Mark Cavendish facts for kids
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Cavendish at the 2012 Tour de France
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Simon Cavendish | ||
| Nickname | Manx Missile | ||
| Born | 21 May 1985 Douglas, Isle of Man |
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| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Sprinter | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Sir Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a retired professional cyclist from the Isle of Man. He is famous for his amazing speed in sprint finishes. Many people consider him one of the best sprinters in the history of cycling. He was even called "the greatest sprinter" by the director of the Tour de France in 2021.
Cavendish was a champion in both track cycling and road bicycle racing. On the track, he won gold medals in the madison event at the World Championships in 2005, 2008, and 2016. He also won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the omnium.
As a road cyclist, Cavendish won an incredible 35 stages at the Tour de France. This makes him the rider with the most stage wins in the Tour's history. He also won the points classification (the green jersey) at the Tour de France twice. He won the World Road Race Championships in 2011, becoming a world champion on the road. He has won stages in all three Grand Tours: the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España.
In 2011, he was honored with an MBE for his services to British Cycling. In June 2024, he was made a KBE for his contributions to cycling and charity work. He also received the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
Contents
Early Life and Amateur Cycling
Mark Cavendish was born in Douglas, Isle of Man. He started riding BMX bikes when he was very young. He joined his local cycling club in Douglas at age nine. His coaches quickly noticed how determined he was. He really disliked losing and often won races by a lot.
When he was 13, he got a mountain bike and started beating everyone. Around this time, he met British cyclist David Millar, who inspired him. After school, Cavendish worked in a bank for two years to save money to become a professional cyclist.
In 2003, he joined British Cycling's Olympic Academy for young riders. Even though he wasn't the fittest at first, his coaches saw his potential. He won his first senior race in March 2004. While at the academy, he also won two gold medals at the 2003 Island Games.
In 2005, Cavendish won a gold medal in the madison at the World Track Cycling Championships. He teamed up with Rob Hayles and they finished a whole lap ahead of other teams. This was his first world title.
Professional Cycling Career
Starting Out (2005–2007)
Cavendish became a professional cyclist in 2005 with Team Sparkasse. He rode in races like the Tour de Berlin and the Tour of Britain. In 2006, he won two stages in the Tour de Berlin. He also won a gold medal in the scratch race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games for the Isle of Man.
In 2007, he joined T-Mobile Team. He had a big win at the 2007 Scheldeprijs race in Belgium. He also won stages in other races, which led to him being chosen for the Tour de France. He had some crashes and left the race early, but he was determined to do better.
Grand Tour Success (2008–2011)
In 2008, Cavendish returned to track cycling and won another World Championship gold medal in the madison with Bradley Wiggins. On the road, he won his first stages in a Grand Tour. He won two stages in the Giro d'Italia and four stages in the Tour de France. He left the Tour de France early to focus on the 2008 Summer Olympics but didn't win a medal there.
In 2009, Cavendish continued his winning streak. He won two stages at the 2009 Tour of Qatar and the 2009 Tour of California. He also won his first "Monument" race, Milan–San Remo, which is one of the biggest one-day races in cycling. He won three stages in the Giro d'Italia and an amazing six stages in the Tour de France. He became the British rider with the most Tour de France stage wins.
In 2010, Cavendish won five stages in the Tour de France. He also won four stages and the points classification in the Vuelta a España. This was a very successful year for him.
The year 2011 was a huge one for Cavendish. He won his third Scheldeprijs race. He then won two stages in the Giro d'Italia. At the Tour de France, he won five stages, bringing his total to 20 Tour de France stage wins. He also won the points classification (the green jersey) for the first time, a big achievement for a British rider.
Later in 2011, Cavendish won the Road World Championships in Copenhagen. This meant he got to wear the special rainbow jersey for a year, showing he was the world champion. He was also named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Team Sky and Omega Pharma–Quick-Step (2012–2015)
In 2012, Cavendish joined Team Sky. He won stages in the Tour of Qatar and Giro d'Italia. He also won his first overall general classification in a stage race at the Ster ZLM Toer.
At the Tour de France, he won three stages, including the final stage on the Champs-Élysées for the fourth year in a row. This made him the most successful sprinter in Tour history at that time. His main goal for 2012 was the Olympic road race in London, but despite a strong team, he didn't win a medal.
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In 2013, Cavendish moved to Omega Pharma–Quick-Step. He had a fantastic start, winning four stages and the overall race at the Tour of Qatar. He then won five stages and the points classification at the Giro d'Italia. This made him one of only five riders to win the points classification in all three Grand Tours. He also won the British National Road Race Championships. At the Tour de France, he won two stages, bringing his total to 25 Tour de France stage wins.
The 2014 season was tougher for Cavendish. He won stages at the Volta ao Algarve and Tirreno–Adriatico. He also won four stages and the points classification at the Tour of Turkey. However, he crashed out of the Tour de France on the first stage, which was very disappointing.
In 2015, he had a strong start, winning five races by mid-February, including the overall title at the Dubai Tour. He also won Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne for the second time. He won three stages at the Tour of Turkey and four stages at the Tour of California. At the Tour de France, he won one stage, his first Tour stage win since 2013.
Team Dimension Data (2016–2019)
In 2016, Cavendish joined Team Dimension Data. He won the Tour of Qatar for the second time. He also won a World Championship gold medal in the madison with Bradley Wiggins.
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The 2016 Tour de France was amazing for him. He won four stages, including the opening stage, which meant he wore the famous yellow jersey for the first time in his career! He left the race early to prepare for the Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he finally won his first Olympic medal, a silver in the omnium.
In 2017, Cavendish won a stage at the Abu Dhabi Tour. He later had to deal with a virus that affected his health. He crashed out of the Tour de France on stage four, breaking his shoulder blade.
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The 2018 season was also challenging due to injuries and health issues. He won a stage at the Dubai Tour but had several crashes in other races. He was unable to finish the Tour de France within the time limit on stage 11.
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In 2019, Cavendish returned to racing but was not selected for the Tour de France, which was very upsetting for him. He finished the season without a win on the road.
Later Career and Retirement (2020–2024)
In 2020, Cavendish joined Bahrain–McLaren. His racing schedule was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was not selected for the Tour de France that year.
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In 2021, Cavendish made a big comeback, rejoining Deceuninck–Quick-Step. He won four stages at the Tour of Turkey and a stage at the Tour of Belgium. He was then chosen to race the Tour de France and surprised everyone by winning four stages! This brought his total Tour de France stage wins to 34, equalling the record held by the legendary Eddy Merckx. He also won the points classification (green jersey) for the second time. His season ended with a crash in a track event, causing him to break ribs and puncture a lung.
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In 2022, Cavendish continued to win. He won a stage at the Tour of Oman and the UAE Tour. He also became the first British cyclist to win the Italian classic Milano–Torino. He won a stage at the Giro d'Italia, his 16th Giro stage win. He also won his second British National Road Race Championships title.
In 2023, Cavendish joined Astana Qazaqstan Team. He announced he would retire at the end of the season. However, he still managed to win the final stage of the Giro d'Italia in Rome. He aimed to break the Tour de France stage win record at the Tour de France, but unfortunately crashed and had to leave the race early.
In October 2023, he changed his mind about retiring and decided to race in 2024 to try and break the Tour de France record. In 2024, he won a stage at the Tour Colombia and the Tour de Hongrie. At the Tour de France, he achieved his goal! He won stage 5, making it his 35th Tour de France stage win, breaking the all-time record. He finished his amazing career by winning the Tour de France Singapore Criterium in October 2024, retiring with 165 professional victories.
Riding Style and Personality
Cavendish is known for his very confident riding style, especially in sprints. He has been compared to a runner pushing off the starting blocks. Sometimes, his aggressive style led to incidents with other riders during races. He has always been very focused on winning.
He is also known for having an amazing memory for race details. He can remember where every pothole is on a circuit after just a few laps. This skill helped him plan and time his sprints perfectly.
Personal Life
Mark Cavendish married model Peta Todd in 2013. He is a stepfather to her son and they have four children together. He has homes on the Isle of Man, in England, and a training base in Italy.
In January 2015, Cavendish started the "Rise Above Sportive," a cycling event for people to enjoy. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester for his contributions to cycling.
Books About His Career
Cavendish has written several books about his cycling journey. His first book, Boy Racer, came out in 2009. It shared stories from his early career and his first Tour de France wins. He wrote it to help people understand him better.
In 2013, his second book, At Speed, was published. It covered his career from 2010 to 2013. In 2021, he released Tour de Force: My history-making Tour de France, which talked about his incredible comeback at the 2021 Tour.
Commemorative Stamps
In December 2024, the Isle of Man Post Office released a special collection of stamps to honor Mark Cavendish. These stamps featured pictures of him from different parts of his career, like representing the Isle of Man and Great Britain, and his famous Tour de France victories.
Career Achievements
See also
In Spanish: Mark Cavendish para niños
- Mark Cavendish: Never Enough
- Chasing Legends
- List of British cyclists
- List of British cyclists who have led the Tour de France general classification
- List of Giro d'Italia classification winners
- List of Manx people
- List of Tour de France secondary classification winners
- List of Vuelta a España classification winners
