Tour de France legend and former British champion turns up at amateur race… and finishes 29th
TOUR DE FRANCE icon Mark Cavendish turned up to a local race on the Isle of Man… and leisurely rode to a 29th-place finish.
The sprinter, 38, dubbed the Manx Missile as a tribute to where he is from, has struggled to find form at the beginning of the 2024 season.
He is chasing a record-breaking 35th stage win at this year’s Tour de France – with the 2011 world road race champion currently holding the record alongside Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.
But he enjoyed a very different environment on Sunday as a late entrant to the Isle of Man’s Nick Corkill Memorial Race.
And Richard Fletcher, one of the race organisers, has revealed how it came about.
Speaking to Cycling Weekly, he said: “I was actually at a party on Saturday night. I messaged Cav back and said, ‘Bring your licence and bring 20 quid.’ And that was it.
“He was like, ‘Cheers mate.’ And that was the exchange.
“Although we have to be quite strict with entry closure, because otherwise everybody just takes the mickey, we all sort of agreed that if it is a Conti-level rider or a WorldTour rider, we always put them in, because their programmes can change.
“That’s the only slack we cut them. They rock up, pay their entry fee, and none of them complain about it.
“I, just by chance, rode from the HQ building up to the start line with Mark. He builds it into a training ride normally.
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“He had ridden out from Douglas, about 18 or 20 miles away, rode the race, and then rode home with a bunch of them as well. He just likes the club scene.”
Cavendish kept a low profile in the bunch and had no interest in contesting the victory.
But Callum Salisbury, 18, who eventually finished second behind Chris Lawless, confirmed Astana star Cavendish was still vocal within the peloton as he orchestrated the young riders.
Salisbury said: “He’s still Cav. He’ll shout orders, but he’s very supportive. Every time you go through, he’s like, ‘That’s great. Well done, you’re doing great there. Keep tight.’ Or, ‘Do this, do that.’
“He’s always trying to help us, especially the younger ones. He’s not flat-out racing, he’s not here to drop everyone.
“He’s a former British champ, he’s won however many Tour de France stages, but he doesn’t want to ruin the race for everyone else.
“He could easily just run away with the race, but he wants to help more than actually race.”