Mark Cavendish has announced he will retire from professional cycling at the end of the current season.

Cavendish, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Sunday, made the announcement at a press conference on the rest day of the Giro d’Italia.

Cavendish said: “I’ve absolutely loved racing every kilometre of this race so far, so I feel it’s the perfect time to say it’s my final Giro d’Italia and 2023 will be my final season as a professional cyclist.”

There was a time when it seemed like the only person that could beat Mark Cavendish in a sprint was himself.

If he and his lead-out train executed everything according to plan, nobody else stood a chance.

Between 2007 and 2015, the Manx Missile piled up 133 victories, including the 2011 world title, stages of all three Grand Tours, Milan-Sanremo in 2009, and so much more.

He was, quite simply, the greatest sprinter cycling had ever seen.

Drive and determination had taken him from being what he called a “fat banker” – working shifts in a branch of Barclays to fund his racing ambitions – through British Cycling’s academy to the professional ranks at rapid pace.

Having turned professional in 2005, the same year he won the first of his three Madison world titles on the track, Cavendish’s results – coupled with a personal letter written to T-Mobile team boss Bob Stapleton – earned him a move to what is now the WorldTour in 2007.

His first Tour de France ended in frustration, a crash on stage two denying him a chance of victory in Canterbury, but the following summer Cavendish began a period of almost unprecedented domination – 20 Tour stage wins in the span of four years between 2008 and 2011.

The first came on stage five into Chateauroux. Mark Renshaw, who would help Cavendish to 19 of his stage wins, was not yet a team-mate, but Cavendish took his cue anyway, following his lead-out of Thor Hushovd to win with ease, crossing the line holding his head in his hands.

“It’s the biggest thing to happen to me without a doubt,” Cavendish said at the time. “To win a stage is massive.”

It would soon become routine. He took three more that summer despite leaving the race after stage 14 to focus on the Olympics, six in 2009, then five each in 2010 and 2011.

His tongue could be as sharp as he sprints. When things went wrong, Cavendish was never shy about voicing his frustration, but his praise for those around him was just as vociferous when things went right, which more often than not they did.

Such was their domination in 2009, Cavendish won on the Champs-Elysees by a good 30 metres and team-mate Renshaw followed home in a comfortable second place.

After becoming only the second British world champion after Tom Simpson in 2011, Cavendish took his rainbow stripes to Team Sky the following year.

Though back among friends from his early days in Bradley Wiggins and coach Rod Ellingworth, he never jelled with the data-driven approach of the team and would move on after just one season to join Belgian winning machine OmegaPharma-QuickStep.

With a lead-out train built to his specifications he rewarded his employers with regular victories but nevertheless found himself being questioned as Marcel Kittel emerged as a formidable rival at the Tour.

There was frustration in 2014 when he crashed in his mother’s home town of Harrogate, ending his race on the opening stage, and though he added another stage win in 2015 it was Andre Greipel who dominated the sprints that year.

A fresh start at Team Dimension Data in 2016 led to four stage wins and a day in the yellow jersey, but things began to turn in 2017 with the first diagnosis of the Epstein-Barr virus in April.

A series of crashes and other setbacks followed, and many feared Cavendish would never again be seen at the top.

Non-selection for the 2019 Tour was part of an acrimonious end to his time with Dimension Data, but a reunion with Ellingworth at Bahrain-McLaren was never allowed to flourish as the coronavirus pandemic ripped up the 2020 schedule.

But when he signed a last-minute deal with Deceuninck-QuickStep for 2021, there was time for another fairytale.

Sam Bennett’s knee injury opened the door for Cavendish to ride the Tour de France, and he wound back the clock with four victories that saw him join Eddy Merckx with a record 34 stage wins in cycling’s biggest race.

The collapse of the B&B Hotels team in December left him scrambling for a contract once more but Astana-Qazaqstan stepped in to keep Cavendish in the peloton.

Although he chose the day after his 38th birthday to announce his coming retirement, Cavendish will get one more shot at the Tour and taking that stage record outright in July.

It may be a long one. Younger rivals have emerged and Astana have little sprint pedigree. But Cavendish has defied the odds before. Bet against him at your peril.

Manchester City secured their third straight Premier League title but Manchester United kept the Women’s Super League title race alive with a 2-1 win against City.

Chantelle Cameron defeated Katie Taylor, La Rochelle earned back-to-back Heineken Champions Cup victories and Brooks Koepka landed his third US PGA Championship.

Here the PA news agency takes a look at some of the best pictures from this weekend’s sporting action.

Terri Harper’s first defence of her WBA light-middleweight title is off after challenger Cecilia Braekhus pulled out on the morning of the fight because of illness.

Harper, who beat fellow Briton Hannah Rankin in September last year to become world champion again, was set to take on Braekhus on the undercard of Chantelle Cameron-Katie Taylor in Dublin on Saturday night.

But the withdrawal of Braekhus means Harper will instead fight next weekend against an opponent to be confirmed on the undercard of Mauricio Lara-Leigh Wood II in Manchester, according to Matchroom.

Former undisputed world welterweight champion Braekhus said in a video message on Twitter: “I’ve just woken up this morning with flu – headache, fever, ear, nose, throat, the whole thing.

“I felt great yesterday at the weigh-in. I’m just heartbroken, gutted for Terri Harper of course. Sorry to all my fans. I still want to thank Matchroom and Terri for giving me this chance to fight her.

“I hope we can come back and do this real soon.”

Ben Kavanagh can still recall being hoisted onto his father’s shoulders as a four-year-old to watch his beloved Halifax play out their final seasons at Thrum Hall.

After a career that started with a Super League stint at Widnes and snaked through Wakefield and Bradford to Hull KR, the Halifax-born prop finally signed for his hometown club in 2019.

Kavanagh’s return coincided with the then second-tier side’s surge to the Challenge Cup semi-finals, including a win over Super League London Broncos, and he featured in their eventual 26-2 defeat by St Helens in Bolton.

On Friday night the 35-year-old will get his second shot at Saints when the reigning world champions head for The Shay for a sixth-round clash that Kavanagh admits will bring back plenty of happy memories.

“I’ve been a Halifax fan ever since I used to go to Thrum Hall with my dad, and even when I was playing for other clubs I’d try to get back back to watch them as often as I could,” Kavanagh told the PA news agency.

“I always said I wanted to finish my career at Halifax so it was a very special moment when I signed for them in 2019. We had a great cup run that year and we shocked ourselves a bit getting to semis and pushing Saints so hard in the first half.

“We’ve spoken about that cup run this week. We are going into the game as massive underdogs but there will be a great home crowd and it just shows that if we chuck a few things at them that they haven’t experienced before, anything could happen.”

Saints were also the opponents when Halifax claimed the latest of their five Challenge Cup wins with a thrilling 19-18 win at Wembley in 1987, 10 months before Kavanagh was born.

The club has put long-term fans like Kavanagh though every conceivable emotion in the summer era, including plunging out of Super League, teetering on the brink of the third tier, and winning a battle against potential liquidation.

Rebranded to their current Panthers in 2020, Halifax have been resurgent in recent seasons, finishing third in the Championship last season and retaining similarly strong play-off hopes in the current campaign.

A dream return to Super League with his home club may realistically come too late for Kavanagh, who also figured in the 2013 World Cup for Scotland, but he is pleased that the turbulence of the last two decades appears to be a thing of the past.

“It took a long time after their relegation from Super League to build things back up but now we’re heading in the right direction, and it’s something that’s back on the horizon,” he added.

“I remember those days at Thrum Hall when there were thousands watching, and it would be great to get back to that sort of atmosphere on a regular basis, starting on Friday night against Saints.”

Halifax are one of four Championship clubs featuring in the last 16 of the competition this weekend. Batley travel to Hull KR while London face York in a game that ensures at least one non-Super League side will reach the quarter-finals.

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from May 17.

Harry Kane marked mental health awareness week.

A post shared by Harry Kane (@harrykane)

Ice cream fuelled Borna Coric’s Italian Open progress.

Elise Mertens was seeing the sights in Rome.

Drivers’ thoughts were with the people of Emilia Romagna.

Kevin Pietersen attempted to promote the IPL.

Rob Burrow was feeling grateful.

Helen Glover geared up for the European Championships.

A post shared by Helen (@helenglovergb)

Conor McGregor’s new documentary was out.

Former RAF firefighter Darren Young is determined to play through the pain and help Great Britain’s sitting volleyball squad book a place at next year’s Paris Paralympics for the first time in more than a decade.

The 53-year-old, who was medically discharged after suffering serious back and neck injuries in an accident, must take off his morphine patch three days before each competition to comply with anti-doping regulations.

It means that each time Young takes to the court, including for this weekend’s ParaVolley Silver Nation League tournament in Nottingham – the first international sitting volleyball event staged in the UK since London – he does so in agonising pain.

But Young is determined to give everything back to a sport he candidly admits helped save him from suicide during the difficult years following his accident.

“For each competition I have to go five or six days without the medication that helps me function as a normal person, day to day,” said Young, from Gillingham, Kent.

“I did a competition last year and it was the first time I’d been off morphine for four years. It was like going cold turkey. It was horrendous at times. But I’m willing to accept it, because at the moment when I’m out playing the enjoyment and adrenaline overtakes the pain.”

Young discovered sitting volleyball through the Invictus Games, having been sparked into researching potential Paralympic sports after working as a security guard for the VIP section of London’s O2 Arena during the 2012 Games.

Having also been diagnosed with clinical depression, he knew he needed to find an outlet for the competitive spirit that had led him a promising junior football career, in which he was once briefly on the books of Middlesbrough’s academy, before being released due to an unrelated injury.

He said: “I did a competition last year and it was the first time I’d been off morphine for four years. It was like going cold turkey. It was horrendous at times. But I’m willing to accept it, because at the moment when I’m out playing the enjoyment and adrenaline overtakes the pain.

“I’d been having lots of suicidal thoughts, enduring lots of sleepless nights on the morphine patches, and I knew I needed something else,” added Young.

“I’d always been really competitive and sitting back watching sport on TV just didn’t tick the boxes. I didn’t know anything about sitting volleyball at the time but it’s one of those team sports that really changes you as an individual.

“I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my family and my sport. I remember when I took all my patches out to commit suicide, and their vision came into my head and that’s what stopped me.

“I struggle every single day. I can be on the crest of a wave thinking about the next competition, and the next minute I can sit down for a coffee and it bites you on the backside. Depression is the worst feeling in the world.

“GB has given me a huge focus. I shouldn’t be representing my country in para-sport at the age of 53. But I’m here and I’m determined to help get the team to the Paras. We don’t want to be a laughing stock. We want to open eyes about what our sitting volleyball team can accomplish.”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from May 16.

Pablo Zabaleta reminisced.

Real Madrid were heading to Manchester to face his old team.

Liverpool were still celebrating their win over Leicester.

The Reds were also looking back.

Tyrone Mings and Aston Villa introduced the world to a special fan.

Manchester United announced they were heading to Scotland.

Tottenham have been finalising their summer plans too.

Inter Milan were getting ready for a huge Champions League derby.

It’s all starting to come back to Serena.

KP protested his innocence.

Did Kohli pass the test?

Geraint Thomas kept dry.

Katharine Merry cleared the garden.

Nicola Adams reflected on a fun night out.

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from May 16.

Pablo Zabaleta reminisced.

Real Madrid were heading to Manchester to face his old team.

Liverpool were still celebrating their win over Leicester.

The Reds were also looking back.

Tyrone Mings and Aston Villa introduced the world to a special fan.

Manchester United announced they were heading to Scotland.

Tottenham have been finalising their summer plans too.

Inter Milan were getting ready for a huge Champions League derby.

It’s all starting to come back to Serena.

KP protested his innocence.

Did Kohli pass the test?

Geraint Thomas kept dry.

Katharine Merry cleared the garden.

Nicola Adams reflected on a fun night out.

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from May 16.

Pablo Zabaleta reminisced.

Real Madrid were heading to Manchester to face his old team.

Liverpool were still celebrating their win over Leicester.

The Reds were also looking back.

Tyrone Mings and Aston Villa introduced the world to a special fan.

Manchester United announced they were heading to Scotland.

Tottenham have been finalising their summer plans too.

Inter Milan were getting ready for a huge Champions League derby.

It’s all starting to come back to Serena.

KP protested his innocence.

Did Kohli pass the test?

Geraint Thomas kept dry.

Katharine Merry cleared the garden.

Nicola Adams reflected on a fun night out.

Denmark’s Magnus Cort won a three-man sprint finish to win stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia in Viareggio and complete a career grand slam.

The 30-year-old EF Education–EasyPost rider edged out Canada’s Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech) and Italy’s Alessandro De Marchi (Team Jayco-AlUla) to triumph in adverse weather conditions.

Cort has added his latest Grand Tour stage win to the six he has won at the Vuelta Espana and two at the Tour de France.

He is the second Dane at the 2023 Giro d’Italia to achieve a stage win in each Grand Tour after Mads Pedersen.

Cort said: “I’m extremely happy to complete my trilogy, winning a stage of the Giro d’Italia after the Tour de France and La Vuelta.

“But it’s been one of the hardest days I’ve spent on the bike. Firstly I had to get back to the front.

“Then my radio wasn’t working because of the rain so I was never sure where the chasing peloton was. But we kept pushing hard. It was worth it. It’s hard to believe that it happened though.”

The trio had been part of a four-man breakaway, which also included Italy’s Davide Bais, 60 kilometres into the 196km-stage which started in Scandiano.

After Bais fell away, the breakaway group extended their lead over the peloton to four minutes, 30 seconds with 106km to go and although that closed to just 46 seconds with 10km remaining, they held on to their advantage entering the closing stages.

Race leader Geraint Thomas, who finished over 11 minutes behind Cort, retained his two-second advantage over Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) in the general classification, with fellow Briton and Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Tao Geoghegan Hart five seconds behind in third.

Thomas took the leader’s pink jersey on Sunday after previous leader Remco Evenepoel withdrew from the race after testing positive for Covid-19.

It was Thomas’ first day in the jersey after Monday’s rest day, and he said: “It was nice but obviously not ideal conditions to be leading the Giro.

“It was a solid day with lots of attacking. It was pretty cold on top of the hill and crazy in the descent. I’m happy with getting through this stage alright. In this race anything can happen, especially with the weather.”

Belgian Evenepoel had reclaimed the pink jersey hours earlier after edging out Thomas by a second in the stage-nine time trial.

Such were the adverse weather conditions before the stage-10 start, race organisers discussed with riders whether the route would be shortened.

Freezing temperatures at the top of the main climb, the Passo delle Radici, plus high winds and rain gave cause for concern, but the stage went ahead as planned.

Russia’s Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe), who started the day in overall sixth place, struggled in the early stages on Tuesday and became the ninth rider to pull out after testing positive for Covid.

Kevin Sinfield carried Rob Burrow over the finish line at the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon after pushing his great friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate for 26.2 miles on Sunday.

With just a couple of metres left to go, Sinfield lifted Burrow out of his specially adapted wheelchair and the pair completed the course together in an emotional conclusion at Headingley Stadium.

As a crowd cheered them on, Sinfield gave Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in late 2019, a kiss of affection after joining 12,500 other runners in Leeds’ first marathon in 20 years.

Sinfield has raised over £8million for MND charities after several other ventures, including an Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge in November when he ran seven back-to-back ultra-marathons.

In late 2020, Sinfield ran seven marathons in seven days and in 2021 he completed a run of 101 miles in 24 hours.

Sunday’s event, plus the Leeds Half Marathon which also take place on Sunday, was held by Leeds City Council in partnership with Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All charity and has already surpassed the £1m fundraising mark.

Sinfield told the PA news agency on Friday: “To raise money for the MND Association and the Leeds Hospitals Charity is really important, but this is also about a celebration of friendship.”

Max Verstappen took advantage of a first-lap collision between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to become Formula One’s youngest-ever winner on this day in 2016.

Eighteen-year-old Verstappen showed maturity beyond his years on his Red Bull debut to fend off the challenge from Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and triumph at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Dutchman, who had only been promoted from Toro Rosso to Red Bull after Daniil Kvyat had been dropped the previous week, eclipsed Sebastian Vettel’s youngest ever winner record set at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix by two years and 137 days.

A post shared by Max Verstappen (@maxverstappen1)

Team principal Christian Horner was bowled over by Verstappen’s maturity, saying: “He’s his own man and a very together young guy. You’d never think he was 18.

“He was quick, measured and mature. He defended incredibly well against a seasoned pro like Kimi and to score his first grand prix victory, becoming the youngest victor on his debut for the team, is fairytale stuff.”

Horner, who was then 42, joked: “He’s the first driver I’ve had that legally I could be his father!”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from May 12.

A busy day for Erling Haaland.

Diego Costa was roughed up.

Phew!

Paul Pogba was feeling the power.

Georginio Wijnaldum was looking forward.

Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas celebrated his 27th birthday.

Got hops!

All love between Lewis Hamilton and former team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

Birthday greetings from one cricket star to another.

How many could you name?

Martin Brundle scrubbed up well.

Romain Grosjean was ready for the weekend.

Kevin Sinfield says Sunday’s inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon is as much  “a celebration of friendship” as it is a vital charity fundraiser.

Sinfield has raised over £8million for motor neurone disease charities since friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Burrow was diagnosed with the condition in late 2019.

Sunday’s event, plus the Leeds Half Marathon which will also take place on Sunday, is being held by Leeds City Council in partnership with Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All charity and has already surpassed the £1m mark.

Sinfield told the PA news agency: “To raise money for the MND Association and the Leeds Hospitals Charity is really important, but this is also about a celebration of friendship.

“We get the chance to do it together with 12,500 people and hopefully people will come out and see us and say hello out on the streets supporting. I think it’s a wonderful thing for Leeds.

“The Council have been fantastic, Run For All have been brilliant and I’m sure it will be an incredible day on Sunday.”

Event organisers have been inspired to stage the city’s first marathon in 20 years by Sinfield’s previous running challenges.

The 42-year-old, who will be pushing Burrow around Sunday’s course in a specially-adapted wheelchair, completed his Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge in November when he ran seven back-to-back ultra-marathons, running around 40 miles each day.

In late 2020, Sinfield ran seven marathons in seven days and in 2021 he completed a run of 101 miles in 24 hours.

“I’ve always ran in a team with the challenges that I’ve done, this is just a bigger team this time, so the money and the awareness we can raise for a whole host of different charities will be brilliant,” Sinfield, now on the England rugby union coach staff, said.

“I’m really looking forward to it now. I can’t wait to get out there on Sunday. The support has been incredible.

“To have 12,500 people running in Rob’s name, all for different charities and causes, I think is wonderful and I know how proud Rob is of it and we’ll have a good day on Sunday.”

Burrow’s wife Lindsey is hoping to complete her first full marathon, despite carrying a knee injury.

She told the PA news agency: “We’re unbelievably proud and we just want to say a massive thank you to all the amazing runners and everyone who has supported Rob and to the crowd who support on the day as well.

“They will play a massive part of getting the runners through the event, so it’s a huge heart-felt thank you to them and we hope they enjoy the occasion.”

Sinfield and Burrow will be joined by former Rhinos team-mates, including Gary Mercer, Barrie McDermott, Matt Diskin, Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Luke Burgess, plus triathlete Jonny Brownlee and boxer Josh Warrington along various parts of the route.

The marathon aims to drive awareness and funds for the Leeds Hospitals Charity appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND here in Leeds, as well as the MND Association.