Mark Cavendish British professional road cyclist Date of Birth: 21.05.1985 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Life and Career
2. Transition to Road Racing
3. Professional Debut
4. Resurgence and Grand Tour Success
5. Olympic Ambition and Track Success

Early Life and Career

Mark Cavendish, a renowned British professional cyclist, was born on the Isle of Man, an island with a thriving cycling culture. Starting his journey with BMX and later mountain biking, Cavendish's passion for cycling was ignited by witnessing renowned cyclist David Millar racing in the local Manx Trophy.

Transition to Road Racing

After spending two years as a bank clerk, Cavendish returned to cycling to pursue a professional career. His breakthrough came in 2006 with Team Sparkasse, where he won two stages in the Tour of Berlin and secured the green and red jerseys for the points classification and intermediate sprints. His success led him to T-Mobile, where he signed a professional contract for 2007-2008.

Professional Debut

Despite a challenging start to his professional career with Team High Road (formerly T-Mobile), Cavendish showcased his resilience by winning the Grote Scheldeprijs in Belgium. His form continued to improve, and he claimed the points classifications and won two stages each at the Four Days of Dunkirk and Volta a Catalunya, earning him a spot on his team's Tour de France 2007 roster. However, crashes in the first two stages forced him to withdraw.

Resurgence and Grand Tour Success

Cavendish's fortunes turned, and he resumed his winning ways. By the end of the 2007 season, he had matched Alessandro Petacchi's record of 11 victories in a debut season, including three in ProTour races. In 2008, Cavendish achieved grand tour success with three stage wins at the Giro d'Italia and four stage wins at the Tour de France, becoming the first British rider to win four stages in a single Tour.

Olympic Ambition and Track Success

Combining road and track cycling, Cavendish teamed up with Bradley Wiggins to win the madison at the World Championships in Manchester. However, his Olympic ambitions were thwarted when he and Wiggins failed to medal at the Beijing Olympics.