The fastest sprinter....

I've just been reading an article in the newspaper about Mark Cavendish - surely the fastest man in the world on a bike - here's what he says about going fast.

"To be quick, you really have to enjoy cycling. If you love something you are going to do it, even through driving rain and bitter winds. Going out in bad weather isn't my first choice but its still not a chore. If it were I'd know my time at the top was over. I just love to get on my bike, I don't get carried away with heart rates and power outputs I just go out like a kid and ride - even if I do that at 25mph for 8 hours. When I was growing up on the Isle of Man I would go out with my friends all day and blast about on our bikes, we were pretty competitive always racing to the next signpost and the terrain over there helped me get where I am today, there's not one yard of flat over there. The fastest sprint I've been clocked at is 47.5mph - which was the fastest time ever recorded. To do that time after time takes a certain amount of balls, especially when you see what happens when riders crash. Going downhill I have been clocked at 79.5mph during the Tour of Switzerland 2009. Another secret to my speed is the stiffness of the bike, mine is so stiff it gives me a bad back, my body takes all the impact, this way as much energy as possible is transmitted through the pedals instead of being lost through flexing. I train my mind as well, I make about 1000 decisions in the final minute of a race and you can't do that if you're thinking too hard, its got to be hard wired. There's no guarantees though, I still crash out!"

Mark Cavendish is regarded as the fastest sprint cyclist in the world. He holds the record for stage wins in the Tour de France by a British rider, six in 2009 and five in 2010.