I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve always been a Mark Cavendish fan boy. I’ve enjoyed watching him work his sprint magic since back in his prime T-Mobile days, where he assembled the best lead-out train ever to grace two wheels. I’m not a sprinter, but then again according to his early-years Institute of Sport testing, neither is Cav. As of today though, he is without a doubt the greatest sprinter ever, and arguably the greatest pro rider of our generation.
A record-breaking THIRTY FIVE Tour de France stage wins
Stage wins in all three Grand Tours
Points (sprint) jersey in all three Grand Tours
Twice National Champion
World Road Race Champion 2011
Milan-San Remo 2009
Plus many other incredible results along the way
Say what you will about The Manx Missile’s on and off bike persona, there’s now absolutely no arguing that he is the best of all time, racking up Tour de France stage win number 35 in true Cavendish style. No longer can Eddy “old man yelling at clouds” Merckx argue about who the greatest is. It’s not Merckx, it’s Cav.
Image Credit: Getty Images
I was cheering at my TV just as furiously over the final kilometre of Stage 5 as I was when he took some of his greatest career wins. With a career spanning close to two decades, there’s been a few! Tour de France 2009 and stage win number 6 was a very special one, where Cav absolutely dominated the field. It was also instrumental in lighting the “road cycling fire” within me. It was about this time I was dipping my toes into the sport, if only a little and on a flat-bar hybrid road bike.
But there may never be a more iconic win than Cav in 2012. Resplendent in the Rainbow WC Jersey, he was led out by Bradley Wiggins in the Yellow Jersey, rocketing past the competition to take the win on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. That was absolutely peak Cavendish (and peak Team Sky). That year also saw a massive peak for road cycling in the UK.
Image Credit: Doug Pensinger / Getty Images
He’s had one hell of a career. The slightly chubby kid from the Isle of Man with poor lab test results, he gone and done good. Congratulations, Sir Cavendish. It’s been an epic ride.
Two Wheels with TC 
I’ve never really warmed to him personally but this achievement is something very special. A great sprint riding the wheels and threading his way through to unleash. I’m just glad they tarmac’d the islands on the run in to keep it straight and full gas
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I’ve been fortunate to meet him on a number of occasions and he’s kinda shy and retiring off the bike but very willing ti give autographs, quotes and interviews. Delighted for him, he is indeed the GOAT. Hats off to Vino for supporting him.
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Absolutely. Him and the team took a big chance on an “ageing” Cavendish, but it’s certainly paid off for all of them now!
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I’m not ready to crown him as the “Best of All Time”. He does one thing very well. Yes, he may be the greatest sprinter of all time. That does not make him the greatest bike racer, or even greatest road racer. Merckx won classics, time trials, mountain finishes, sprints, grand tours, the hour record…he won 29% of all races he entered, and in two separate years he won more than 40% of all races entered – 9 years apart. He won three jerseys (overall, points, mountains) in two different Grand Tours. He won the Tour de France five times, including three doubles with the Giro d’Italia (and a double Giro/Vuelta a España the only time he entered the Vuelta). Cavendish’s best Tour de France finish was 130th place in 2011.
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And the very next day he was motor-pacing behind his team car. Ought to be DQed.
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They all do it after a mechanical, crash, or nature break. Nothing out of the ordinary there, it’s just that the camera is always on Cav. Seemed more like the convoy held them up though.
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THE GREATEST! 😁 😜
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