MANX MISSILE: THE STORY SO FAR

2006

Wins four races for Team Sparkasse, the biggest of which is a stage of the 2.1-ranked Course de Solidarnosc. Is frustrated at !ive top 10s in six stages, but no victory, at the Tour of Britain.

2007

Turns pro for T"Mobile and wins 11 races. His !irst comes at Scheldeprijs, and the biggest are two stages of Catalonia. His debut Tour goes less well, with a single ninth place and a DNS on stage 8.

2008

Hits his stride with Columbia, taking two stage wins at the Giro d’Italia, then four at the Tour de France. His !inal win tally is 17, though his Olympic Madison tilt with Wiggins ends in disappointment.

2009

One of his best years ever. Cavendish wins Milan-San Remo in a spectacular sprint, and a career-best six stages at the Tour, plus three Giro and two Suisse stages to total 23 wins all year.

2010

A slow start to the year, but Cavendish hits his stride at the Tour, where he takes another ive stages. Three stage wins at the Vuelta give him his irst Grand Tour points classi ication win.

2011

Another contender for Cavendish’s best-ever season. He wins ive Tour stages, along with the green jersey he has coveted. The year ends brilliantly as he wins the road race rainbow jersey

2012

An uneasy tactical cohabitation with Wiggins at Sky means Cavendish is limited to three stage wins at the Tour. Takes a rare stage race GC win at the Ster ZLM Tour in the Netherlands.

2013

Five Giro stage wins give him the full set of Grand Tour points jerseys, but he is roundly beaten by Marcel Kittel in the sprints at the Tour, taking two stage wins, his lowest total since 2007.

2014

Cavendish has a disaster at the Tour, crashing in the stage one sprint in Harrogate and pulling out. 11 wins is not a bad total for the year, but only two, at Tirreno and Suisse, are WorldTour.

2015

Cavendish starts the season fast, with 13 victories before the end of May, and another GC title in Dubai. But at the Tour he only takes one stage, while André Greipel takes four.

2016

Partly written o f, Cavendish roars back, with four Tour stages, plus a yellow jersey, then a worlds Madison title. Comes close at the Olympic Omnium and Worlds RR with silvers in both.