Sir Mark Cavendish Manx mural to inspire future generations
A new mural incorporating the names of hundreds of children on the Isle of Man is set to honour cycling legend Sir Mark Cavendish and "inspire future generations".The feature is to be created at the Sir Mark Cavendish Raceway at the National Sport Centre, where the Manx Missile first took up the sport at the age of 10.The 39-year-old became the most successful stage winner in Tour de France history when he took his 35th victory last year.Speaking about the project, Sir Mark said: "I fell in love with racing here instantly. I can still remember the excitement and the pure joy. It's a very special place for me."
Manx schoolchildren are being invited to draw their names in bubble writing and submit them to the Department for Education, Sport and Culture to be included on the mural. It is to sit at the end of the re-branded raceway due to be launched in June.
Sir Mark turned professional as a teenager and went on to complete a record-breaking 165 wins over two decades.He took part in a lap of honour around the NSC raceway, accompanied by about 100 local children on their bikes in August.Minister Daphne Caine said: "This is about inspiring the next generations as Sir Mark was inspired by his own heroes - he is the greatest of all time so this is about celebrating him."It is such an incredible achievement to have such a sporting icon who is Manx-born and homegrown."Visit Isle of Man chief executive Deborah Heather said: "This track played a significant role in Sir Mark's extraordinary story, and I've no doubt cycling fans will be fascinated to discover more about where his journey began as a young boy."
Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
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