EP6: Sir Mark Cavendish, The “Beautiful” Champs Élysées and his brotherhood with Brad

The Champs Élysées, the iconic conclusion to the Tour de France since 1975, helped Sir Mark Cavendish, the race’s most decorated stage winner, make his name. Four of his 35 stage victories came there. But one moment on the Champs Élysées remains the most memorable on a bike for both Cavendish and Bradley. In this extraordinary episode, “Cav” joins his old mate Brad, and Graham to delve into the final moments of the 2012 Tour de France when Brad, wearing yellow and on his way to overall victory, led out his teammate, wearing the rainbow World Champion jersey, for the final sprint to victory. They reveal how the plan had been hatched in a hotel room five years earlier, and constantly remind each other of details the other had long forgotten - including the moment another sprint king found his way on to the team bus for a chat with the fastest man on a bike. There are countless other little-known Champs Élysées stories too, as Sir Mark delves into the minutiae of how to win the unofficial “World Championship of Sprinters”, and how the whole Tour felt a waste on the occasions he failed to do so. And in probably the most poignant chat of the entire series so far, Brad and Cav open up on the depth of their friendship, how they have helped one another through their darkest moments and why their bond can never be broken. You won’t want to miss this one. Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode and join the Café Aficionado community on social: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠ | Strava Add your favourite cycle café stop to the ⁠Café Aficionado map Contact us: ⁠[email protected]⁠ CAMS: Café Aficionado is sponsored by CAMS - helping thousands of cyclists get back on the roads. For more information visit the CAMS website https://c-ams.co.uk/sirbradscafe/ NORD VPN: Café Aficionado listeners can get an exclusive deal with Nord VPN at https://nordvpn.com/sirbrad APPLIED NUTRITION: Use code SIRBRAD30 for 30% off your next order at Applied Nutrition - fuelled by science, trusted by Champions Credits Presented by⁠ Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠ and Graham Willgoss Guest: Sir Mark Cavendish Researcher: Luca Unwin Production Manager: Ross Aitken Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield YouTube Editor: Théo Stöcklin Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville Recorded at: Outset Studio London Bridge Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production