Tuesday 29th June 2021 was the most special day in the career of Mark Cavendish as he took Stage 4 of the Tour de France in classic style; to the astonishment of viewers and pundits alike. Ned Boulting exclaimed, ‘Mark Cavendish rips up the rule book!’ which became the title of my painting.

The much-loved rider from the Isle of Man had suffered several years of setbacks, yet he held the belief that his story with the Tour de France, his favourite race, was not yet told. Well, this was a lovely chapter! He was brought into the team of Deceuninck–QuickStep in a surprise move, but by Stage 4, their belief was justified. The finish line approached and it looked as though no sprint would happen; Brent Van Moer (Lotto Soudal) held onto a gap into the last kilometre, until the peloton charged him down. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) launched the sprint but Cavendish exploded past him and held on to take victory; the 31st Tour stage win of his career. The emotion of the moment overwhelmed him as his tears flowed, but make no mistake, the Manx Missile was back!