"It's not over yet," said a brief video message posted by Astana on social media over dramatic footage of the 38-year-old in action.

Pressed by AFP, the Kazakh team said that they are likely to confirm later in the day that Cavendish will begin an 18th professional season next year.

Widely considered the best sprinter of all time, Cavendish announced in May that he would bow out at the end of the 2023 campaign.

However that was before his Tour de France bid ended in a fall and a broken collarbone during the eighth stage in July.

The British rider, who has 162 victories to his name, is determined to break one of the sport's most coveted records for stage wins on the Tour de France.

At the moment he shares the record of 34 with legendary Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx.