Mark Cavendish - sprinter from the Isle of Man

The name of this rider in England is no less popular than the names of the most famous football players. The career of the athlete developed rapidly, and thanks to his success in many bike tours, he rightly takes first place in the world ranking. The hero of our article is Mark Cavendish, a cyclist from the Isle of Man. What was his way to the tops of cycling?

Biography of the athlete

Isle of Man, May 21, 1985 - is the place and date of birth of one of the most titled British riders. Cavendish Mark Simon (full name athlete) from early childhood knew that he would be engaged in cycling, because on the Isle of Man this particular sport is one of the most popular. His first bike was BMX, later, on his thirteenth birthday, he will receive a mountain bicycle from his parents and will be happy to do it on him.

The decisive factor in the career of the future champion can be considered a meeting with the famous British cyclist Millar, who took part in a cycling race that took place on the Isle of Man.

Mark Cavendish clearly defined for himself that he wants to be a professional cyclist, so he decided to earn money first and for two years worked diligently in a local bank.

The beginning of sports career

With such an obsession to go to achieve their goal, as did Cavendish, few people can, so some eventually become champions, admired by numerous fans, while others remain unknown to amateur athletes. Mark Cavendish, whose career has developed on a growing basis, first won the deserved gold paired with Rob Hales, speaking in Los Angeles in 2005. The pair, who never performed together before these competitions, became champions of Madison, ahead of the nearest pursuers (the Norwegian team) for almost a whole circle.

This same year brings and victory in the spectacle race at the European Championships (cycling track). 2006, the game of the British Commonwealth of Nations, held on the Isle of Man, and again a gold medal in the race with a common start. Then there was the Tour of Berlin, which brought the green jersey of the leader, and the equally successful Tour of Britain and, as a result, the signing of the contract on a professional basis.

Cavendish in professional sports

After signing a two-year contract with Team High Road Mark Cavendish is completely transformed into professional sports and begins to slowly get to the leaders who perform in these competitions.

It can not be said that the first season in a new team for him was 100% successful, there were failures, but Mark was not used to retreat, and the result of his solid character was the Belgian race that brought him such a necessary victory (Grote Scheldeprijs). The following competitions, the Vuelta Catalunya and the Four Days of Dunkirk showed that the athlete is slowly gaining an optimal form (victory in points and two stages of cycling). These successes have not gone unnoticed, and Mark is selected among the lucky ones of his team who will participate in the Tour de France in 2007.

The first two stages of these prestigious competitions Mark Cavendish had failed, having allowed a descent from the distance, but already in the next stages made me seriously pay attention to myself. He managed to repeat the record of another famous cyclist Alessandro Petacchi and in the debut season to win at 11 stages.

Rapid takeoff

2008 brings Mark the victory in the most prestigious tours - the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, and he becomes the first rider of Great Britain, who manages to win in four stages of one round.

Cavendish Mark (the photo of the sportsman does not leave the front pages of sports publications in Britain) skillfully combines his participation in professional tours with competitions on the cycle track. The World Cup, held in Manchester, brings him and his partner Bradley Wiggins gold medals in Madison. For the sake of the upcoming Beijing Olympics Mark even withdraws from tours that took place in the Austrian highlands, so as not to risk. Unfortunately, in Beijing, this pair failed to enter the top three in the medison of medison.

The following seasons bring Mark victory in several stages of various tours, wins in ochkovyh races. According to the mechanics, Mark Cavendish is very scrupulously approaching the choice of technical equipment for his bicycle. When the other drivers prepare the car for the season, rarely return to small repairs, it does not leave the bicycle even during the break between rounds, personally supervising the entire training process.

The Order of the British Empire, received in 2011 from the hands of Queen Elizabeth II herself, became an award to the athlete for his contribution to the development of British cycling. In the same year the cyclist became the best sportsman of the year according to the Air Force version.

Rio de Janeiro

For the sake of participation in the 2016 Olympics, Mark Cavendish withdraws from the Tour de France stage and devotes himself entirely to preparing for these competitions. His silver award in the omnium became the subject of a sensation in the press. Some even accused the athlete of an intentional accident, as a result of which his main rival, Park San Hung, was unable to continue the competition because of an injury.

The nickname that Mark Cavendish received from his fans (the Mans Express) is completely justified. After all, this cyclist is the fastest sprinter in the world.

Mark Cavendish - personal life

The wife of the famous cyclist was the model Peta Todd, with whom he married in 2013, although the first child appeared in this pair a year earlier. It was the daughter, who was named Delilah Grace. In 2015, the son of Frey David is born. We can say that the personal life of the rider is quite successful.