Mark Cavendish revealed that refusing to give up even against the odds was one of the driving forces that made him so successful as a professional rider and sprinter.1   

As a young rider, Cavendish goes on to win 35 stages in the Tour de France, however, he faked his success using his intelligence and determination after some coaches complained about his performance data.   

"I will not be a professional now. But if so many people look only at the scientific part, the gap will remain open to those who care about things tactically," Cavendish told BBC Radio5Live looking back on his career. 

"I've never ignored my physical training, but it's important to train your mind to read the situation - look at the results and look at the tactics of other teams

Not giving up was also part of Cavendish's success. During his 16-year professional career, Cavendish had incredible highs and great success, but also enjoyed terrible lows, including the debilitating Epstein-Barr virus virus and the resulting depression. 

His career seemed to be almost over after 2020, but Patrick Lefevere gave him a chance and won the 2021 Tour de France 4 stages. Then Astana-Kazakhstan gave him the lifeline in 2023 for the 2nd time, but when he crashed out of the Tour de France, he did not give up again, and in 2024 he won a record victory on the 35th Tour de France stage. 

"Cycling has given me the biggest life lesson," Cavendish said in an interview published in La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I'm very lucky to have won a lot of bike races. But I've lost far more bike races than I've won, and the vast majority of bike riders have won even less. 

"In cycling, mathematically the probability of your victory is very, very low. And it gives you a certain mindset. It teaches you that there are more difficult times than good times. But when the good times come, they are all sweeter and make all that hard work worthwhile.

Cavendish has always wanted to be a professional rider and a sprinter to win the stage at the Tour de France. That ambition fueled his determination to never give up as a teenager from the Isle of Man who secured a position with the T-Mobile team in late 2006 and then through his career and success at Milan San Remo (2009), World Championships (2011) and almost every year's Tour de France.    

In recent years, Cavendish has continued to race and make sacrifices to compete in the modern Peloton thanks to his family.  

"I have 5 children, but if I do not lead by example, I can tell them not to give up.He told La Gazzetta Dello Sport.  

"Basically I was just taught not to give up. That's not what I'm doing. I'm so lucky to have good people around me who supported me when times were bad. But basically it's a simple thing – never give up. 

"Everything you can control, you control. If you are not good at something, then you have to. And if you're the best at something, it is. But just do everything and look at it until the end, that's it.

Cavendish has officially retired after winning the recent Tour de France Criterion in Singapore.  

"I was lucky to get some extra years from my career and full cycling, I guess. The majority of athletes will never go out to the ending of a fairy tale," he told the BBC.

"All the people I turned professional and raced with have retired, and their sons have also retired. It makes me feel old. No one is competitive at this age."

He will turn 5 on the 40th next year, but he still loves the sport and wants to continue to be involved in some way, perhaps as a race ambassador or with Astana・Kazakhstan, which is hosted by Xds. Cavendish is currently enjoying retirement before confirming his plans for the future.

No matter what happens, he is always a cyclist and wants to continue to inspire other people to love cycling.    

"I want people who ride bicycles to enjoy the same way I do," he said. 

"They don't have to race, but they also cycle just as a means of transport. This machine with two wheels, frame and pedal has been my life. It gave me an incredible life. I love it. I love it so much. I would be happy if anyone could get the same pleasure from the bike I do. 

"And I hope you can show that you will not give up. Don't give up It's as simple as that. It may be difficult, but you will not give up."