen paid tribute to the 39-year-old on Sunday as he raced at the Tour for the final time, with a time trial to Nice bringing the curtain down in style.

"It has been an amazing career and when you see Cavendish, he had a lot of problems," Kelly said on discovery+.

"He lost his form with injuries and things like that, and to come back from it all and go for the record... last year was when we saw a real disappointment when he was looking good and then crashed out.

"To come back, that takes a lot of courage. The mental power he has got, and to get the record this year, it puts him down in the record books big time."

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Rowe added: "He will be enjoying all of this and his legacy will be huge. He has inspired so many people: bike riders, non-bike riders, children, adults.

"As Sean said, that mental resilience... he has been written off so many times, and having that courage and that bravery to actually prove everyone wrong.

"The belief in himself is just remarkable and he will go down in history. He is a legend."

McEwen concurred: "Sport is a fantastic metaphor for life with all the things that you go through, and we do sometimes say 'it is only sport', but it means so much more to so many people because of the lessons and the inspiration you take out of it.

"So it is not 'just sport' and it never is. Moments like [Cavendish hugging fellow riders]... that is when an athlete like Mark goes down in history as an immortal of the sport."

'Likely so' - Cavendish asked if Tour farewell was really his final race

Speaking to Eurosport's Matt Stephens after he completed his time trial on Sunday, Cavendish was asked if this really was his final race.

"Likely so," he said, with cameras and microphones surrounding him.

"Honestly, first and foremost, I was trying to make the time," he continued, thinking about Stage 21.

"I knew it would be okay, and I did alright, and then it was just about enjoying it. There was no pressure for me today, which is strange for the final stage of the tour.

"I knew my family were waiting for me at the finish, and yeah, it was about absorbing it. I got the emotions out of the way yesterday, and I could just really enjoy today, I guess."

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