Everything about Mark Cavendish – A legendary British Cyclist who has inspired many people and has a Huge fan base, let’s talk about him….

Mark Cavendish is a legendary British cyclist who has won 34 stages of the Tour de France, the most prestigious cycling race in the world.

He is also a three-time world champion in the madison, a track cycling event, and an Olympic silver medalist in the omnium, another track cycling event. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time.

About Mark Cavendish

Cavendish was born on 21 May 1985 in Douglas, Isle of Man, where he started cycling at an early age. He joined his first cycling club at 10 years old, and soon showed his talent and passion for the sport. He moved to mainland Britain in 2003 to join the British Cycling Academy, where he met his mentor and friend Bradley Wiggins. Together, they won the madison world title in 2008 and 2016, as well as several other track medals.

Cavendish turned professional on the road in 2005, riding for Team Sparkasse. He quickly established himself as a prolific winner, with 11 victories in his debut season. He joined T-Mobile Team (later known as HTC-Highroad) in 2006, where he formed a formidable partnership with his lead-out man Mark Renshaw. He won his first Tour de France stage in 2008, and went on to win four more that year. He repeated this feat in 2009, and also won his first classic race, the Milan-San Remo.

Full Life Timeline of Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish In 2010,

In 2010, Cavendish won five stages of the Tour de France again, as well as the points classification (green jersey) for the first time. He also won three stages and the points classification of the Vuelta a España, becoming only the second rider to win both jerseys in the same year. He capped off his season with a stunning victory at the World Road Race Championships in Copenhagen, becoming the first British rider to win the rainbow jersey since Tom Simpson in 1965.

Mark Cavendish In 2011,

In 2011, Cavendish continued his dominance at the Tour de France, winning five stages and securing his second green jersey. He also won two stages of the Giro d’Italia, where he wore the pink jersey (leader’s jersey) for one day. He left HTC-Highroad at the end of the season, as the team folded due to lack of sponsorship. He joined Team Sky in 2012, where he hoped to combine his personal ambitions with supporting Wiggins’ bid for the Tour de France overall victory.

However, Cavendish found himself in a reduced role at Team Sky, as he had to sacrifice some of his sprint opportunities for Wiggins’ yellow jersey quest. He still managed to win three stages of the Tour de France, including an impressive solo breakaway on stage 18. He also helped Wiggins become the first British rider to win the Tour de France overall. Cavendish then left Team Sky after one season, feeling that he needed more freedom and support for his sprinting goals.

He signed with Omega Pharma–Quick-Step in 2013, where he reunited with Renshaw. He had a successful season, winning five stages and the points classification of the Giro d’Italia, as well as two stages of the Tour de France. However, he suffered a setback at the World Road Race Championships in Florence, where he crashed out of contention after being caught behind a pile-up.

Mark Cavendish In 2014,

In 2014, Cavendish had a disappointing season by his standards, as he struggled with illness and injury. He won only two stages of the Tour de France before crashing out on stage one in Harrogate, where he dislocated his shoulder and tore ligaments. He missed most of the rest of the season due to surgery and recovery.

Mark Cavendish In 2015,

In 2015, Cavendish bounced back with 14 wins, including one stage of the Tour de France and three stages of the Tour of California. He also returned to track cycling.

After 2015, Cavendish continued to compete on both track and road. He won the madison world title with Wiggins for the third time in 2016, and also claimed a silver medal in the omnium at the Rio Olympics. On the road, he won four stages of the Tour de France in 2016, bringing his tally to 30. He also wore the yellow jersey (leader’s jersey) for the first time after winning the opening stage in Utah Beach.

Mark Cavendish In 2017,

In 2017, Cavendish suffered a serious crash on stage four of the Tour de France, when he was elbowed by Peter Sagan in the final sprint. He broke his shoulder blade and was forced to abandon the race. He also contracted Epstein-Barr virus, which affected his performance and health for the next two years.

Mark Cavendish In 2018,

In 2018, Cavendish had a winless season, as he struggled with illness and injury. He crashed out of several races, including the Abu Dhabi Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo and the Tour de France. He also revealed that he had been diagnosed with clinical depression in 2018.

Mark Cavendish In 2019,

In 2019, Cavendish had another disappointing season, as he failed to win a single race. He was not selected for the Tour de France by his team Dimension Data, and he also missed the World Road Race Championships due to illness.

Last 3 Years

In 2020, Cavendish joined Bahrain-McLaren, but his season was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. He only raced 34 days and did not win any races. He also hinted at retirement after finishing Gent-Wevelgem in October, saying that it might have been his last race.

In 2021, Cavendish made a remarkable comeback, as he rejoined Deceuninck-Quick-Step. He won four stages of the Tour of Turkey in April, ending his three-year drought. He then won three stages of the Tour of Belgium in June, before being called up for the Tour de France as a late replacement for Sam Bennett.

At the Tour de France, Cavendish stunned everyone by winning four stages and equalling Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins. He also won the points classification (green jersey) for the second time in his career, 10 years after his first one. He came close to breaking Merckx’s record on the final stage in Paris, but was beaten by Wout van Aert in a photo finish.

In 2022, Cavendish continued to ride for Deceuninck-Quick-Step. He won two stages of the Giro d’Italia in May, bringing his total to 17 stage wins in the Italian Grand Tour. He also won his second national road race title in June. He returned to the Tour de France in July, aiming to break Merckx’s record. However, he crashed on stage eight and had to abandon the race with a suspected shoulder injury. He announced that he would retire at the end of the season.

Mark Cavendish In 2023,

In 2023, Cavendish surprised everyone by signing a contract extension with Astana Qazaqstan Team, who offered him a chance to ride in the Tour de France again despite his planned retirement.

He said that he was motivated by his love for cycling and his desire to break Merckx’s record.

Mark Cavendish offered Tour de France return after 2023 injury

Astana-Qazaqstan has offered Mark Cavendish a contract extension to ride in the Tour de France next year despite the British cyclist’s planned retirement at the end of this season, the team’s general manager, Alexander Vinokourov, said.

The 38-year-old Cavendish’s hopes of breaking the record for stage wins on the Tour ended Saturday when he crashed out of this year’s race, which he has long said would be his last, and broke his collarbone.

The world’s most decorated sprinter announced in May that he would end his 17-year professional career at the end of the season.

“Yes, we want Mark to go on to 2024 and race his 15th Tour de France to win his 35th stage,” Vinokourov told L’Equipe.

Cavendish has racked up 161 career victories, including 34 at the Tour de France to equal the record of Belgian great Eddy Merckx.

“I myself suffered a fractured femur in 2011 on the Tour and it was supposed to be my last year, but I didn’t want to stop just like that,” said the 49-year-old Vinokourov, who was a gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics. “I stayed on and fought hard to win the Olympic Games in London the following year. Mark has the same mentality and the same determination to achieve his ultimate goal. We’re ready to give him that opportunity. But it’s up to him.”