Mark Cavendish keen to use his battle with depression to help others

Mark Cavendish wants to use his experience of battling depression to help others who may be suffering from mental health problems.

The 36-year-old enjoyed a stunning renaissance in 2021 as he won four stages of the Tour de France – his first since 2016 – to equal Eddy Merckx’s record of 34, earning a nomination for Comeback of the Year in the Laureus World Sports Awards.

The wins were all the more special given Cavendish had been dogged by injury and illness for several seasons, struggles which left him clinically depressed.

The Manxman has admitted he previously believed that “depression was an excuse” but he now wants to talk about his own experience to help others.

“I was somebody before who didn’t really believe mental health problems were a thing,” he said. “The irony that I suffered was such a good thing because it meant I could personally talk about the fact it is real.”

Cavendish’s problems began soon after he won four stages of the 2016 Tour before withdrawing early in order to compete on the track at the Rio Olympics, where he won omnium silver.

The following year he suffered from the Epstein-Barr virus, initially misdiagnosed, while a series of crashes added to his problems.

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A rider who had made winning look routine took only two victories between 2017 and 2020 – fearing his career was over.

“I went from being the best in the world to one of the worst overnight,” he said.

“I was misdiagnosed and mishandled by people I trusted in an old team and it pretty much wiped out everything physically I had worked for, and along with that came mental health problems…

“I know there’s still a stigma about it. I know it’s not taken seriously. If I didn’t take it seriously I