Cavendish (left) sprints to victory in the final stage of the Tour of Britain on 18 September 2011
Photo Tom Jenkins/Getty Images
When Mark Cavendish was growing up on the Isle of Man, he dreamed of winning stages of the Tour de France. Fast-forward a few decades and the man dubbed ‘The Manx Missile’ is now widely regarded as the best sprinter in the history of cycling. Excelling in a world of power, speed and no small degree of danger, Cavendish has won 30 stages of the Tour de France, taken the sprinter’s jersey in all three Grand Tours (the Vuelta a Espana in 2010, the Tour de France in 2011, and the Giro d’Italia in 2013) and claimed the 2011 Road World Championships. The 35-year-old has also won another three world titles on the track and a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. Ahead of this year’s coronavirus-delayed cycling season, he explains the secrets of his success.