What a week it's been for Mark Cavendish. On Monday night, he secured the Olympic medal that he has alluded him for eight years, with a silver in the omnium, and two days later he celebrated his son Frey's first birthday. No prizes for guessing what Mark and wife Peta bought for their baby boy…
"He got a little bike, didn't he – a little Strider," Mark, 31, revealed during an interview on Lorraine on Thursday. "I'd be proud to go out on a bike with him, that's kind of what I imagine when I finish my career, I can go out riding with my kids."
Mark Cavendish with wife Peta and their son Frey
Speaking to host Gaby Roslin, with his wife by his side, Mark also opened up about his dramatic crash in Rio, when he collided with South Korea's Sanghoon Park during the final event of the omnium.
Three riders ended up falling, including Italy's Elia Viviani, who went on to win the six-discipline event, while Sanghoon had to be stretchered off.
"It was my mistake at the end of the day, it was a silly mistake," said Mark, who flew back to the UK with his family on Wednesday.
Mark and his family flew back to the UK on Wednesday
"I wasn't paying attention, but I think any insinuation that something was done maliciously or you purposely crashed into another competitor, especially a competitor who wasn't in contention for a medal and a friend of mine, someone I speak to, it's not very nice, you know."
He added: "Straight away after the race, as soon as I'd done all the media I could, I called Sanghoon's coach… I managed to get his number for the next day and we spoke and I feel terrible. I know what it's like to crash, it really ate me up that I caused that pain and hurt to someone, but unfortunately it is bike racing, and it was fault on my part."
© Photo: Getty ImagesMark and Peta have been married since October 2013 and have two children together
Mark was also asked whether he planned to take part in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. "It's too early to say… It's kind of hard," he said, before wife Peta added: "Somebody asked me straight away afterwards, 'Do you think he'll be back for Tokyo?' And I said if you ask him right this second he would probably say no, but I would probably find us having this conversation in a few years time, going 'Okay yeah maybe we can be there'.
"I think with the support that's kind of in British cycling and Team GB in general, it makes it very easy to think we can do this, we can get back on."
