Cavendish hints at retirement

Tearful Manx cycling great speaks at end of race in Belgium

Isle of Man cycling superstar Mark Cavendish has hinted he may retire following Sunday's one-day Gent-Wevelgem classics race.

In tears, he told reporters "that was perhaps the last race of my career".

The 35-year-old spent much of the race in Belgium in the breakaway before finishing 74th and more than six minutes down on winner Mads Pedersen.

Nicknamed the Manx Missile, Cavendish has struggled for form in recent seasons after suffering from the Epstein-Barr virus.

He is considered on of the greatest riders in road cycling having won 30 stages at the Tour de France, 15 stages of the Giro d'Italia, was crowned world champion in 2011 and took the Milan-San Remo "monument" one-day race in 2009.

Cavendish has a contract with his Bahrain-McLaren team until the end of 2020, with talks of an extension said to ongoing.