CAV'S ROAD BACK TO THE TOUR

After three seasons blighted by illness and injury, Mark Cavendish surprised everyone by gaining selection for the Tour de France. Peter Cossins investigates his climb back to the sport’s summit

- Peter Cossins

The bright hot light of a Mediterranean spring creeps under the roof of the Athens velodrome. On the track apron in a pile of exhausted, twisted limbs, lies one of cycling’s true greats, Mark Cavendish. Empty from the efforts set by his coach, the 36-year-old has collapsed spent, unable to hold himself up, let alone pedal a bike.

In many ways the image from Cavendish’s Instagram tells you much of what you need to know about the Manxman’s recent comeback. It always comes back to the track with Mark Cavendish. He has spoken many times about how work on the boards has helped hone the speed in his legs – most notably in 2016 when Olympic omnium prep set him up for four Tour stage wins.

His current return to the top that has seen him selected for his first Tour since 2018, is no different. Indeed, the roots go back even further. “When we first met, within five to 10 minutes there was a really strong connection between us,” says his coach at Deceuninck-Quick Step, Vasilis Anastopoulos. “We soon realised that we’d raced in some of the same track meetings together, like the Revolution meeting in Manchester in 2003, and some of the Track World Cup events after that, so that provided an immediate link between us. We were both on the same page.”

It was Anastopoulos who had brought Cavendish to the Athens velodrome in spring this year, seeking a return to winning ways. Nobody at that point thought it would result in him taking to the start line of the Tour in Brittany.