Mark Cavendish switches pedal-power for motorcycle, and shows he's a natural

Mark Cavendish has shown that he can master anything on two wheels, reportedly coming close to the lap record on a racing-spec motorbike in Cape Town during a bit of off-season fun last weekend.

The 30-year-old Manxman donned leathers and was photographed bombing around the circuit, even getting his knee down on the corners despite it being his first time on a race bike.

Cavendish is a long-time fan of motorsports, and is a friend of British MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow. The pair have previously cycled together on Cavendish's native Isle of Man during the winter months.

After Cavendish's successful turn on the track, he tweeted: "When I grow up, I want to be @calcrutchlow... Got my knee down & everything!".

Motorbike product distributor Jonny Towers, who is also involved with the RST cycling team, apparently organised the track day for Cavendish, and said that Cavendish had been impressively fast on the motorbike.

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"Turns out @MarkCavendish can ride a Moto pretty fast too," said Towers on Twitter. "First time on a track and only 3 secs off lap record."

When Cavendish retires from cycle racing, perhaps he can take up a career on a motorbike - following in the footsteps of track sprinter Sir Chris Hoy, who is currently enjoying success in 24-hour motor racing.

Cavendish is in South Africa with his new Dimension Data team-mates, as they prepare for the 2016 racing season. He is aiming to add to his tally of Tour de France stage wins, and then ride on the track for Great Britain in the Olympic Games in Rio.