Britain's Mark Cavendish announced that he would retire at the end of the season. The sprinter has set himself the ultimate goal of winning a 35th stage victory in July on the Tour de France, a record.
Two other figures in the peloton, Slovakian Peter Sagan and Frenchman Thibaut Pinot, have already announced their retirement. The former track rider has won a total of 161 victories in his career, 34 in the Tour of France, 16 in the Giro and 3 in the Vuelta.