Thank the Lord that Mark Cavendish has bags of self-belief. Mark simply redoubled his determination to prove the numbers men wrong. He still talks about making them eat their words. It’s an injustice that smoulders deep inside the man. He refers to it occasionally in a valedictory kind of way.
You see, Mark has proved that sprinting is not simply about power. He’s rewritten the profile on what makes a great sprinter. So let’s ponder why he is able to win so often with far more powerful guys around him.
Firstly: aerodynamics. This plays a huge part. Mark is able to hunch over his bike in the most amazing aerodynamic position – one that isn’t matched by anybody other than the young Australian Caleb Ewan, who mirrors Cav by placing his chin almost touching the front wheel over the handlebars.
Physically, Mark is far smaller than most of the sprinters around him, so he naturally faces far less wind resistance than his bigger opponents. This advantage is compounded by the fact that if Mark follows the big guys he gets a bigger assist than when they follow his wheel.
Genetics also play a part. Tests have shown Cav to possess a fast twitch muscle response that is remarkably quick. This means the command from brain to body for action is exponentially quicker than that enjoyed by almost anybody else. His explosive response to a cerebral command is virtually unmatched.
Mix these significant advantages with remarkable brainpower, bike-handling and his very personality, and you have a winning combination that has made him the most successful sprinter of a generation, maybe of all time.
Usefully, Mark possesses a near photographic memory of every sprint finish he’s ever done. Whether it’s one from yesterday or 10 years ago, he will clinically dissect each one in such a way that he could write a chapter on every stage he’s ever contested, whether it ended in victory or defeat.
That mental sharpness is something that he hones and develops through brain exercises and mental challenges. He’s a demon Rubik’s Cubist and uses what he calls a brain gym app to test and stretch himself. Clearly he likes his brain to be as fast as his legs. If he’s won, he will tell you exactly how he did it, who was doing what, where they were, what they were thinking, what wheel he chose and the point at which he decided to make his move.
One example from 2017: ‘Today was a bit like Missouri back in 2008, when Chicchi was making a nuisance of himself, Michael and Bernie did an amazing job: punched through and I just feathered it past Farrar’s left; with about 60 to go and went for it.’ If he’s lost, he is likely not to tell you a thing, but it’s all in there in his head and you can bet that he’ll have a few choice words to say to his team at the dinner table.
In terms of bike-handling, there have been a few blips – some requiring surgery. But it’s because he’s seeing a percentage opportunity in any gap; this has to be calculated in milliseconds. Most gaps he successfully masters. It’s a function of his track background in the tight and hectic world of madison racing.
Now, it’s all very well having the physical and mental capacity to be a world-class sprinter, but the delivery platform for these attributes is self-belief. You need to have it. And Mark does. Totally. As clinical and focused as a surgeon, he expects everyone else around him to race with the same level of investment. These are high standards. He sets them for himself. And woe betide anyone who falls short out there. Sprinting is a war zone and Mark is the field marshal.
It was when he was riding for HTC that he really developed into a world-class sprinter. Mark Renshaw, Bernie Eisel and André Greipel were the three generals who made a remarkable lead-out force that changed the way sprinting was approached. Their train was omnipotent, but the pressure to fall in behind Cav got too much for some and its phenomenal run eventually came to an end.
Years later, and by now on different teams, Greipel went on to beat Mark in a bunch sprint at the Tour de France. It was a strange, cathartic celebration as he crossed the line. All the years of pressure that had built while working for Cav bubbled up with a primal and tearful scream as he crossed the line. It seemed to me that, for Greipel, the confirmation that he’d had the talent to win all along was devastating rather than liberating.
High standards mean high pressure. Mark is generous with praise for his team if all goes well. They are the first to get a mention ahead of any analysis of his own effort. But he will also judge and castigate himself for any mistake or poor performance, and his team will be in the cross hairs of his mood – particularly any teammate he feels has fallen short.
I recall him being interviewed after a ‘fail’ and really having a go at Bernie Eisel for a poor lead out that went awry on the first stage of the Tour of Abu Dhabi in 2016. At the sign-in for the following day, under the gaze of the world’s cycling press and spectators, Cav began walking off the stage. Without turning round even to look, he disdainfully proffered the pen over his shoulder to Eisel in what looked like a public display of contempt. This was Cav reminding his teammate that all was not forgiven for the previous day’s mistakes. More was expected of him. Of course, Cav and the team then went on to win the day.
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