Mark Cavendish (Bahrain McLaren) hinted at a possible early retirement after Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday, saying in a post-race interview with Sporza (opens in new tab) with tears in his eyes, "This is probably the last race of my This will probably be the last race of my career."

Cavendish was part of a breakaway group in the men's 232km race between Ypres and Wevelgem, and later finished 74th at the end of Ghent-Wevelgem.

In a post-race interview with Sporza, Cavendish said this could be his last race, and when Sporza asked him to confirm if this was the last race of his career, Cavendish replied, "Probably, yes."

At 35, Cavendish is considered one of the greatest road sprinters of all time in professional cycling. His illustrious career includes 30 stage wins at the Tour de France.

Cavendish's statement comes as a surprise since he was scheduled to compete in the Scheldeprijs next week on October 14 in Schoten, Belgium.

He has struggled for results this season and started Ghent-Wevelgem in a support role for his Bahrain McLaren teammate Dylan Tuns, who finished 10th. The team indicated that Cavendish will take a leadership role at Scheldeprij on Wednesday. Cavendish has won Scheldeprij three times, in 2007, 2008, and 2011.

Cavendish's contract with Bahrain McLaren expires at the end of this year, but team manager Rod Ellingworth revealed from Saturday's Giro d'Italia that negotiations between Cavendish and Bahrain McLaren for 2021 are still ongoing. He revealed.

Ellingworth was at a press conference at Giovinazzo, the start of stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia, and when asked about Cavendish's future at Bahrain McLaren, he said, "We are still working out the roster for next year. We are working on it."

Reporters further asked Ellingworth if a deadline had been set for Cavendish to decide whether he would stay with Bahrain McLaren and if he expected Cavendish to continue racing through 2021. I asked him if he expects Cavendish to continue racing until 2021. But I am certain that he will continue to race.

Cavendish did not race the Tour de France with Bahrain McLaren. But at the time, Cavendish said he was not ready to compete in the Tour de France.

Cavendish competed in the Tour de France from 2007 to 2018, winning 30 stages in the French Grand Tour. However, he has not competed in the Tour de France since 2018; in 2019, the team did not select him for the roster and he has not competed in the Tour based on dimensional data. He has recovered from a long battle with the Epstein-Barr virus and said he was ready to perform at last year's Tour de France.

Doctors first diagnosed Cavendish with Epstein-Barr in 2017, but a blood test before last May's Tour of California showed that he was below the threshold of having the virus for the first time in two years.

In addition to his 30 stage wins at the Tour de France, he has also won 15 stages at the Giro d'Italia, 3 stages at the Vuelta a España, 10 stages at the Tour of California, Milan-San Remo in 2009, the 2011 elite men's road race world title and the 2011 elite men's road race world title. Cavendish's career has not only spanned road racing, but also the track, where he is a three-time world champion in Madison.

More to follow...