Mark Cavendish's Merida Reacto - resplendent in his new Bahrain McLaren team's colours(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Complete with Vision tubular wheels, Shimano groupset, FSA components and disc brakes(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Aerodynamic tube profiling and an aggressive position is nothing new to the prolific sprinter(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Disc brakes are becoming widely adopted in the peloton, and Bahrain McLaren have committed to them for 2020(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
The latest tech is usually a prerequisite of pro riders, but Cavendish has opted for older Dura-Ace 9000 pedals(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
The rest of the groupset, however, is the latest R9170 Di2 edition of Dura-Ace(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
A direct-mount hanger holds the rear mech, providing a clean aesthetic and crisp shifting(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Unlike his personal CVNDSH brand, it seems he's finally remembered there are vowels in his name(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
A wedge clamp keeps the saddle in place, and a simple piece of tape marks the desired height for mechanics(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
With a bright orange head tube, Cavendish is easily spotted in finish line sprint footage(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Not quite slammed, a 5mm spacer is all Cavendish needs in his long-and-low position(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Long being the operative word. We're estimating this measures at 140mm (Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Cavendish puts his sprint shifters upside upside down, so a quick flick up of the thumb is all that's needed to change gear mid-sprint(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
FSA stickers show off the component sponsor's logo where it would otherwise be hidden(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Matchy matchy orange Prologo tape wraps the bars(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Like the rest of his team, Cavendish is using Shimano's range-topping Dura-Ace R9170 shifters(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Cavendish's saddle of choice is the Prologo Nago Evo with the brand's Nack carbon rails(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
And finally, keeping the bottles in place are Elite's Vico Carbon bottle cages(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Having grown up through the British Cycling development programme, Mark Cavendish's relationship with Rod Ellingworth has been a longstanding constant in the Manxman's career, despite not always being professionally connected. First connecting in 2003 at the Olympic Academy for junior riders, it was Ellingworth who lobbied for Cavendish's inclusion after poor fitness tests put his progress at risk.
Working with Ellingworth at British Cycling and Team Sky, the so-called Manx Missile has taken victories on the world's biggest stages, including world-championship gold on the track in the Madison with Bradley Wiggins in 2008, winning the world road race championships in 2011, and winning the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysées for the fourth time in a row in 2012.
Cavendish hasn't taken more than a solitary season win since 2016, when he took four stages at the Tour, leapfrogging Bernard Hinault into second place on the all-time list of stage winners with 30 victories, just four wins behind Eddy Merckx. The next-closest rider still racing today is Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) with 12.
Since then, the sprinter has struggled with injury, the Epstein Barr virus, and his fair share of crashes over the last couple of seasons. His last opportunity to raise his hands aloft across a finish line was at the Dubai Tour in February 2018.
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Despite the rise of tubeless technology in the WorldTour being spearheaded by Vision, Cavendish's Vision wheels are very much of the tubular variety, shod with Continental's Pro Ltd tubular tyres. They do see a modicum of modernity, however, by virtue of the Dura-Ace Ice Tech Freeza disc-brake rotors. Like Lotto Soudal and Movistar, Bahrain McLaren have committed solely to disc brakes for the 2020 season.
In the WorldTour, there are certain riders who like to tinker with their set-up more than others, and we're always excited to see their bikes to see what they've been up to. Adam Hansen, Richie Porte and Mark Cavendish are all riders who tend to run oddities on their race bikes, and, for 2020, Cavendish seems to have flipped his Shimano sprint shifters upside down for quicker access to the next gear. He's also using old pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000, to be specific. We're unsure why.
Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Mark Cavendish's Merida Reacto.
Mark Cavendish's Merida Reacto full bike specifications
Frameset: Merida Reacto Disc Team
Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 Hydraulic Disc caliper
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
