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Mark Cavendish: Tour de France Legend

Fiona O'Hara
Mark Cavandish in lycra and helmet cycling

Fiona O’Hara

Looking back on a Tour de France filled will excitement and dynamism, one of the major highlights was British cyclist Mark Cavendish completing his last ever Tour, solidifying his name among the greats in cycling history.

Cavendish made history when he won Stage Five, the 35th Tour stage win of his career. This meant he officially beat the previously held record of the most Tour de France stage wins. The record was held previously by cycling legend Eddy Merckx, which was established in 1971.

But it was not an easy road to success for Cavendish. Overcoming many trials and tribulations, his 20-year career has been a tough ride.

Going from Strength to Strength

After turning professional in 2005, Cavendish went from strength to strength. In 2008, he won his first Grand Tour stages, winning two in the Giro d’Italia and four in the Tour de France. The next couple of years saw his stage wins grow and achieving important milestones, including being the first British rider to hold on to the Green Jersey two days in a row.

In 2011, after a dominant performance in the sprint stages, Cavendish one the Green Jersey, the first British cyclist to do so. This caught the attention of the newly formed Team Sky, which he went on to join for the 2012 season. He went on to win the Champs-Elysees stage for a fourth year in a row.

After a few years with the Omega Pharma–Quick-Step Team, Cavendish joined Team Dimension Data Team. However, this match was a frought one as Cavendish reportedly regularly clashed with team principles.

Facing Hardship

Cavendish’s career took a nosedive when he was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus in 2017. The main symptom of the rare virus is chronic fatigue, which greatly effected Cavendish’s form.

Despite attempting to continue cycling, he was increasingly having to abandon races due to ill-health. This included leaving the 2018 Tour de France at stage eleven after failing to make the time cut.

The following year, he was not selected by Team Dimension Data for the Tour de France. This was due to his declining health as well as a strained relationship with the team’s principle and owner Douglas Ryder.

These setbacks caused Cavendish to spiral into depression, as he struggled to define his identity without racing. He described feeling isolated during this time. He said: “The irony is that you feel so alone if you suffer when in fact everyone is probably there thinking they’re alone. If you talk you’d be surprised how much you’ve got in common.”

The Comeback

The tides changed for Cavendish in 2021, when he joined the Deceuninck – Quick-Step team for the season. Despite his declined performance in the Tour de France in the past three years, he returned to the race with a point to prove.

He went on to win a remarkable four stages of the Tour, narrowly missing out on a fifth win on the Champs-Elysees.

Not only had he won the Green Jersey ten years after winning it the first time, he also equalled the record for the most Tour de France stage wins previously set by Eddy Merkckx.

After this incredible comeback, all eyes were on Cavendish to win one more stage and break the record, especially as it was clear that his career was ending.

In 2023, Cavendish joined the Asanta Qazaqstan Team, stating this season would be his last. After winning the final stage of the Giro d’Italia in Rome, attentions focused to the Tour de France. Hope was high heading into the race, but tragedy struck when a horrific crash forced Cavendish to abandon the race.

The whole cycling community was devastated, and many speculated that Cavendish would delay his retirement. Prayers were answered in October when he announced that he would come back to the Tour for one last time in 2024 with the full support of the Asanta Qazaqstan Team.

2024: The Year Cavendish Made History

The excitement was palpable in the build up to this year’s Tour, and cyclist fans anxiously watched the initial stages. Many hoped for Cavendish to finally break the record.

Prayers were answered when Cavendish won stage five, marking his 35th Stage win at the Tour and officially breaking Merckx’s record. His powerful sprint to the finish line was dominant and his main competitor Jasper Phillipsen was left in the dust.

After the race was over, Cavendish was swarmed by fellow rides congratulating his incredible achievement, along with his wife and four children. “I’m in a bit of disbelief,” he said after his win. “Astana put a big a gamble on this year, to make sure we got here, the Tour de France. A big gamble to come here and come and win at least one stage, you know? You have to go all in and, yeah, we’ve done it.”

After surviving a gruelling Tour, Cavendish rode into the final stage in Nice a hero. Despite not winning any of this year’s titles, he was invited on stage for a special ceremony. This celebrated his fifteenth and final Tour and the end of his historic career.

The Future of the Tour

Merckx initially set the stage win record in 1970, and it took over forty years for Cavendish to come along and break it. But it is doubtful that we will have to wait as long for the record to be broken again. This Tour de France saw cycling’s wonder boy Tadej Pogacar win six stages, taking his overall total to seventeen. And Pogacar shows no signs of slowing down his dominance over the cycling world.

But for now, as Cavendish officially retires from the sport, we can celebrate a cycling legend that overcame adversity to break the biggest record in the sport. Chapeau!

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Featured image courtesy of Sean Rowe on Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here. 

Fiona is a Sports Editor for Empoword Journalism. She is a recent graduate of The University of Glasgow and has since contributed to The National and The Herald. While her main love is Rugby, Fiona is passionate about a multitude of sports and particularly championing women's sport.

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