LONDON (AP) — Mark Cavendish will take an indefinite break from cycling after being diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus for the second time.
The British sprinter has won 30 Tour de France stages, putting him second in the all-time list behind Eddy Merckx (34), but last won a stage in 2016 and did not finish this year’s race. He is a three-time Olympian with silver from the Rio Olympic omnium on the track.
“I’m glad to now finally have some clarity as to why I haven’t been able to perform at my optimum level,” Cavendish said in a Team Dimension Data statement.