MARK CAVENDISH

Date of birth: 21/05/1985

From: Isle of Man

Team: Dimension Data

Previous teams: Etixx-QuickStep (2013-15), Sky (2012); HTC-Highroad/T-Mobile (2007-2011); Team Sparkasse (2006)

Twitter: @markcavendish

Website: www.markcavendish.com

Mark Cavendish career profile

Starting his career with the British Cycling track programme, Mark Cavendish quickly found his feet becoming Madison world champion in 2005 and Commonwealth scratch champion in 2006.

Cavendish shot to prominence on the international stage by winning the 2007 Scheldeprijs classic in Belgium ahead of sprint legend, Robbie McEwen. Cavendish went on to win ten other victories in his first full season as a professional, for the T-Mobile team. However, in 2008 the Manxman cemented his reputation at the world's fastest finisher, consistently and comprehensively beating the peloton's finest sprinters.

Cavendish repeated his Scheldeprijs success ahead of Tom Boonen; beat Daniele Bennati twice at the Giro d'Italia and then took an incredible four stage victories at the Tour de France. However, the Manxman was unable to continue his run of success at the Olympics, where he and Madison partner Bradley Wiggins missed out on a medal.

Cavendish is hot property and was believed to have received many offers but re-signed for the Columbia team until the end of 2010. Cavendish got his 2009 season off to a bang, winning two stages of the Tour of Qatar ahead of his Belgian rival, Tom Boonen. He then silenced his critics, who claimed he could not climb, to win Milan-San Remo, an astonishing achievement for the Briton at his first attempt at the Italian Monument.

Cavendish also became only the second Briton after Tom Simpson to win a Monument. With his win on stage two of the 2009 Tour de France, Cavendish became Britain's most successful pro rider of all time, beating the previous record of 41 professional victories held by Chris Boardman.

Cavendish set out his aims for the 2011 season early on - to become the first British rider to win the green jersey at the Tour de France and to win the world championship road race title. He achieved both.

Sky announced in October 2011 that Cavendish would be joining the squad from 2012.

In December 2011, Cavendish won the coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

Cavendish turned domestique for Sky's successful bid to win the Tour de France with Bradley Wiggins, and still managed to take three stages of the race - including an unprecedented fourth consecutive win on the Champs Élysées.

Cavendish signed to Omega Pharma-QuickStep for 2013 after Sky released him from his contract.

Cavendish won his 100th career victory since turning professional in 2007 at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, winning five stages and securing the points classification to add to his points classification jerseys from the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana.

In 2016 and riding for Dimension Data, Cavendish took four stage victories in the Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey for the first time in his career. He also moved to second behind Eddy Merckx in the all-time list of Tour stage winners, with 30 stage wins to Merckx's 34.

Cycling Weekly's all-time list of British pro winners>>

Mark Cavendish results
2017
Abu Dhabi Tour; stage one

2016
Tour of Qatar; stage one

Tour of Qatar; overall

Tour of Croatia; stage two

Tour of California; stage eight

Tour de France; stage one

Tour de France; stage three

Tour de France; stage six

Tour de France; stage 14

Ghent Six Day (with Bradley Wiggins)

2015

Tour de San Luis; stage seven

Dubai Tour; stage one

Dubai Tour; stage four

Dubai Tour; overall

Dubai Tour; points classification

Clasica de Almeria

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

Tour of Turkey; stage one

Tour of Turkey; stage two

Tour of Turkey; stage seven

Tour of Turkey; points classification

Tour of California; stage one

Tour of California; stage two

Tour of California; stage five

Tour of California; stage eight

Tour of California; points classification

Tour de France; stage seven

2014

Tour of the Algarve; stage five

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage six

Tour of Turkey; stage one

Tour of Turkey; stage two

Tour of Turkey; stage four

Tour of Turkey; stage eight

Tour of Turkey; points classification

Tour of California; stage one

Tour of California; stage eight

Tour de Suisse; stage four

Tour du Poitou Charentes; stage one

Tour du Poitou Charentes; stage two

Zurich Six-Day (with Iljo Keisse)

2013

Tour de San Luis; stage one

Tour of Qatar; stage three

Tour of Qatar; stage four

Tour of Qatar; stage five

Tour of Qatar; stage six

Tour of Qatar; overall

Tour of Qatar; points classification

Three Days of De Panne; stage two

Giro d'Italia; stage one

Giro d'Italia; stage six

Giro d'Italia; stage 12

Giro d'Italia; stage 13

Giro d'Italia; stage 21

Giro d'Italia; points classification

British road race national champion

Tour de France; stage five

Tour de France; stage 13

Tour of Denmark; stage six

Tour of Britain; stage four

Tour of Britain; stage seven

Tour of Britain; stage eight

2012
Tour of Qatar; stage three

Tour of Qatar; stage five

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage two

Giro d'Italia; stage two

Giro d'Italia; stage five

Giro d'Italia; stage 13

Ster ZLM Toer; overall

Tour de France; stage two

Tour de France; stage 18

Tour de France; stage 20

Tour of Denmark; stage six

Tour of Britain; stage three

Tour of Britain; stage four

Tour of Britain; stage eight

2011
Tour of Oman; stage six

Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen

Giro d'Italia; stage 10

Giro d'Italia; stage 12

Tour de France; stage 5

Tour de France; stage 7

Tour de France; stage 11

Tour de France; stage 15

Tour de France; stage 21

Tour de France; points classification

London-Surrey Cycle Classic (Olympic test event)

Tour of Britain; stage one

Tour of Britain; stage 8b

World Champion, road race

2010
Tour of Catalonia; stage two

Tour de Romandie; stage two

Tour of California; stage one

Tour de France; stage five

Tour de France; stage six

Tour de France; stage 11

Tour de France; stage 18

Tour de France; stage 20

Vuelta a Espana; stage 12

Vuelta a Espana; stage 13

Vuelta a Espana; stage 18

Vuelta a Espana; points classification

2009

Tour de France; stage two

Tour de France; stage three

Tour de France; stage 10

Tour de France, stage 11

Tour de France; stage 19

Tour de France; stage 21

Giro d'Italia; stage one (TTT)

Giro d'Italia; stage nine

Giro d'Italia; stage 11

Giro d'Italia; stage 13

Tour of Switzerland; stage three

Tour of Switzerland; stage six

Tour of Romandie; stage three (TTT)

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage seven

Three Days of De Panne; stage two

Three Days of De Panne; stage three (a)

Three Days of De Panne; points classification

Tour of California; stage five

Tour of California; stage four

Tour of California; sprint classification

Tour of Missouri; stage one

Tour of Missouri; stage two

Tour of Ireland; stage two

Tour of Qatar; stage four

Tour of Qatar; stage six

Milan-San Remo

Sparkasse Giro

2008

Tour de France; stage five

Tour de France; stage eight

Tour de France; stage 12

Tour de France; stage 13

Giro d'Italia; stage four

Giro d'Italia; stage 13

Tour of Romandy; prologue

Three Days of de Panne; stage two

Three Days of de Panne; stage three (a)

Ster Elektrotoer; stage five

Tour of Ireland; stage one

Tour of Ireland; stage two

Tour of Ireland; stage three

Tour of Missouri; stage one

Tour of Missouri; stage two

Tour of Missouri; stage six

Tour of Missouri; points jersey

Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen

World Madison Champion

2007

Tour of Catalonia; stage two

Tour of Catalonia; stage six

Tour of Catalonia; points jersey

ENECO Tour; stage two

ENECO Tour; points jersey

Four Days of Dunkirk; stage three

Four Days of Dunkirk; stage six

Four Days of Dunkrik; points jersey

Ster Elektrotoer; stage four

Circuit Franco Belge; stage three

Tour of Britain; stage one

Tour of Britain; stage two

Tour of Britain; points classification

Tour of Britain; sprints classification

Tour of Denmark; stage six

Tour of Denmark; points jersey

Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen

2006

Tour of Britain; points jersey

Thuringen Rhundfahrt; stage five

Tour of Berlin; stage four

Tour of Berlin; stage five

Course de la Solidarité Olympique

Commonwealth scratch race champion

2005

Tour of Berlin; stage one

World Madison champion

RELATED LINKS

Cycling Weekly's Rider Profiles: Index

EXTERNAL LINKS

Mark Cavendish's website: www.markcavendish.com

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.