Latest news with #SirMarkCavendish
The Independent
27-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Sir Mark Cavendish Raceway renamed in honour of Manx sprinter
The raceway at the Isle of Man 's National Sports Centre has been officially renamed in honour of Sir Mark Cavendish. The Manx sprinter was in Douglas to christen the new Sir Mark Cavendish Raceway, where he began cycling competitively as a child, and which helped kickstart his glittering career. Cavendish, who retired at the end of the 2024 season after a 19-year professional career, completed a timed 'hot lap' of the 1km raceway before being joined by a number of local children to ride around the renamed facility. Cavendish told The Independent, 'It's a big honour. It's the place where I started and it had a profound impact on my career, so from a sentimental point of view, it's very, very nice. I was about ten or eleven when I first started racing there, going down on a BMX and getting my head kicked in! Then getting a bike with gears, getting the thrill of it, I wanted to be first across the line every time. 'It's exactly the same now [for these kids], they've just got faster bikes!' The 40-year-old raced his final Tour de France last year, retiring with a record 35 stage wins at cycling's most prestigious race, along with 20 stage wins at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana, a world road race title, several major one-day wins including at Milan-San Remo, and three world championship victories on the track. His children, including seven-year-old Casper, now follow in his footsteps by riding on the raceway, and Cavendish said the facility is hugely important for instilling a love of cycling and enjoyment of sport. Members of his former cycling club were also in attendance at Friday's event, forming a guard of honour before his timed lap. 'I fell in love with cycling because of the community,' Cavendish added. Some of the volunteers who run events at the Raceway, including children's racing nights, are still around from when he was coming through the ranks. 'That's the beauty of cycling, that everyone can do it, it's got this club feel to it, and it's so nice to see that hasn't changed. 'The facilities for sport are so good for such a small community, everyone embraces it here. It rains a lot and everyone is out, whether it's playing footy, track and field, or cycling – it's in everyone's blood. Most people have a racing nature in them.' The Raceway held a similar 'parade lap' featuring local children alongside Cavendish last year to celebrate his Tour de France record, and he wanted to replicate that this year to get the community involved. 'I'm so honoured that it's my name on there, but it's a place for everyone,' he said. 'The kids can dream there. To be able to push things further [as a professional cyclist] you have to travel the world, and knowing someone from your community can do it, having the inspiration to do what you want to achieve [is important].'
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Isle of Man: Sir Mark Cavendish Raceway to be officially unveiled
The raceway where Sir Mark Cavendish fell in love with cycling as a 10-year-old boy will be officially renamed later to celebrate his legacy in the Manx cycleway at the National Sports Centre in Douglas was where the Manx Missile first started cycling competitively as a 40-year-old went on to become the most successful stage winner in Tour de France history when he took his 35th victory last year, having claimed 135 career Mark will complete a timed "hot lap" of the 0.6-mile (1km) circuit, then school children and members of his former cycling club will join him for a ride-out lap, before he officially opens the raceway. A mural featuring the names of hundreds of pupils, a new podium, finish lines and signs explaining the cyclist's successes, are all set to be unveiled at the launch new artwork also includes a quote from the cycling legend reflecting on his experience from before childhood reads: "I dreamed of being like my heroes."The Manx government said the project had been designed to celebrate Sir Mark's legacy by encouraging the next generation to take up the sport, while recognising the place where his journey began. The Manx Missile took part in a similar event in August by taking part in a lap of honour the first time he returned to the island after breaking the Tour de France have confirmed traffic will be held in the area for a short period of time from 10:00 BST to allow a supervised parade of cyclists to "safely make their way" from the sports centre entrance to the have been warned to expect "slight disruption to traffic" in the area of Groves Road and Pulrose Road and encouraged to allow extra time for their journeys and consider alternative routes. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Peta Cavendish is patron of Isle of Man children's hospice
The Isle of Man's children's hospice has welcomed Lady Peta Cavendish as its new of Hospice Isle of Man, Rebecca House in Douglas has provided care and support to children with life-limiting conditions and their families since wife of Manx cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish, Lady Cavendish said as a mum-of-five she was proud to support the "lifeline" service and its work "in any way I can".Vicky Wilson from the charity said their new patron's "passion for family and her deep understanding of the challenges parents face will be invaluable to our work". The care offered at the hospice ranges from short-term respite stays to end of life care for children under Cavendish said: "Family is a huge part of my life, and anyone who is raising children knows how demanding it can be. "If your child has health challenges then this adds another, very significant, layer of complexity, stress and emotional toll, so you need all the support you can get." The free of charge services were "literally a lifeline" for families on the Isle of Man, she said. Hospice Isle of Man confirmed in January its annual running costs were expected to rise by £1m to £7.8m by charity said Lady Cavendish's involvement would help "ensure that Rebecca House can continue to make a positive impact, offering families a place of comfort, understanding, and care".Ms Wilson said: "Peta's commitment to supporting our charity will help raise awareness and continue the critical support we provide to families in the Isle of Man". Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Raceway to be renamed to honour Sir Mark Cavendish this month
The raceway at the National Sports Centre will be officially renamed after Sir Mark Cavendish later this month, the government has cycleway in the Isle of Man's capital was where the Tour de France stage win record holder first started cycling competitively as a event on 27 June will see Sir Mark complete a timed "hot lap" of the 0.6-mile (1km) circuit, before school children and members of his former cycling club join him for a ride-out Manx Missile, who will officially open the newly renamed raceway, said it was "where it all began for me, so it's a very special place". The 39-year-old became the most successful stage winner in Tour de France history in July last year when he took his 35th victory, having claimed 135 career project has been designed to celebrate Sir Mark's legacy by encouraging the next generation to take up the sport, while recognising the place where his journey began, a government spokesman said. The project includes a mural featuring the names of hundreds of pupils as well as a new podium, finish lines and signage, which would also be unveiled at the launch by a quote from the cyclist reflecting on his experience before childhood races "I dreamt of being like my heroes", the line is featured in the Mark said the raceway was where he "fell in love with cycling" and the was "deeply moved by the thought and detail that has gone into every element" of the project has seen children nominate their own heroes, design banners and submit questions for the event, with a select few chosen to interview him about his life and cycling legend took part in a similar event last summer when he participated in a lap of honour on the first time he returned to the island after breaking the Caine, Education, Sport and Culture Minister said the cyclist was a "fantastic role model" adding that "young people are truly at the heart of this". Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Three men who stole watches worth £750,000 from cycling star Mark Cavendish told to pay back money or face extra six years each in jail
Three men who were jailed following a terrifying knifepoint robbery at the home of Olympic cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish were today ordered to pay back more than £750,000 or face an extra six years in jail each. Sir Mark was beaten and threatened to be stabbed in front of his wife Peta and his three-year-old son during the violent raid, when the masked gang broke in at the dead of night. They are believed to have been after a £2 million sapphire Richard Mille watch the athlete was loaned for an awards ceremony. Instead, they made off with two other watches by the same upmarket firm worth £400,000 and £350,000. Romario Henry, 34, of Lewisham, south-east London, and Ali Seasay, 30, of Rainham, Kent, were eventually caught and sentenced to 15 years and 12 years respectively in 2023 for two counts of robbery at the family house in Ongar, Essex. A third man, Jo Jobson, 28, of no fixed address later handed himself in to police and was also given 15 years inside for the same charges. They faced further court proceedings today over the stolen goods, which are still missing, and also include three mobile phones worth around £2,300 and a Louis Vuitton suitcase valued at £2,200. Judge Alexander Mills, sitting at Chelmsford Crown Court for the Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, said the owed a total of £754,525 and must repay it by August or have the time added to their jail terms. The robbers took items including two Richard Mille watches with a combined value of £750,000 He said he was satisfied the defendants were 'in it together' and had jointly obtained the value of the stolen property, adding 'any defendant can pay off this order to relieve the others of the responsibility of doing so'. Judge Mills added he 'did not accept it's inevitable they [the watches] were sold' as they were 'not depreciating goods but goods that act as a store of wealth'. The amount owed was reduced by a Mercedes car valued at £1,000 that was seized from Sesay and £24,740 in cash found at a property where he had been living. An unspecified amount was secured from Jobson's NatWest bank account. The judge said these should be used to pay £1,897 compensation to Sir Mark, £3,359 to his wife, and the remainder to the watch company who were 'the losers of the value of the watches'. Model Mrs Cavendish, who was pregnant with the couple's fifth child at the time of the raid on November 27, 2021, went to investigate a noise downstairs as her husband was recovering from three broken ribs and a torn lung following a cycling accident. She raced back to the bedroom as she saw 'figures running towards her'. Describing the scene during Henry's trial prosecutor Edward Renvoize said: 'Mrs Cavendish got into the bedroom and Mr Cavendish got hold of a panic alarm. 'Two assailants jumped on him and punched him and asked him to turn the alarm off. One individual produced a knife and threatened to stab him in front of his children.' Three men in balaclavas in the bedroom demanded Cavendish open his safe and he was 'subjected to more violence' when he was unable to access it as the batteries for the keypad had gone flat. His wife, who hid their son under the covers to stop him seeing what was happening, said one of the men brandished a 'Rambo-style' knife and snatched her phone when she tried to call police. Mr Renvoize described the raid to jurors as a 'well-orchestrated and executed, planned invasion of a home of well-known individuals with the intention of grabbing high-value timepieces'. One of the intruder's took Mrs Cavendish's mobile phone and it was later found outside their property, which he said was a 'significant error in what was an otherwise carefully executed plan'. DNA recovered from the phone was attributed to Ali Sesay and police then 'traced a phone attributed to Mr Sesay', using its data to identify the phone numbers of other people involved in the offence.' Mrs Cavendish previously revealed she and her husband were considering selling the house because the robbery had ' turned a loving family home into a constant reminder of threat and fear '. Sesay admitted the offences, while Henry and Jobson were both convicted following trials. Judge Mills said the defendants could apply for an extension to the three-month period to repay the money.
