Mark Cavendish: why is the Briton absent from the Tour de France?

Mark Cavendish why is the Briton absent from the Tour

CAVENDISH. Record holder of victories in the Tour de France, the Briton Mark Cavendish will not take the start of the Grande Boucle this Friday, July 1.

Tour de France fans may have been waiting to see the Briton at the start of this 109th edition… Mark Cavendish will not be there. His Quick Step team preferred to trust his Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen, one of the best in the world. “We choose to sprint with Fabio Jakobsen. Yes, there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders now. He knows what decisions we made for him.

In the meantime, Mark Cavendish will be in Singapore for a criterium organized by the Tour de France. “The Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium marks many firsts, a first Tour de France road race in Southeast Asia and a first race for me in this part of the world. Cycling has given me a lot and is an integral part of my life. It’s a privilege for me to do what I love and I can’t wait to get out there and share in the adrenaline, excitement and fun that criteriums bring.”

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Biography Mark Cavendish. Mark Cavendish was born on May 21, 1985 in Douglas, Isle of Man. Before being one of the best road sprinters in history, the Briton began with BMX, mountain biking and the track where he became American World Champion three times (2005, 2008 and 2016 ). Young, the native of the Isle of Man had only one idea in mind: to become a professional runner: “When I realized that I could make a living from it, it changed a lot of things for me. I worked from 16 to 18 years old to save money, putting the bike on hold. to be a good junior. For me, being a junior world champion was worth nothing. My goal was to become a professional. When I had enough money, I left my job to join the school of the British track. I started to improve, to learn, and also to win quite quickly, it’s true.”

After performing well on the track, Mark Cavendish naturally headed to the road where the Tour de France and the points classification were his main objectives. To date, Mark Cavendish has won 34 stages on the Grande Boucle, a record he shares with Eddy Merckx. In 2011 and 2021, the Briton managed to finish the Tour de France with the green jersey on his shoulders.

What is Mark Cavendish’s track record?

Mark Cavendish’s cupboard of trophies and jerseys is well filled: 2011 road world champion, Milan-San Remo 2009, points classification in the Tour de France (2011 and 2021), Giro (2013) and Tour of Spain ( 2010) without counting the 52 stages on the grand tours that the Briton has won, including 34 on the Grande Boucle, a record he shares with the legend Eddy Merckx.

Mark Cavendish and the Tour de France.

Mark Cavendish has participated in 13 Tour de France (2007 to 2018 and 2021). In 13 participations, the Briton has won 34 stages, a record he currently shares with “The Cannibal”: Eddy Merckx. After having equaled the record of the five-time winner of the Grand Boucle, the native of Douglas on the Isle of Man preferred to remain modest: “It was so incredible, and so hard today. It’s a reference of course, but you can’t compare me to Eddy Merckx. He will remain the greatest runner of all time.” If he managed to bring back the green jersey until the mythical arrival of the Champs-Elysées twice (2011 and 2021), he also wore the yellow jersey for one day in 2016.

Who is Mark Cavendish’s team?

Mark Cavendish has had fourteen teams since turning professional in 2006:

  • T-Mobile (2006-2007)
  • High Road (January 2008 – July 2008)
  • Columbia (July 2008 – December 2008)
  • Columbia – High Road (January 2009 – June 2009)
  • Columbia – HTC (July 2009 – December 2009)
  • HTC-Columbia (2010)
  • HTC-Highroad (2011)
  • Sky (2012)
  • Omega Pharma-Quick Step (2013 – 2014)
  • Etixx-Quick Step (2015)
  • DimensionData (2016 – 2019)
  • Bahrain-McLaren (2020)
  • Deceuninck-Quick Step (2021)
  • Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl since 2022.

Julian Alaphilippe, Remco Evenepoel, Kasper Asgreen, Fabio Jakobsen are his teammates.

His depression in 2018.

At the end of a very complicated 2017 season, the Briton feels bad. Affected by the Epstein-Barr virus, doctors also detect depression: “I figured I had to find out what was wrong with me. I thought they were going to tell me I still had the Epstein-Barr virus, which I did. But they told me. also said that I was depressed.” A period when the runner began a fight to return to the highest level: “I thought, ‘OK now it’s a fight to get my life back. You have to stop thinking about cycling for a while, it’s my life that I must first take back before I can become a cyclist again“.

Who is Mark Cavendish’s wife?

Together since 2010, Mark Cavendish and former model Peta Todd got married in October 2013. The two Britons had three children, born in 2012, 2015 and 2018.

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