Sir Mark Cavendish to Start the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans
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For several years, the 24 Hours of Le Mans have chosen a world-renowned personality to kick off the race.
After Roger Federer in 2025, Zinedine Zidane in 2024, LeBron James in 2023, Rafael Nadal in 2018, and Brad Pitt in 2016, who will be the “starter” of the 2026 edition?
The iconic figure of world cycling Sir Mark Cavendish will start the 24 Hours of Le Mans
The one who will say those famous words “drivers, start your engines” will be a cycling champion: Sir Mark Cavendish. He was the great sprinter of the Tour de France in the 2010s. “France and I have a long history together. The Tour taught me everything, the pain, the glory, pushing your limits,” he said in a statement released by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
Winner of 34 stages of the Tour de France, he also won the green jersey twice. He was also the top sprinter in the Giro d’Italia and the world champion in 2011.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans: “An event that transcends its discipline”
For him, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is an event “that transcends its discipline, belonging to all athletes worldwide regardless of their sport,” he described the classic Le Mans race as “a cathedral of sports, and I’m excited to experience the start from the inside.”
The ACO stated that this world cycling figure represents what our race has stood for for over a century: the elite of sports and performance, united by a common passion.
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