Mark Cavendish /

Mark Cavendish (born on 21 May 1985 ) is a Manx racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam HTC-Highroad. Originally a track cyclist in the madison, points race, and scratch race, he has competed on the road since 2006. He is a double Madison World Champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist on the track. As a road cyclist, he has risen to prominence as a sprinter. He achieved eleven wins in his first professional season, equalling the record held by Alessandro Petacchi. In the 2008 Tour de France he won four stages, a then unprecedented achievement for a British cyclist (he surpassed the feat, winning six stages in 2009 and a further 5 in 2010) and he has since been described as the fastest sprinter in the world. He continued his wins in 2009 by taking the Spring classic, Milan – San Remo. Cavendish started racing informally at 12, as a mountain-bike rider.