Cycling history Cycling history The return of ‘The Silent Ones’ The Isle of Man CC is the intellectual property of Greenrock Ltd Top image: Ellan Vannin (Isle of Man) Cycle Club late 19th / early 20th century (© MNH) With huge thanks to Katie King of Manx National Heritage for all the information and images on this page, which are taken from the exhibition ‘Our Sporting Life’ at the Manx Museum, Kingwood Grove, Douglas. Cycling and the Isle of Man have a history, from the annual Bicycle & Athletic Festivals of the nineteenth century to the excitement of Manx International Cycle Week. The Island’s first Commonwealth Games team contained six cyclists, with a Bronze medal being won by cyclist Stuart Slack. The Island has since gone on to win two further Gold medals in the Commonwealth Games with Peter Buckley in 1966 and Mark Cavendish in 2006, and our cyclists make up a good portion of the Isle of Man team at every Commonwealth Games and also dominates the Island Games. The Beijing 2008 Olympics saw two Manx cyclists competing for Team GB and we have high hopes for Manx success at the London 2012 Olympics.

The Isle of Man has been producing talented cyclists since the 1950s, competing on the British, European and world stage with Millie Robinson, Ron Killey, Reg Quayle, Mike O’Hare, Peter Kennaugh Snr, Steve Joughin, Mike Doyle and Marie Purvis being just a few well known names. The success of these individuals has inspired consecutive generations of young sports men and women to follow in their wheeltracks. The Isle of Man today is punching well above its weight in terms of cycling talent. The question asked by many sport commentators is how a population of just 80,000 can produce so many world class cyclists? The successes of Mark Cavendish, Jonny Bellis, Peter Kennaugh and the many more talented youngsters ready to follow in their wheel tracks is nothing short of remarkable. So great is the Isle of Man’s reputation for cycling that two of the UK’s top cyclists, Rob Holden and Ben Swift, have even moved to live here! So, what is it about the Isle of Man? Is it our roads, our history, our passion, our development scheme – or does success breed success?

Mark Cavendish – The Manx Missile Mark Cavendish MBE, the Manx Missile, is a professional racing cyclist, heralded as the fastest man on two legs. Achieving 11 wins in his first professional road race season, his was the most successful debut in European road racing history. Mark won the points jersey in five major races, and most impressively of all, beat some of the established legends of road sprinting. In the 2008 Tour de France he won four stages, a then unprecedented achievement for a British cyclist. He now has 20 Tour de France stage wins under his belt and in 2011 made history by becoming the first British rider to win the Tour’s prestigious maillot vert, the green points jersey. ‘Cav’, as he is universally known, started cycling for fun at the National Sports Centre and developed his skills on the challenging Manx roads. His prodigious talent was noticed and he was admitted onto the British Olympic Academy programme.

Together with his achievements on the road, Mark is also a double Madison World Champion, won a Gold medal for the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne 2006 and competed for Team GB in the Beijing Olympics 2008. His phenomenal success on the professional road racing circuit has inspired many hundreds of the Island’s young people to take up the sport. Mark continues to dominate the road racing circuit and has won stages at all the major classics, including winning the Milan-San Remo. He has been described as the fastest sprinter in the world. Now riding for Team Sky Mark is looking forward to achieving more success on the road and has his eyes set on the London 2012 Olympic road race. Isle of Man Youth Development – The Conveyor Belt of Inspiration “What kept me going was that I wanted to do what Steve Joughin was doing, winning Merseyside titles and National titles – it was like a conveyor belt of inspiration – as it is today with Mark Cavendish.” Mike Doyle, Former Pro Rider and Isle of Man Cycling Youth Coach Former professional rider Mike Doyle has played a pivotal role in coaching the Island’s young riders in recent years as they seek selection for the Great Britain Olympic Development programme.

For most talented riders in Britain the Academy is still the best route to a career as a professional cyclist. Mike has been able to share his experiences of the professional road race circuit with the youth talent on the Isle of Man, so that they realise what it takes to commit to cycling. It is this firsthand experience that is so crucial to the success of Manx cyclists. The role of the Isle of Man Sport Aid and Institute is also critical at this stage in allowing elite competitors to secure financial support together with a full range of sports science services for them to fulfil their sporting potential. Cycling in the Blood – the Kennaugh Family For many people on the Isle of Man cycling is not simply an individual passion, but can be traced through consecutive generations of families committed to the sport. One such family is the Kennaughs. Both Peter Kennaugh, and his younger brother Tim, are current professional road and track cyclists with 2012 Olympic aspirations. Their father Peter was also a successful road racer, their mother Jackie a talented cyclist, and their grandparents Roy and Dorothy were early members of the Manx Road Club.

Their cycling pedigree can even be traced to their great great great grandfather and uncle who were also influential on the Manx cycling scene – a case of cycling really being in the blood! “We didn’t encourage them into cycling at all. I knew how expensive it was to do and how hard it was…cycling is such a tough sport. Some have likened it to four Man United games being played back to back for three weeks and that’s what riding the Tour de France is like. It is tough, really tough…we told them to stick to the football! But we support them, of course.” Peter Kennaugh Senior, 2011 Peter Kennaugh “I have lost count of the number of times I have seen Peter Kennaugh piling up the miles. In the winter, when it was raining so hard it was bouncing off the road, he was out there. That’s what it took for him to become a pro rider.” Richard Allen, Sports Journalist Peter Kennaugh Junior is currently one of the rising stars of British cycling, on both track and road. He has been riding for British professional Team Sky since 2010.

He has received worldwide plaudits for his 2011 season with outstanding performances at his first Giro d’Italia. His ‘all round’ talent has him tipped for Tour de France glory in the future. He is the current British Madison Champion; British Under 23 National Road Race Champion; Junior World and European Track Champion; is a member of the British Cycling Olympic Academy and is one of the Island’s 2012 Olympic hopefuls. Tim Kennaugh “It’s all about balance and doing it because you want to do it and because you enjoy it. If your Mum and Dad are paying for you to go away and train and race, then you’ve got to show a certain amount of commitment to put the yards in.” Tim Kennaugh At only 20 years of age Tim Kennaugh has already made a name for himself in British cycling, being selected to ride for the British Talent Team in 2007 before entering the British Cycling Olympic Development Programme and Olympic Academy. In 2009, he became one of the youngest riders ever to win the Manx National Road Race Championships.

In 2011 Tim signed for Italian/Polish Team MG.K VIS-Norda Whistle along with fellow Manxman Chris Whorrall. In his first professional season Tim is expected to compete in 50 races, including the Baby Giro d’Italia, thereby following in his brother’s footsteps. Ian Sharpe – Paralympian Visually impaired athlete, Ian Sharpe, is the Isle of Man’s most successful Olympian. He has represented Great Britain at the Paralympics on five separate occasions, initially as a swimmer, and more recently as a cyclist. He has won five Silver and five Bronze medals at the Games to date and is hoping to increase his tally in the London Paralympics 2012. Ian began training seriously as a swimmer at the age of twelve when he joined the national development programme. After achieving success at European and World Championship level he was selected to represent Great Britain at the Seoul Paralympics 1988, where he won a Silver and two Bronze medals, and became the first British disabled athlete to break the one minute barrier for the 100m freestyle.

Further Silvers were to follow in the next three Paralympics in Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney in 2000. Ian retired from swimming after the Atlanta Games to focus on his career but decided to have a go at the triathlon while working in Cambridge. Ian unofficially set the second fastest time in the world for a disabled athlete in the Olympic distance event in 1998 with his guide, Toby King. But following the decision not to include the triathlon at the Paralympics in 2000, Ian returned to swimming once again for the Sydney games which became his most successful ever, bringing back two Silver medals and a Bronze. In 2003 Ian then made the switch to cycling when he met Paul Hunter while looking for a potential tandem pilot. Despite many logistical challenges, funding problems and disagreements with British Cycling they qualified for the Athens Paralympics in 2004 and achieved the remarkable feat of winning a Bronze medal in the Men’s Individual Tandem Pursuit and another in the Men's Tandem Kilo at their first Games together.

Even greater success followed in 2005 when Ian and Paul became double world champions in the same events and also picked up a Silver in the road time trial. Ian is currently training hard and looking for sponsorship to support him in the run up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. “I would love to do London 2012 – if the games had been anywhere else I think I would have retired by now, I’ve spent most of my life competing at the highest level and I'm not getting any younger. But the only medal I haven't won is a Paralympic Gold and to have the opportunity to compete, let alone win at a home Games is just something I couldn't ignore. Call it blind faith if you will but I still believe there's enough in my legs to achieve this goal. " Manx International Cycle Week – The Silent Ones “The Manx International was a big race in its own right, but for a Manxman it was something special. I was riding in the colours of the Manx Road Club but I was carrying the hopes of the Isle of Man…That day was one of the greatest moments of my life.

Things like that stay with you forever; it’s the kind of moment that motivates you to make all the sacrifices you have to make to be a success in a sport a tough as cycling.” Steve Joughin on winning the Manx International Road Race in 1979 The Isle of Man’s hilly terrain makes it ideal for road racing and historically mass start road racing was always popular on the Island. The famous Motorcycle TT Mountain Circuit was perfect for cyclists and cycle racing began seriously on the course with the Bicycle TT in 1936. Competitors were known locally as ‘the silent ones’. The event evolved into Manx International Cycle Week, organised by Manx cycling legend Curwen Clague. The event attracted thousands of enthusiasts to the Island who could get close to their cycling heroes and compete in their own fun rallies during the week. During its illustrious history the event attracted the top racing cyclists of Europe. In 1963 and 1967 England cycling legend Tommy Simpson was a popular winner. The Isle of Man International Road Race Meeting included the Manx International Road race, over three laps of the mountain circuit, the Viking Trophy Road Race over two laps, and high speed town centre Criteriums.

The event even had its own ‘King of the Mountain’ sections. In 1979 the Manx International Road Race was won by local hero Steve Joughin, a highlight of his own successful professional cycling career. In 1993 Olympian and World Champion cyclist Chris Boardman set a blistering record time over the mountain of 1 hour 23 minutes and 54 seconds, a record that still stands. Manx International Cycling Week, including events run over the mountain circuit, continued until 2003. Steve Joughin – The Pocket Rocket “Had I really just won the national title only a few hundred yards from where I grew up, and in front of all my family? Winning the pro title was amazing enough, but to do it on the Isle of Man seemed too good to be true”. Steve Joughin, Pocket Rocket (2010) Steve ‘The Pocket Rocket’ Joughin is a former professional Manx road racing cyclist.

He was the first Manxman ever to win the British professional road race title (twice); won stages at the prestigious Milk Race; represented the Isle of Man on two occasions at the Commonwealth Games; and became the first Manxman to win Manx International Cycle Week. He was a popular local hero, at a time when the Island was an important location for British road racing competitions. He was arguably one of the best UK riders of his generation, coming to prominence as a sprinter in the 1980s – the golden age of British cycle racing. His journey from the Isle of Man to popular British cycling success was hard fought, struggling to travel away to compete and to earn a living at the sport. Steve’s journey, like many from his generation, was not one of Olympic training programmes but gritty determination to succeed against the odds: “We didn’t have a World Class Performance Plan – we had what I called the ‘DHSS Performance Plan’.

At a time where there was mass unemployment in the UK, myself and many riders signed on the dole at the DHSS and claimed unemployment benefit in order to be able to pay the bills while we trained in the hope of getting a pro-contract…When money was really tight, I would play hide and seek on boats bound for England and stowaway on board to save paying the fare so I could race.” Steve Joughin, Pocket Rocket (2010) Steve, now living in Stoke and running his cycle business, Pro-Vision, is still influential on the British cycling scene. Millie Robinson Millie Robinson took up cycling after moving to the Isle of Man in her late teens and started competitive cycling at local grass track events such as the Andreas Sports. As a member of the Manx Viking Wheelers she won the Women’s National 25 mile time trial championships three years in succession during the mid-1950s and was the British best all-rounder over 25, 50 and 100 miles. She won numerous UK events, both time trials and mass starts, and events during Manx Cycle Week.

She was the winner of the first two international races ever promoted for women in France and broke three world records on the track in Milan, including the hour record. She retired from competitive cycling in 1960. Marie Morgan (formerly Purvis) “Aged 26 I thought, there must be more to life than just vegetating on the sofa, and so I got an old bike out of the shed and went out riding. I was so unfit that I could only do three miles at first, but it was a gradual progression from there.” Marie Morgan (formerly Purvis) is a true inspiration. As a latecomer to cycling she went on to achieve extraordinary success in her eight year career, becoming the Isle of Man’s most successful female cyclist to date. She was the British Women’s Road Race Champion five times; competed at four World Championships; was British National 10mile and 25 mile time trial champion; contested two Olympic Games and represented the Isle of Man at two Commonwealth Games. After disappointment at her first Commonwealth Games at Auckland she went on to lead the road race at the Victoria Games four years later, only to suffer mechanical problems which meant she finished in fourth place.

“I’d made the transition from local to national level very quickly, so when it came to my first Commonwealth Games I didn’t really know how good the standard was, and I got the shock of my life…within two laps I was dropped off the back. I didn’t realise how hard the next level was. But I remember thinking I have a starting point now, I know what I have to do to get there. Train harder, race more. It made me more determined…within two years I’d been selected for the Barcelona Olympics.” She made an impressive debut at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Road Race, attacking early and leading the race until a slow puncture and mechanic crew confusion cost her a winning position. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics she finished in an impressive eleventh place. Marie was also the first British woman to win a mountain stage of the Tour de Femmin (the female Tour de France) in 1993 and finished sixth overall at this prestigious event. Stuart Slack – First Commonwealth Medallist: Stuart Slack was actively involved in Manx cycling for over fifty years, until his death in 1998.

The former Ellan Vannin Club rider was well known by many on the Isle of Man for his Commonwealth Games glory. He won the Bronze medal for the 120 mile road race at the 1958 British Empire & Commonwealth Games, becoming the first Manxman to win a medal at any Commonwealth Games competition. “…his amazing finishing spurt after a gruelling race run in terrible weather, heavy rain and a high wind, had his team mates and officials in a frenzy of excitement as he burst through to achieve what seemed the impossible.” Isle of Man Weekly Times, 28 July 1958 The Isle of Man welcomed Stuart, and the team, back to the Island as national heroes and his success has inspired future generations of young cyclists to attempt to follow in his wheeltracks. His success also spurred the Isle of Man to send a team to compete at every subsequent Commonwealth Games, buoyed with confidence that our small nation can achieve at world class level. “Stuart Slack was a local boy, a local hero, his victory did so much to encourage cycling over here.

Within a few years of his victory the Onchan Stadium opened with a cycle track around the outside and cycling on the Isle of Man has gone from strength to strength ever since.” Brian Whitehead, Commonwealth Games Athlete Many thanks to Manx National Heritage (MNH), Peter Kennaugh Senior, Jean Slack, Reg Quayle, Diana Killy and Marie Morgan for giving permission to use their photos above. Curwen Clague Manx sporting hero Curwen Clague can be credited with developing International Cycle Week and founding the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games team. He was a founder member of the Manx Viking Wheelers in 1932 and helped organise the Bicycle TT in 1936. Massed start cycle races were unheard of in the UK at that time, but the event was a great success and continued as International Cycle week until 2003. He was appointed as an official for the Olympic Cycle Road Race at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Curwen’s contribution to cycling was recognised in 1976 when he was awarded the Gold Badge of Honour by the British Cycling Federation, their highest accolade. Curwen also played a vital role in the formation of the Manx Commonwealth Games Team.

After watching the Empire Games in 1954 he drew together the leaders of the various sports on the Island and suggested the Isle of Man could form its own Commonwealth Games team, which went on to compete successfully in the 1958 Games. From 1962 until his death, Curwen was the manager of the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Team, and was responsible for representing the Isle of Man at the highest level of the Commonwealth Games Association. Cycling Roots The success of Manx cyclists on the world stage has meant that the sport is hugely popular on the Isle of Man, especially on a junior level. The Isle of Man Junior Cycling Summer League sees over 300 under-16’s compete in organised weekly races at the National Sports Centre (NSC) in Douglas and also organises trips to the UK to compete. Dot Tilbury MBE, who organises the junior league, has been admitted to the British Cycling Hall of Fame for her enthusiastic work with junior cyclists over the past 25 years. The ‘Tuesday Night’ sessions are where all our famous cyclists first fell in love with cycling. “One second, two seconds, ready, steady, GO!

and two minutes later, I’d finished the course – a single lap of the NSC car park – in last place. Dead last. In my first race.” Mark Cavendish, Boy Racer (2010) At the age of 16 talented young cyclists are further developed by former professional rider Mike Doyle. Both Dot and Mike believe that having the opportunity to compete off Island, at both track and road events, is crucial to the development of our young cyclists. It enables them to improve their performance through competing alongside the best of British talent. The Isle of Man has a highly successful road race league at which amateur cyclists often line up against our professional cyclists who return to the Island to train, another factor in our success at cycling. There is certainly a structure in place on the Isle of Man for young cycling talent to develop their full potential, but it also requires immense dedication from the individuals involved. The Isle of Man may be a unique place with a unique set of circumstances, but without the dedication to get out and train for hours every day in all weather there would be no cycling champions.

International Cycle Week ca 1950s (© MNH) Highland Games, Onchan Stadium, 1967 Tom Kennaugh 1912 Tour de France 2013: Why Mark 'Manx Missile' Cavendish, the best sprinter cycling has seen, is the man they love to hate | The Independent Cycling Tour de France 2013: Why Mark 'Manx Missile' Cavendish, the best sprinter cycling has seen, is the man they love to hate After a controversial week in the life of Mark Cavendish, Alasdair Fotheringham considers the nature of his fame Friday 12 July 2013 20:07 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Mark Cavendish raises his arms in triumph as he wins yesterday’s 13th stage AFP Under normal circumstances, Mark Cavendish racing a medium-distance time trial – as he did on Wednesday in the Tour de France – is one of the rare moments when the Briton is not considered newsworthy.

After all, the 28-year-old sprinter neither had any real chance of winning nor – as happens in the mountain stages – was there even a remote possibility that he could finish outside the permitted time. But on Thursday Cavendish was front-page news. In a virulent personal attack during the time trial the Manxman was dowsed with urine by a so-called “fan”, generally assumed to have been angered by an incident the previous day in which Cavendish had a sideways collision with the Dutch sprinter Tom Veelers, who went flying. Why does Cavendish provoke such extreme reactions from “fans”? It’s true a lunatic fringe of spectators very occasionally exploits the sport’s innate vulnerability for stupid, potentially lethal, kicks, like last year when somebody sprinkled tin tacks on a Pyrenean descent, provoking widespread punctures. But direct, personal attacks like Wednesday’s on Cavendish thankfully tend to be even rarer. Yet whoever it was, they chose their occasion well: in time trials, barring the big contenders, riders are usually alone, accompanied by a single police outrider and following team vehicle and the order of their racing the route is previously published. But why Cavendish?

Perhaps the thing about him is that Cavendish’s level of fame is far greater than that of almost any other bike rider. Certainly, anything he does gets put under a media magnifying glass to a degree that few other riders experience. And that’s not new, either. “There’s Mark, Lance [Armstrong] and [Alberto] Contador: they’re the three best-known, most charismatic riders out there,” one top British pro rider told me back in 2009. Since then Sir Bradley Wiggins’ spiky, articulate nature and huge achievements have combined to put him in the same league of fame. But in the 2013 Tour, Wiggins is missing, Armstrong’s fate needs no further discussion and Contador has yet to return to his pre-doping-suspension level of racing. Cavendish, meanwhile, has been constantly high-profile since his Tour breakthrough in 2008, when he took four stages, well before Sky appeared in 2010 or Wiggins’ Tour win in 2012. And as cycling’s greatest ever sprinter, his status can only continue to grow.

“The more successful you are the bigger the target there is on your back,” points out Lance Armstrong’s former team-mate Frankie Andreu, now a professional cycling commentator and sports director of the Five Hour Energy cycling team. “I remember the scrums outside the team buses, people just wanting to touch Lance, get his autograph. And Cavendish’s mass appeal is partly because he has won so much.” But, as Andreu says, there is also Cavendish’s personality – larger than life, ultra-motivated and outspoken – is a combination which may be annoying to some but which never leaves anybody indifferent. “If he has to bunny-hop across a roundabout to win, say, he’ll do it. He’s that driven,” Andreu points out. He believes that the Veelers incident was a case in point. “Personally, I believe it was Cav’s fault [that Veelers crashed], but that’s sprinting. Things like that happen all the time in bunch sprints. “Cavendish’s eyes were on [German rival André] Greipel’s wheel; he was determined to get there. I don’t think it [the crash] was intentional at all.

Cavendish gets caught up in the fight and then he does everything he can to get to the line. But that’s what makes him a good sprinter.” It’s ironic, Andreu believes, that “what people praise him for is also what they condemn him for”. David Millar, writing in L’Equipe, put Cavendish’s situation into perfectly into context: “He’s a controversial personality, but I think that’s what happens to stars, be it in sport or politics – you can’t be indifferent to them and they create extreme reactions. “In Mark’s case, they either love him or hate him. Some people love to hate him. But overall I think a majority of people like him. “I’ve known him for a long time; he’s always wanted to be famous. The price to pay for that is your slightest mistake gets huge exposure.” Hence, too, the decision of the organisers of the Boxmeer Criterium in the Netherlands, a race held immediately after the Tour, to cash in on the situation and announce they had struck Cavendish off their list of possible participants, allegedly because of the Veelers incident.

It was the perfect opportunity to create a publicity storm without actually having ever signed Cavendish or, some say, even having the money to do so. Raymond Kerckhoffs, a leading Dutch cycling journalist at De Telegraaf, is adamant there is absolutely no “anti-Cavendish feeling” in the Netherlands. Quite the opposite. “Veelers doesn’t have a problem with it [the crash] now” – although he was initially critical of Cavendish – “the jury didn’t do anything, and other sprinters, like [former triple green jersey winner] Robbie McEwen, don’t have a problem with it either,” Kerckhoffs said. “Cavendish has a name and a reputation for taking risks, and if he loses he’s not the easiest person on the planet to deal with, but a lot of people respect how he sprints, how fast he is. For me, he’s a legend. Aged 28 and 25 Tour stage sprints.” Hence, the attack on Cavendish has its own depressing logic. “I don’t think anybody else having those sort of problems, or that sort of crash, would have provoked such a dramatic reaction,” says Andreu.

“Fans throwing urine like that is despicable, horrible. “Cavendish is an impressive fast sprinter. He has a type-A personality, with the fire and the drive. But anything he says or does, people look at it and write about it. And I can’t think of anybody since Lance who’s been like that. “Cavendish has a toothache and it’s ‘Oh my god, is he ever going to come back?’ Anybody else, they wouldn’t care about it. But if you’re a star, it’s impossible to please everyone.” As Cavendish found out on Wednesday in the most unpleasant of ways. manx missile | Cycling in the South Bay Cycling in the South Bay May 6, 2012 § 10 Comments In the first stage of the 2012 Giro d’Italia, Davis Phinney became the first American to win a stage in the Tour de France Taylor Phinney became the first American to win an ITT in this prestigious, 3-week event in which the world’s best doped athletes ride amongst some of the world’s lewdest, craziest, and most drunken sports fans.

Although the time trial is commonly regarded as the “race of truth” due to the test of each racer’s strength and skill against the inflexible constraints of the clock, experts agree that the rest of the Giro consists of a “race of lies.” Wankmeister lists the most notably mendacious events below. Team Car Hang and Draft: Rider gets dropped, crashes, breaks his bike, has a bowel movement, and finds himself wayyyyy behind everyone else. Rider then grabs onto car, or gets motor-paced by team vehicle back to the group. In marathoning, this would be like having the leaders pull away from you, then having your supporters plop you on a moped and drive you back up to the front. Beat the Cut Grupetto Scam: Big tours set time limits so that the podium girls can blow the commissaires before they have dinner with their wives. Riders who have no hope of finishing the 200-mile stage with 15,000 feet of climbing on the same day team up so that enough of them are together to prevent the majority of the field being kicked out of the race.

In golf this this would be like having 95% of the players at the US Open spend 15 hours dawdling per round so that if the rules were enforced and the players DQ’d, the event would be cancelled. Handshake Deal Sprint Rigging: Riders are in breakaway. Spindly no-hope wanker dude wants to win. Powerful, badass sprinter dude wants money. Done…the essence of sportsmanship, where a bold and crass financial transaction is packaged in adjectives like “courageous,” “canny,” “tactical,” and “surprise outcome.” In baseball they actually do this. It’s called “the Chicago Black Sox from the 1919 World Series.” And in cycling, it happens all the time. Sprint Train Lameness: Alleged fast man with cool nickname like “Lion King,” “Manx Missile,” etc., is the fastest human being ever to ride a bike.

So fast, in fact, that the only way he can beat solo sprinter dudes like Robbie McEwen who have to win on brains, balls, and brawn is by hiring the other ten fastest riders in the pro peloton and paying them to do nothing but drive him to the line. In college sports there’s an analogue. It’s called “Bear Bryant and the Alabama football program.” Perfectly Timed Breakaway Catch: Riders are brainless doofuses who have no idea how to reel in a breakaway. So they hook their tiny brains up their race directors via radio to perfectly time the breakaway “catch” with 1k to go. The valiant escapees don’t get the chance to do the Handshake Deal Sprint Rig, and the Manx Misericordia gets to win the 15th Tour stage with his sprint train.

In pro football it’s called “$50 million Quarterbacks Too Stupid To Call Their Own Plays.” Domestique Donkey Food and Water Hustle: The word “domestique” in French means “put on your bitch suit you stupid skinny prick because I’m going to drive your sorry ass back and forth a hundred times to the team car per race to fetch water, food, and drugs so that I don’t have to work and can place in the race even though you’re just as good, probably better than me, but I’m more famous.” In football they are called “fullbacks,” “the practice team,” and “Tim Tebow.” I mean, why pay Cunego all that money just to find out he’s too weak to do the race on his own, when you can pay his bitch $12 to finish the race for him? Domestique Donkey Wind Pull, Climb Pull, and Tempo Pull: Donkeys in bitch suits go the front and break the wind (saving protected douchebaguette 30% or more energy) while prima donna Brad Pride or Abandy Schleck get a peddie.

Boys in bitch suits blow up, fall off the back, and barely make the time cut, then fail to get a team the following year because they have no UCI points. In soccer this would be like having the entire team get the ball in scoring position, then stop the game, and bring in Lionel Messi while the goalie stands off to the side and everyone else on the field just watches. Multi-team Conspiracy: When a leader sucks and his whole team sucks, he will conspire with several other sucky teams to work against potential threats, breakaways, strong riders who race aggressively with panache, etc. This assures that the better funded, “cooler” team takes the win over that ugly dude from GS-Colnago-Pimplimiento-Ladies-Products-Cologne wearing the orange and pink and red and blue and green-striped kit. In basketball, this would be like two weak playoff teams agreeing to waylay Kobe on his way home from Whole Foods and break both his legs. Sticky Bottle Scam: When a rider has been dropped (again) or has a blister on his pee-pee, the team car hands him a bottle and drags him several hundred yards closer to the pack.

In swimming this would be like letting a dude jump into the water before everyone else. Derailleur Adjustment Cheat: When a rider’s drugs aren’t working right and he needs to drop back to the team car to have the soigner ram the suppositories further up his ass with a fist, the team mechanic pretends to adjust the derailleur while pushing Dopey along for kilometers at a time. In auto racing this is called “The Pit,” and it’s the reason no one takes seriously a sport where you get to whip in and fill up with gas, change tires, have a smoke, and do quick photo sessions of Danica’s long, flowing pubic locks. UCI Bio Passport Permanent Doping Visa: When a rider’s blood values have become so ridiculous that even a UCI drug tester can’t look at them without giggling, the entire governing body throws the program in the trash and issues every rider a doping visa, valid for entry into every race, and in every country (except Iran and North Korea). In football it’s called “Weight Training.” And it starts in junior high.

Cycling: 'Manx Missile' targets elusive Olympic gold - Emirates 24|7 Cycling: 'Manx Missile' targets elusive Olympic gold Cavendish fresh from four stage wins in the Tour de France By Published Monday, August 01, 2016 Great Britain's Mark Cavendish (centre) celebrates as he crosses the finish line ahead of Germany's Marcel Kittel (left) at the end of the 208,5 km fourteenth stage of the 103rd edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 16, 2016 between Montelimar and Villars-les-Dombes Parc des Oiseaux. (AFP) It's now or never for British cycling great Mark Cavendish in his goal to at last win an Olympic medal. In theory everything appears in mint condition for the 31-year-old 'Manx Missile' to fill the one hole in his CV as he arrives in Rio fresh from four stage wins in the Tour de France - taking his total to 30, just four shy of Eddie Mercx's record.

However, Cavendish - who pulled out of the Tour de France early so as to preserve his strength for the Games - will have to adapt quickly as he is not competing on the road but reverts to the track, something he has not competed at in the Games since 2008. Cavendish teams up with Wiggins in the six-discipline Omnium in Rio - the duo having won the world title this year in the Madison - and hope for a happier outcome than when they finished ninth in the 2008 Beijing Games. "Olympic gold is one thing left - I've tried it twice and I was in superb form on both days and they eluded me," said Cavendish, whose other appearance at the Games saw him squeezed out of contention in London. "I've made no secret that my aim is to win an Olympic medal and I'm so pleased to have been given this opportunity. "I'm proudly patriotic and I love every time I get to pull on the Great Britain jersey and the Olympics is the biggest thing I can do. I wouldn't have done it unless I thought I could medal in my two events," added Cavendish, who is also a reserve for the team pursuit.

Born to race Cavendish, who won the world road race title in 2011 when the team was captained by one of his idols as a boy David Millar, fell in love with competitive cycling at an early age. He would often compete in mountain bike races while racing an ordinary BMX. Frustrated at his failure to compete, he pestered his parents for a mountain bike to level the playing field. "I got one for my thirteenth birthday. The very next day I went out and beat everyone," he said in a 2008 interview. Cavendish, though, has had to battle hard to make it as a professional and despite sometimes being accused of arrogance, is described as down-to-earth by those closest to him. Indeed Cavendish showed his sensitivity when he won the opening stage of this year's Tour de France, which climaxed at Utah Beach, one of the landing sites for the Allied Forces on D-Day in 1944. After collecting the yellow jersey, Cavendish was part of a moving ceremony to remember the war dead.

"I wanted to be involved with the armed forces in the UK and to finish here at Utah Beach was an incredible opportunity to remember and respect not just D-Day but those who've fought and died in all wars for our freedom in the western world," said Cavendish. "I wanted to (dedicate) this victory and say thank you to those great men and women and friends back in the UK who served in the armed forces." Oakley Jawbreaker™. The cycling eyewear studied with Mark Cavendish to achieve perfection | Luxottica Oakley Jawbreaker™. The cycling eyewear studied with Mark Cavendish to achieve perfection X This website or third-party tools used by the site itself use the cookies necessary for operation and useful for the objectives illustrated in the cookie policy, including the possibility of sending you advertisements according to your interests. If you want to know more or refuse consent to all or some of the cookies, consult the cookie policy. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking on a link or continuing browsing in any other way, you will agree to use of the cookies. Oakley Jawbreaker™. The cycling eyewear studied with Mark Cavendish to achieve perfection Oakley Jawbreaker™.

The cycling eyewear studied with Mark Cavendish to achieve perfection The collaboration between Oakley and Mark Cavendish, the great cycling champion, one of the fastest sprinters in the world, started two years ago with the goal of creating the best glasses for the sport. After 9,600 hours of lab and field testing, more than 100 design iterations, 27 eyewear components – the result is Jawbreaker™. Born to be perfect. Video of Z2e-XiaDeT8 Oakley Jawbreaker™, a new line of sport eyewear designed for cycling, is born from a unique collaboration between two star players. The first is Mark Cavendish. Profession: cyclist. One of the fastest sprinters in the world with an impressive track record of wins, from the 2011 world championship to 26 stage victories in the Tour de France, the last on July 10, 2015. Not by chance his nickname is "Manx Missile", from the Isle of Man where he was born 30 years ago. The second is Oakley. One of the leading brand for sport performance and lifestyle eyewear and apparel.

Distinguishing features: the obsessive research for perfection in design and technology, the ability to be disruptive, go beyond the limits and redefine the rules of the game. The idea started two years ago after a casual meeting between Cavendish and Oakley designers. Manx Missile leaves nothing to chance: he studies, analyzes, and visualizes every aspect of his performance, looking for any opportunity to progress. From measuring his own wattage output, to pinpointing his drag coefficiency in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel, to adjusting his seat position by a fraction of a millimeter. It is the same spirit that inspires Oakley. The meeting thus becomes a challenge at the highest levels to create the perfect sports eyewear for cycling. Armor for speed, as Cavendish defines his glasses, to ensure a wide and sharp field of view, maximum eye protection, ventilation and customization. After two years of hard work, 9,600 hours of lab and field testing, more than 100 design iterations, 27 eyewear components, the result is Jawbreaker™. In this eyewear each detail makes the difference. Want to know more? Read on.

Field of view: Oakley used an eye tracking system to study potential improvements to a rider’s field of view. This showed the upper periphery of the lens is crucial to give the visual field cyclists need for performance and safety. Oakley maximized that lens zone for Jawbreaker™ to give the wearer a field of view with optical precision extended by 44% when compared to the average pair sunglasses. Lens: Jawbreaker™ is available with a new lens technology, Prizm™ Road, that fine-tunes vision for cyclists emphasizing colors where the eye is most sensitive so riders can spot subtle changes in the texture of road surfaces. Maximum protection: for this armor-inspired frame with impact resistant single shield lens. Ventilation: engineered with integrated surge ports to enhance air flow and reduce fogging. Customization: Jawbreaker™ temples adjust to three different lengths for and maintain a comfortably secure grip without interfering with your helmet. Switchlock™ technology allows fast, secure lens changes for any environment. Curiosity: the name jawbreaker originates from the gimbal mechanism, pivoting to separate the bottom frame or lower “jaw” from the upper frame while switching out lenses.

Profile - Mark Cavendish Profile PROFILE MARK CAVENDISH - CAV - THE MANX MISSILE FAST SPRINTER, FAST THINKER, FASTER TALKER Mark Cavendish MBE has always been an avid cyclist, riding a BMX from a young age led to him racing at the National Sports Centre in Douglas. Having experienced success on the track Mark joined T-Mobile in 2006 as a stagiaire. During the 2008 season, Mark made his first big impact on the Grand Tours, winning a fantastic two stages in the Giro d’Italia followed by four victories at the Tour de France, becoming the most successful British cyclist overnight at the age of 22.

Full name 21 May 1985 (age 31) Douglas, Isle of Man 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Weight 2011 UCI ROAD RACE WORLD CHAMPION A TOTAL OF 48 GRAND TOUR STAGE WINS 30 TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE VICTORIES 2005 / 2008 / 2016 MADISON WORLD CHAMPION 48.47 MPH / 78 KPH Mark Cavendish sprint speed First rider to ever win on the Champs Elysées STAGE at the TDF wearing THE Rainbow Jersey First rider to win on the Champs-Elysées four years in a row First British rider to win the Tour de France points classification One of five riders to ever win the points classification in all three Grand Tours One of two British riders to win the UCI Road Race World Championship Victories Gorillas, scarabs, and pistol: Nicknames in the Tour de France peloton | VeloNews.com Home » News » Road » Gorillas, scarabs, and pistol: Nicknames in the Tour de France peloton Gorillas, scarabs, and pistol: Nicknames in

 the Tour de France peloton By Benot Noel Published Jul.

20, 2015 Nairo Quintana is known as the "scarab" for his small stature and strong climbing legs. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com BOURG-DE-PAGE, France (AFP) — With a shark, a scarab, and a gorilla amongst its ranks, the Tour de France peloton boasts an eclectic mix of nicknames rather than species. Those nicknames are often a reference to a person’s origins or their physical appearance — although sometimes, they need some explaining. While it’s not hard to imagine where burly German sprinter Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) got his “gorilla of Rostock” moniker, others are less apparent. “It’s a nickname I’ve had since my junior days. I can’t even remember who gave it to me,” said the 33-year-old winner of three sprint stages already this year. From a “gorilla” to a “scarab,” Nairo Quintana’s (Movistar) nickname is no surprise either. The diminutive Colombian is a giant in the mountains, so comparisons to a beetle that can lift many hundreds of times its own body weight is somewhat logical.

From the land, the peloton branches out into the sea and the “shark of Messina” — reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). Once again, it is a nickname that has followed the 30-year-old Sicilian since his junior days, given for his tenacity in chasing his goals and an insatiable appetite for victory. But not all riders are compared to creatures notable for their strength or ferocity. Dutchman Thomas Dumoulin’s (Giant-Alpecin) unique gift is his grace — the “butterfly of Maastricht.” A Dutch journalist once described him as having “natural elegance,” saying he could “ride a time trial in a dinner jacket and cross the line without his bow tie being out of place.” A bow tie in Dutch, like many languages, is called a butterfly. But while that nickname seems tremendously contrived, others are blindingly obvious. Sky’s Chris Froome, a Briton, is called the “white Kenyan” in reference to his place of birth.

Likewise, British sprinter Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick-Step), “the Manx Missile,” is from the Isle of Man where people are known as Manxmen. The little cigar Of course, as those show, not everyone is named after a creature, even if their strength or valor is being celebrated. Swiss time trial and one-day classics specialist Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) is known as “Spartacus.” Just like the Roman-era gladiator, he is known for his feats of strength on a bike, whether that being the race against the clock or over the back-breaking cobbles at Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders), both of which he’s won three times. Then there is “Hulk,” Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo), although that refers to the similarity in color between the superhero and the Tour’s green jersey the Slovak has owed for the last three years. Superheroes have been a consistent theme with Sagan, who used to be known as “Wolverine,” although that was simply for his haircut at the time.

For others, their nickname comes from an even more obscure source, such as Joaquim “Purito” Rodriguez (Katusha). “Purito” means little cigar in Spanish and came after a training ride in the mountains soon after he joined the ONCE team, his first squad as a professional. His teammates stepped up the pace on a climb, at which point the upstart neo-pro rode past them making a gesture as if smoking a cigar — suggesting that the climb was too easy for him. His teammates had their revenge, forcing him to smoke an actual cigar later that evening, and ever since the little climber has been “Purito,” the explosive little cigar. He’s not the only Spaniard lauded for his dynamism. Two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) is “El Pistolero” — the pistol — while Ardennes classics specialist Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) is “La Balla” — the bullet. As a junior, Valverde used to be “El Imbatido” — the unbeaten one — after a run of 50 consecutive wins.

He’s had great success since, such as winning the 2009 Vuelta a Espana, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and La Fleche Wallonne three times each, and La Clasica de San Sebastian twice. However, it’s Valverde’s near-misses that back up his “bullet” nickname. Valverde has twice finished second and placed third four other times in the world championships, while he has registered 11 top-10 finishes — including one victory — in grand tours.

Question: Which cyclist is nicknamed “The Manx Missile”?
Answer: Mark Cavendish