Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish (Mark Simon Cavendish) was born on May 21st, 1985 and is currently 41 years old. Mark Cavendish was born in Douglas, Isle of Man.

Mark Cavendish is a retired road racing cyclist from the Isle of Man. On the track, he competed in events like the Madison points race, and scratch race. On the road, he was known as a sprinter, one of the fastest riders in short bursts of speed.

Cavendish is often seen as one of the best sprinters in cycling history. In 2021, the head of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, even called him the greatest sprinter ever in the Tour and in the sport overall. He holds the record for the most stage wins in the Tour de France, with 35 victories spread out over 15 different Tours during a 17-year career (from 2008 to 2024).

In his book Tour de Force Mark tells the powerful story of how he bounced back from illness and mental health struggles to become Britain’s most successful cyclist by the age of 22 and how he made a stunning comeback at the 2021 Tour de France.

For a while, even Cavendish thought his career was over. many people had written him off after years of health problems, injuries, and depression. At 36, he hadn’t won a stage in a major race like the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, or Vuelta a España since 2016. He believed his days of winning were behind him.

Then, something incredible happened. Just before the 2021 Tour de France began, he was added to the Deceuninck Quick-Step team at the last minute after another rider, Sam Bennett, got injured. Cavendish took the chance and made cycling history. He won four stages, wore the green jersey again and tied the legendary Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour de France stage wins.

This book is Cavendish’s personal and honest account of that unforgettable race, told from his own perspective as he rode through one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

At Speed is an engaging and entertaining book which offers a fascinating look at what it's like to be one of the fastest sprinters in cycling. Cavendish gives a more complete picture of who he really is, which made me see him in a different light.

However, it’s clear that Cavendish doesn't always see things the way most people do. A notable example is his take on his famous crash with Heinrich Haussler at the 2010 Tour de Suisse. From Cavendish’s description, he seems to think Haussler is at fault, even though it looks like Cavendish caused the crash by crossing into Haussler’s path. Videos of the crash also suggest this, but Cavendish still blames Haussler for not seeing him. That aside, the book is filled with Cavendish’s honest reflections on himself on his strengths and weaknesses.

He’s very generous in praising his teammates, which is nice to see, and he doesn’t hesitate to offer criticism when it’s deserved. He speaks openly, which gives the book a sense of authenticity.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable read. Cavendish spends a lot of time explaining how he and his team approach races and their strategies, sharing what worked and what didn’t. For anyone interested in cycling, especially the behind-the-scenes details of racing, this book offers plenty of that kind of insight.

Related Authors

Fans of Mark Cavendish also enjoy these authors:

1. Stieg Larsson, author of the Millennium Series.
2. Richard Osman, author of the Thursday Murder Club Series.
3. David Baldacci, author of the Amos Decker Series.
4. James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
5. Robert Galbraith, author of the Cormoran Strike Series.

Mark Cavendish: F.A.Q