Mark Cavendish will bring the curtain down on his Tour de France career this weekend.
The Manx Missile, the most successful cyclist in the history of the sport’s greatest event, ends his glittering TdF career with a time trial from Monaco to Nice on Sunday.
The 39-year-old from Laxey delayed his retirement by a year in order to chase an historic 35th stage victory and he achieved the feat with a memorable sprint at the end of the fifth stage in Saint Vulbas.
In doing so, he moved one win ahead of the legendary Eddy Merckx to become the most prolific rider in the 121-year history of the race and cement his position as the greatest sprinter cycling has known.
Before Sunday’s time trial, the Manxman faces several tough days in the Alps where the destination of this year’s maillot jaune (yellow jersey) will be determined, although at the time of going to press it appears to be something of a formality for two-time winner Tadej Pogačar.
It remains to be seen what the immediate future holds for Cav once Le Tour concludes, but there has been speculation that the Astana Qazaqstan rider will tackle the Tour of Britain in September.