A Hungarian bus stop is set to be named after Mark Cavendish, after the Manxman changed his bike in front of it during the first stage of the 2022 Giro d'Italia last Friday.
It seemed like Cavendish had suffered mechanical issues, as he opted to switch bikes 90km into the 195km race from Budapest to Visegrád on the opening day of the Italian Grand Tour. The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider stopped in front of a bus stop to complete this change with the team, in the small Hungarian village of Zámoly.
The bike change seemed routine enough, but Hungarian outlet Feol.hu is reporting that the bus stop where Cavendish changed his bike will be named after him, with a small sign erected in memory of the event, too.
During his career, Cavendish has won countless races, is third on the all-time list for most Grand Tour stage victories, was awarded the 2011 Sports Personality of the Year and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2011.
Despite these honours, we at Cycling Weekly aren't sure whether having a bus stop named after him in Zámoly is an accolade that tops the lot...
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Perhaps what makes this piece of history stranger is the fact Cavendish finished 147th on the opening day, 5-11 back on winner Mathieu van der Poel. However, the final climb meant his chances of a strong performance was unlikely, as he saved himself for the flatter stages curated for bunch sprints.
This decision payed dividends for Cavendish on the third day, following a second-stage time trial. With the 201km race from Kaposvár to Balatonfüred, the 36-year-old put himself in perfect contention for the win as his Quick-Step teammates hit the front with just over a kilometre to go, before putting in an almost perfect lead out.
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Cavendish launched his sprint around the 300m mark, any no rider could match his power as he managed to hold onto another memorable Grand Tour victory, and his first Giro stage win since 2013.
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Ryan is a staff writer for Cycling Weekly, having joined the team in September 2021. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before making his way to cycling. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer.
