Farewell to a legend: 10 highlights from Mark Cavendish's trophy-laden career

Mark Cavendish did not take part in the Scheldeprijs, a race he won in 2008, 2011 and 2014. The Briton has been struggling with illness after winning a stage at the Tour of Colombia in January, and is looking to return to the peloton at the Tour of Türkiye and the Tour of Hongrie, according to a press release from his team Astana Qazaqstan.

"After being sick for several weeks following Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-Turin, Mark Cavendish has resumed his training, continuing his preparation for his biggest goals of the season," Head of Performance Vasilis Anastopoulos explained.

"The team has adapted the racing plan, and as a result, Mark will miss the Scheldeprijs and will instead spend some time at a training camp. After that, he plans to compete in the Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye and then the Tour de Hongrie," Anastopoulos added.

However, Cavendish got his 2024 season off to a flying start. The Brit sprinted to his first win of the year at the Tour of Colombia, which was his first victory since crashing out at the 2023 Tour de France, as reported by Belgian sports media outlet Sporza.

"I'm speechless. I was lined up behind my boys in the final kilometer and knew I couldn't let them down," Cavendish reacted after his victory, as reported by Global Cycling Network.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

"So, here we are, just one more year, hey!" With these words, Mark Cavendish announced in a video on Astana Qazaqstan's social media that he would continue to race for the Kazakh team in 2024. Fans around the world want to see the Briton excel one last time in the peloton. On the occasion of his final season in the pro peloton, we've put together a list of highlights from the 'Manx Missile'.

Cavendish had a trophy-laden career with more than 160 professional victories, according to the BBC. Let's go back to the early beginnings of his career!

Cavendish celebrated his first pro win in 2005, when he was riding for Team Sparkasse, a development team of T-Mobile. He won two stages in the Tour de Berlin and the points classification.

Those victories helped Cavendish make a name for himself, although he was still young and had yet to force a big breakthrough into professional cycling.

In 2006, Cavendish signed as a trainee for T-Mobile, a renowned team in the peloton at the time.

This was an important step in Cavendish's career, as it meant he could compete in bigger races and prove himself on the biggest cycling stage.

2007 was an important year for Cavendish as he won the Scheldeprijs, the first major victory of his career. "It's my first success with the pros and what a win!," he said just after the race, according to Cycling Weekly.

With his victory in the Scheldeprijs, Cavendish established himself as one of the best sprinters in the world, as the race is considered by some to be the 'unofficial world championships for sprinters'. Cavendish would win the race again in 2008 and 2011.

Cavendish did not only excel on the road, but also on the track. In 2005, 2008 and 2016, he crowned himself Men's Madison World Champion.

In 2008 and 2016, he did so with Bradley Wiggins, who is said to be a close friend of Cavendish. The two would become teammates at Sky Procycling in 2012, the year in which Wiggins won the Tour de France.

The next step for Cavendish would be to make his mark in the Grand Tours. He started doing so in 2008, taking two stages in the Giro d'Italia.

During his career, Cavendish would win no fewer than 17 Giro stages, according to ProCyclingStats, the last of which was in the 2023 edition of La Corsa Rosa.

That same year, the Manx Missile would also conquer the Tour de France by winning four stages in La Grande Boucle.

It would be the start of an impressive Tour de France record for Cavendish, who would win no fewer than 34 stages in the world's most important Grand Tour. In doing so, Cavendish equalled the record held by Belgian Eddy Merckx, widely regarded as the best cyclist of all time.

In the 2023 Tour de France, Cavendish wanted to chase the record, but he had to abandon the race after breaking his collarbone in stage 8. A painful end to his Tour de France career.

2009 was the year when Cavendish reached another milestone in his career. The Brit won Milan-San Remo, beating German Heinrich Haussler in the sprint.

Milan-San Remo is by many experts considered the hardest cycling Monument to win. The fact that Cavendish managed to win 'La Primavera' only makes his career more impressive.

The green jersey in the Tour de France is every sprinter's holy grail. Cavendish managed to win the points classification of La Grande Boucle for the first time in 2011, riding for HTC-High Road.

Cavendish would repeat that feat against all odds in 2021, racing for Deceuninck-Quick Step.

Never two without three. Besides stage wins in the Giro and Tour, Cavendish also triumphed in the Vuelta. He did so in 2010.

Cavendish won three stages in that year's Vuelta and is one of the few riders to have won stages in all three Grand Tours.

In 2011, Cavendish experienced what is perhaps the highlight of his impressive career: he crowned himself UCI Road World Champion in Copenhagen.

Cavendish wrote his name into pro cycling's history books by becoming the first British world champion after Tom Simpson (1965).

Two years later, in 2012, Cavendish excelled in the Belgian classic Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, beating Jawhen Hoetarovitsj and Kenny van Hummel in a bunch sprint.

The Manx Missile repeated that feat in 2015, outsprinting Alexander Kristoff and Elia Viviani this time.

So what is left for Cavendish in 2024? The Brit will try to beat his record of 34 Tour de France stage wins, which would be the cherry on top of his impressive career.

And whether he succeeds or not, he will still be considered one of the greatest sprinters of all time.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!