'The fuel, the passion that had fired me throughout my career still burned. No work in the world could give me sensations like the ones I experienced in the saddle, winning bike races. I still adored it.'

For all the once-in-a-generation talent and success shown throughout Mark Cavendish's record-breaking career and 35 Tour de France stage wins, his story is also one of struggle, sacrifice and the power of human determination. In his final word on an astonishing career, Cavendish shares an intimate insight to his life.

'The greatest sprinter in the history of cycling' Christian Prudhomme