Sir Mark Cavendish is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter in the history of cycling and is the 'Tour de France's best sprinter of all time', according to L'Équipe.Born and raised on the Isle of Man and having experienced early success on the track, Cav joined professional road cycling team T-Mobile in 2006 as a stagiaire. During the 2008 season, he made his first big impact at the grand tours, winning two stages at the Giro d'Italia followed by four victories at the Tour de France at the age of just 22.Following his early career success, Cav went on to dominate the sport. On the track he became Madison World Champion in 2005, 2008 and 2016 and at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio he represented Great Britain in the Omnium event, winning a silver medal.On the road, Cav has achieved a phenomenal 52 Grand Tour stage wins, has won points jerseys at all three grand tours and in 2011 won the coveted green jersey at the Tour de France for the first time, as well as becoming UCI Road Race World Champion. His achievements led to him winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year.In the summer of 2021, Cav created history - in what many have called the greatest sporting comeback of all time - by equalling Eddy Merckx's long standing record of 34 Tour de France stage wins and winning the green jersey for the second time in his career in the process. Three years on, he masterfully surpassed Merckx’s record with an astonishing 35th stage win. He was awarded a knighthood in the same year.
