A name we are all familiar with, the Manx Missile that is Mark Cavendish (MBE)
Mark Cavendish is well-known for his likeable arrogance on and off the bike, although some of his competitors would not see it that way! Renowned as one of the best, if not the best road sprinter in the world, his confidence oozes as he relishes in his competition. His aggressive riding style and technique has seen him get in trouble a few times but this does not seem to tame the passion that The Missile possesses, and only seems to add more character to the fastest man on two wheels. It’s not really that surprising though, the road and track rider has countless victories to his name. Having numerous successes on the track, one of his career highlights was taking Gold in the Track Scratch World Championships in 2005 and again in 2008. Following the 2005 Gold, he took a second Gold in the scratch race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. That same year he decided to concentrate solely on road racing and since then Mark has broken many records and is the only rider to have won on the iconic Champs Élysées Four times in a row from 2009–2012. In addition to this he is also the only rider to have won on the Champs Élysées wearing the Rainbow Jersey. These achievements take his total Tour de France wins to a whopping 26 stages to date.
During the year of 2011 Mark Cavendish seemed to have one of the best years of his cycling profession yet, in which he was awarded one of the biggest honours of a sportsman’s career. He was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to British Cycling. The same year the 30 year old from the Isle of Man took the World Road Racing Championships which helped him to win the sports personality of the year in 2011.
Now with nearly 1 million twitter followers and claiming to love pistachios, he and his wife Peta are expecting their second child. So 2015 is set to be another big year for Cav who has taken on a 3 year contract with the UCI ProTeam Etixx-Quick Step, which could be a chance for him to break some more records and show them all he is the man they all want to beat. With a total of 44 Grand Tour stage wins (and rising) he is a prominent threat amongst the sprinters of the Peloton.
Could this year’s Tour be the year for Mark Cavendish to win again on the magnificent Champs Élysées? Or will one of his rivals pip him to the finish line? Having taken stage 7 in Fougeres he has proved that his sprinting legs are still with him. So get comfortable, join the gathering on the 26th of July, and watch Mark Cavendish do what he does best and attempt to take another monumental stage win on the closing stage of the Tour de France on the Champs Élysées.
