By Felix Schröder, Tom Bachmann and Stefan Tabeling, dpa
When Mark Cavendish hugged his team-mates after returning from hospital with a bandaged shoulder, the affectionate hugs did not seem like a farewell.
His boss Alexander Vinokourov immediately opened the door for the superstar to make another attempt at the big goal. "Yes, we want Mark to continue in 2024 and ride his 15th Tour de France to win his 35th stage," the former Telekom pro told L'Équipe. "We are ready to offer him this opportunity. But he will decide."
Door stands wide open
A decision that the 38-year-old will certainly give himself some time to make. On the one hand, of course, there is the dream of becoming the Tour's sole record stage winner. Cavendish currently shares this record with Eddy Merckx. This dream was actually shattered on Saturday when the Brit broke his collarbone in a crash on the eighth stage and had to abandon the race. It was to be his last Tour, his last year in the peloton, as Cavendish had announced in May.
However, Cavendish will also be feeling his age. Whether he will still have the explosiveness to win a bunch sprint at the Tour at the age of 39 is hard to judge. But Winokurov's words are likely to increase his fans' hopes of a return to the Tour. Cavendish initially returned home on Sunday.
Return possible despite announced career end
The former world champion showed flashes of his class until his retirement, but also suffered setbacks. On several occasions, he had to watch as his young rival Jasper Philipsen took an impressive three wins in a row. It was particularly bitter on Friday when Cavendish had to settle for second place behind the Belgian in Bordeaux. Problems with the gears had slowed down Cavendish, who was in the lead, and Philipsen overtook him in the last 30 metres.
The painful final act followed on Saturday, when Cavendish touched the rear wheel of another rider with his front wheel and crashed. The images of him sitting in the Tour doctor's minibus with a blank stare saddened the cycling world. "It's a shame when a legend has to leave the Tour like this," said Mads Pedersen, Saturday's stage winner. Superstar Tadej Pogacar also regretted the end. Tour director Christian Prudhomme honoured Cavendish: "He is the best sprinter in Tour history."
Copyright 2023, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
