Cavendish admits he 'always thinks about the Tour de France'

Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) says he is “always thinking” about the Tour de France as he prepares to start his 2024 season in Colombia.

The seven-day race starts on February 6 and Cavendish will be looking to get in step with his Astana team-mates.

The main goal for Cavendish this season will be the Tour, where he will be aiming for at least one more stage win to break Eddie Merckx’s all-time record.

Both are currently on 34 stage wins, with Cavendish’s last victory coming in 2021.

“I’ve always thought about the Tour de France in my whole career. But that doesn’t mean you take the rest of the races easy, you know.

“As a sprinter, especially, you’re marked on your wins. Second, third, fourth or fifth doesn’t matter, you’re rated by your wins, so it’s always important to win throughout. And both on a physical and mental point, the motivation you get from victories early in the year can carry you through to July.”

Whether Cavendish can win again at the Tour de France will be one of the big storylines when the race starts on June 29.

He will be 39 when the 2024 Tour starts and he says being able to “adapt” has helped him stay in contention for victories late into his career.

“I’m very fortunate to have had a career that spans many generations of riders and I got to race against the champions of all of those generations,” he said.

“From doing that, I managed to learn a lot and learn how to race and adapt to how cycling changes. And I just love it. When you love it so much, you just ride your bike. That’s it.”

Cavendish will be joined in Colombia by leadout duo Cees Cool and Michael Morkov.

It is expected that he will be jostling for sprint wins with Movistar’s Fernando Gaviria, although he is also wary of other threats.

“With regards to the sprints, I don’t know,” said Cavendish.

“We’ve got a very strong team, and I know Fernando has a strong team with Movistar too. But like we’ve seen with the road championships in Colombia, there are a lot of domestically based riders who can spring a surprise. We’ll just enjoy it and see how it goes.”