Mark Cavendish

Mark Simon Cavendish, MBE is a British professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Team Dimension Data. Originally a track cyclist specialising in the madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines, he has competed on the road since 2006, rising to prominence as a sprinter, widely considered one of the best of his era. In 2015 he returned to the track parttime, hoping to represent Great Britain in the omnium at the 2016 Summer Olympics. As part of that return, with Bradley Wiggins, he won a third world championship title in the madison at the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

Cavendish was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, the son of David also from the Isle, and Adele from Yorkshire, England. He began riding BMX at an early age, racing at the National Sports Centre in Douglas. He said I was always riding a bike, getting dropped in little races. My mum would laugh at me, and I said it was because all my mates had mountain bikes, so I asked for a mountain bike for my thirteenth birthday and got one. The very next day I went out and beat everyone. It was at that time that Cavendish met David Millar at a race on the Isle of Man. Cavendish said he was inspired by Millar. Cavendish worked in a bank for two years after leaving school to earn enough money for an attempt at a professional career.

Source: Wikipedia