'The word depression is misconstrued' - Mark Cavendish on mental health battles in new Eurosport podcast

Mark Cavendish has opened up about his battle with depression, saying the illness is “misconstrued”. Cavendish joined Orla Chennaoui and 2012 Olympic champion Greg Rutherford to help launch The Breakdown, Eurosport’s new podcast featuring conversations with sports stars and celebrities. Ad/> The Manx Missile is arguably the finest sprinter in history, with his palmarès boasting a joint-record 34 stage wins at the Tour de France and victories in the world championship road race and Milan-San Remo.

Giro d'ItaliaGiro d’Italia team guide: Star riders, memorable moments, which Italian food are they?14 HOURS AGO But the 36-year-old has faced physical and mental battles throughout his career. He was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus in 2017 as his performances declined, winning just one race on the road until his renaissance at Deceuninck Quick-Step (now Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) last year. He was also diagnosed with depression in 2018 and opened up about the experience on The Breakdown, available to listen now on all good podcast platforms.

Exclusive: 'It scares me' — Cavendish on his rivalry fears with team-mate Jakobsen «The word depression is misconstrued in a way,” Cavendish said. “Depression you just associate with being sad – and it’s not sad. The amount of times I’ve tried to paint a picture.

But you can’t, there’s no picture to paint. “You either don’t have any feelings at all or how you act or respond is completely irrational. “It’s a chemical imbalance.

It’s when you understand that’s something wrong, that’s when you can do [something about] it. The point I understood it was when I was actually diagnosed. It was just a medical professional saying this and then it made sense.” Cavendish has previously said that in the