During the Giro d’Italia in May, Mark Cavendish – affectionately known as Cav – told the press that this would be his last year as a professional cyclist. Currently riding for UCI WorldTeam Astana Qazaqstan Team, the cyclist capped off his final Giro with an emotional win in Rome on the last day.
Born in Douglas on the Isle of Man, Cavendish started riding BMX and mountain bike at a young age before going on to an illustrious career in track cycling and road cycling. In 2011, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for outstanding achievement in his field. As a track cyclist, he competed in the Madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines recording major wins in the UCI World Championships in 2005 and 2016; and as a road cyclist, he is a sprinter.
He is widely considered one of the greatest road sprinters of all time, and in 2021 the director of the Tour de France called him "the greatest sprinter in the history of the Tour and of cycling" after he won several stages that year bringing his total of Tour de France stage wins to 34, the joint highest with Eddy Merckx.
During his road cycling career, Cavendish has won 17 individual – and 2 team time trial – stages of the Giro as well as points classification, 3 individual stages, and 1 team trial of the Vuelta a España on top of those 34 special wins in the Tour. He has a long list of stage race, one-day race, and Classics wins to his name certifying his place as one of the greatest sprinters of all time.
Cavendish will surely be hoping to set the record for Tour de France stage wins and overtake the legendary Eddy Merckx when the world’s most famous cycle race gets underway running from 1 July to 23 July. This year’s Tour de France begins in the beautiful Basque Country in northern Spain before heading into southern France at the end of Stage 3. Although the 2023 Tour is one of the most mountainous of recent editions, Cavendish will be eyeing several sprint opportunities where he may claim that ultimate 35th stage win.
Fans of the charismatic Manx rider will be keen to see what he does next. It certainly sounds as if he will be spending some more time with his family – perhaps there’s a new young Cav in the making! – but maybe a career in punditry or coaching is on the cards in the near future.