Sometimes, when Mark Cavendish speaks in public you almost cannot hear him. He gets down to, essentially, a whisper and it is an unnervingly incongruous trait in a man widely regarded as one of the great sprinters of the age.
On Thursday the Abu Dhabi Tour brand ambassador will begin the end of what has been a fine season, but also one of near misses.
He won four stages at the Tour de France, to take his total stage wins at the race to 30. He stands on the precipice of history, just four behind the leader Eddy Merckx. He narrowly missed golds at the Olympics and the World Championships, however.
• Complete coverage: Visit the Abu Dhabi Tour section
• Abu Dhabi Tour: Cycling's finest set for season finale
• Interactive: The 2016 Abu Dhabi Tour race route
“It’s been great,” he said on Wednesday. “I haven’t had the pressure of winning in every race I’ve gone into.
“I set out some objectives at the start of the year and I went through those, I knew I could do it. I came up a little short at the Olympics and the Worlds, I would’ve preferred gold. But ultimately, when everything’s settled I’m pretty happy with it.”
But asked later where this season stood in his career, he shrugged. “Don’t know, it’s just another season. My 10th year, that’s where I place it in my career.”
Part of the upswing has been the impact of joining a new team — Team Dimension Data — at the start of the season. The team’s broader vision of bringing about deeper change in the cycling culture in South Africa has spurred him on.
“It’s a young team and it rides for more than just being a moving billboard,” he said. “To race for something more, the Qhubeka charity, to deliver bikes to underprivileged kids in Africa, it is a pretty special thing. It’s something I can relate to as well.”
Last year a shoulder injury forced Cavendish to miss the first Abu Dhabi Tour. Instead he watched from the sidelines, an enthusiastic supporter but also, as he conceded, an envious one for missing out.
“I’m very proud to be the ambassador and very happy to be back this year, racing,” he said. “It is pretty special. I watched the race last year and at least I got to see it, the spectacular end.
“Really looking forward to the race, it has good sprint stages so there are three sprint opportunities. The final race at Yas Marina will be a great end to the race and the road season, a real spectacle.”
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport