Mark Cavendish: I’m old, but I’m still me

BALATONFURED HUNGARY MAY 08 Mark Cavendish of United Kingdom and Team QuickStep Alpha Vinyl Caleb Ewan of Australia and Team Lotto Soudal Arnaud Demare of France and Team Groupama FDJ Hailu Biniam Girmay of Eritrea and Team Intermarch Wanty Gobert Matriaux purple points jersey Fernando Gaviria Rendon of Colombia and UAE Team Emirates and Jakub Mareczko of Italy and Team Alpecin Fenix sprint to win during the 105th Giro dItalia 2022 Stage 3 a 201km stage from Kaposvr to Balatonfred Giro WorldTour on May 08 2022 in Balatonfured Hungary Photo by Stuart FranklinGetty Images
Mark Cavendish reacts to his sprint victory on stage 3 of the 2022 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Nine years had passed since Mark Cavendish last won at the Giro d’Italia, but somehow it felt like very little had changed between Brescia and Balatonfüred (Lake Balaton).

He is older now, of course, but the speed somehow remains intact. His epitaph was written several times over in the years since, too, but that has served only to keep stoking the flame. Cavendish burns as intensely as he ever did.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.