As we enter the summer proper, the Giro d’Italia has roared to its thunderous conclusion, serving up the first British Grand Tour winner since 2020 in stunning fashion before all eyes turn to the Tour de France. Cycling’s traditional annual festival is the absolute pinnacle of each season. As millions of people globally tune in to catch the world’s greatest sporting spectacle, eager to watch their favourite stars test themselves in the most gruelling and enthralling fashion.
The very best of cycling’s pantheon of greats have made their name at the Tour. To win even just a stage at the race is a career defining moment, whilst those supreme talents who manage to win one of the race’s highly coveted jerseys (Yellow – GC, Polka-dot – Mountains, White – Youth GC, Green – Points) become hallowed household names.
The likes of Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Chris Froome, Greg LeMond, Laurant Fignon, Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx are rightfully famed for their exploits in claiming the Yellow Jersey. Whilst the likes of Sean Kelly, Robbie McEwen, Peter Sagan and Biniam Girmay have had their careers catapulted into the stratosphere after pulling the Green Jersey onto their shoulders.
However, there is one man who, for British fans especially, is more intimately associated with the Tour de France than any other. No, it is not the sideburn sporting figure of Bradley Wiggins, or the endearing and brilliantly honest Welshman Geraint Thomas, or even the likes of Pogačar or Eddy Merckx. The latter of who, until recently, held the record for the most stage wins at cycling’s biggest race.
Instead, it is the fast and furious Manx Missile who, in 2024, supplanted the Cannibal to become officially the greatest stage racer in the history of the sport.
Sir Mark Cavendish
Across the course of his almost two-decade long career, Cavendish went from a cocky kid from the Isle of Man to a legend of the cycling world, picking up 35 Tour de France stage wins, Milan-Sanremo and a World Championship title along the way. His performances at the Tour de France fundamentally re-worked the landscape of cycling in Britain, engrossing an entirely new generation of enthusiasts.
He wore his heart on his sleeve, both in the good times and the bad, and fans connected with the emotional post-race interviews given with the same bare-faced honesty regardless of the day’s outcome. His fellow racers lining up to proffer their congratulations on finally breaking Eddy Merckx’s Tour stage win tally in Saint-Vulbas in 2024 – at the age of 39 no less! - and that spoke volumes. Mark is one of a kind, a unique sprinter and unique personality.
It is therefore with great joy that we are able to announce the latest addition to your Road Book Collection: The Cav Book 2006-2024.
The Cav Book 2006-2024 is a collector's edition, one-off volume, featuring a forward from Sir Mark and signed by the Manx Missile himself. It is the first edition of The Road Book to focus on the career of a single rider, as opposed to a race or season. And, most likely, the only one.
A gloriously green hardback tome, encased in a gorgeous gold slipcase, The Cav Book will celebrate every step of the way in Mark’s astonishing career, from humble beginnings to the superstar trajectory that ultimately led to a knighthood, becoming a household name with the general public, and a megastar of cycling aficionados.
Few racer’s careers warrant an entire volume based on solely their results, but Cav’s remarkable exploits will make for a brilliant book that appeals to his hardcore fans.
