Mark Cavendish's farewell season takes surprise detour as 'Manx Missile' returns home in amateur race on the Isle of Man

After a disrupted first few weeks of his farewell season, Mark Cavendish is taking a break from World Tour racing currently as he fully recovers from illness and recharges ahead of a push towards this summer's Tour de France.

'The Manx Missile' is keeping completely off the bike though, and over the past weekend, the Astana Qazaqstan Team sprinter made a surprise appearance at an amateur one-day race back in his homeland of the Isle of Man. The 38-year-old finished 29th at the The Isle of Man's Nick Corkill Memorial Race on Sunday afternoon. 

"When I turned up, I could see his bike, and that was the telltale sign," recalls James Meakin, one of the day's competitors in conversation with Cycling Weekly. "It's weird to see an elite pro like him, and his bike, outside a village hall, pinning on a number with all the amateurs. But there he was, chilling casual like any other amateur road racer."

"From the gun, he was very vocal with the other riders," Meakin continues. "He made sure they were pulling their turn. There are a lot of junior cyclists who are future stars for representing the Isle of Man, and he was very good at getting everyone to work together and be a cohesive bunch."

But what was the story of Cavendish's shock last-minute experience? "I was actually at a party on Saturday night. I messaged Cav back and said, 'Bring your licence and bring 20 quid.' And that was it," explains race organiser Richard Fletcher with a laugh. "He was like, 'Cheers mate.' And that was the exchange."

"Although we have to be quite strict with entry closure, because otherwise everybody just takes the mickey, we all sort of agreed that if it is a Conti-level rider or a WorldTour rider, we always put them in, because their programmes can change. That's the only slack we cut them. They rock up, pay their entry fee, and none of them complain about it," Fletcher continues. "I, just by chance, rode from the HQ building up to the start line with Mark. He builds it into a training ride normally. He had ridden out from Douglas, about 18 or 20 miles away, rode the race, and then rode home with a bunch of them as well. He just likes the club scene."