Mark Cavendish: Rider Profile
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