Bahrain McLaren sprinter Mark Cavendish reiterated before the final race of the 2020 season that he wants to continue racing next season. In an interview in Ghent-Wevelgem, he said that this race could be his last as a professional.

Before the start of the Scheldeprijs on Wednesday, Cavendish said that rumors that the rest of the Belgian Classics had been canceled and that last Sunday's race (in which he ran in a breakaway group) could be his last race too soon were the source of his emotions.

That proved not to be the case in Scheldeprij, where Cavendish won his first professional race in 2007 and again on Wednesday in a breakaway. Sunday's Tour of Flanders and next week's Druidique des Painnes Bourges are also on the schedule.

"At the start of the race there were rumors that the rest of the races would be cancelled," Cavendish told reporters at the Scheldeprij start on Wednesday morning.

"We haven't decided about next year yet, and it could be the last race of the season or the last race of my career. Especially here in Belgium, here in Scheldeprijs was my first win as a professional. [I] was looking forward to this race and enjoyed racing in Belgium. It's pure racing, like being a kid again."

Cavendish reiterated his desire to continue racing next season. His contract with Bahrain McLaren expires at the end of this year, but no contract offers there or elsewhere have yet been publicly confirmed.

"I have no desire to quit. I have no desire to quit." I love this sport. I have dedicated my life to this sport and I want to continue to ride motorcycles."

The 2011 world champion has struggled with form in recent years, and in 2017 he contracted the Epstein-Barr virus, an illness (and recovery process) that affected his subsequent seasons.

However, despite not having won since February 2018, he spoke proudly about his career so far, adding that he has considered contributing to the sport in other ways.

"It's relative," he said of his results. Eighty percent of riders don't win a single race in their careers. I'm lucky; if I don't win, I'm considered a problem."

"In 2016, I made the jump to give something back to the sport. I wanted to give back to the sport I love, what I've done in this sport.

"To see this sport grow in the UK, to see kids and people loving and riding this sport. Of course I want to win, but unfortunately that's the way it is. If I'm second, it looks bad, and if another rider is second, it could be a good thing.