Career highlights of Mark Cavendish ahead of retirement
Published:![Mark Cavendish career, cycling](https://sports.coral.co.uk/news/cdn/img/d1fec97e-a9f0-433e-bcf8-d0544fbc5417.jpeg?w=1920&fm=webp&q=75)
Mark Cavendish will retire from professional cycling at the end of the current season.
Cavendish, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Sunday, made the announcement at a press conference on the rest day of this year’s Giro D’Italia.
The Manxman boasts 53 Grand Tour stage victories and a world title, and is still set to compete at the Tour de France in July, where he could break the record of 34 stage wins he currently shares with Eddy Merckx.
Here we take a look at some of the Mark Cavendish career highlights.
The greatest sprinter of all time 🚀
53 grand tour stages. One 🌈 on the road. Three 🌈 on the track. Olympic 🥈
Ready for one last dance at @LeTour?
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) May 22, 2023
2005
Won the first of his Madison world titles on the track, partnering Rob Hayles after replacing the injured Geraint Thomas.
2006
Took gold in the scratch race at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
2007
Moved up to what is now the WorldTour level on the road and took a breakthrough victory at Scheldeprijs.
Finished the season with 11 victories, equalling Alessandro Petacchi’s record for a debut campaign.
2008
Took a second Madison world title, this time with Bradley Wiggins, in Manchester.
Won four stages of the Tour de France and two stages of the Giro d’Italia
2009
Became the second Briton to win a Monument with victory in Milan-Sanremo
Won six stages of the Tour, and wore the leader’s jersey for two days at the Giro after taking four stages.
2010
Won five stages of the Tour.
Wore the leader’s red jersey for two stages of the Vuelta a Espana and won the points classification after taking four stages.
2011
![](https://sports.coral.co.uk/news/cdn/img/cfae02f5-f2fb-4fba-b02d-9078e7f4b530.jpeg?w=3840&fm=webp&q=75)
Became the second British road race world champion after Tom Simpson with victory in Copenhagen
Won five stages of the Tour de France along with the points classification. Wore the leader’s jersey at the Giro and won three stages.
2012
Won three Tour stages, and three stages of the Giro, wearing the leader’s pink jersey for three days.
2013
Won two Tour stage and five Giro stages, wearing the leader’s pink jersey for one day.
Became British national champion.
2015
Won one stage of the Tour.
2016
![](https://sports.coral.co.uk/news/cdn/img/a97574ca-99dc-4903-bd05-cb0d1c1fd17a.jpeg?w=3840&fm=webp&q=75)
Won four stages of the Tour, wearing the leader’s yellow jersey for the first time after the opening stage and completing his set of wearing the leader’s jersey in all three grand tours.
Became Madison world champion for the third time, winning with Wiggins in London.
Won his first Olympic medal with silver in the omnium.
2021
Tasted victory for the first time in more than three years when he headed a bunch sprint across the line at the Tour of Turkey, the first of four stage wins at the race.
Followed up by winning the final stage of the Belgium Tour, before matching the Tour de France stage wins record when collecting the 34th of his career in Carcassonne on July 9.
🏆 Since 2021 the city of Carcassonne has been deeply linked to 🇮🇲 @MarkCavendish.
🤩 This is the place where, a year ago, he claimed a historical 𝟑𝟒𝐭𝐡 stage win on the Tour de France! #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/tQygBK8h9k
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 17, 2022
2022
Won his 16th Giro d’Italia stage when he sprinted to victory on stage three in Hungary.
Added a second British road title to his career with success in Scotland in June.