Mark Cavendish says it's the "happiest day of my life" as he becomes a father

During the past nine months, Mark Cavendish has won two of the biggest prizes available to a sprinter on the road, following up July's points classification win in the Tour de France with the world road championship in Copenhagen in September - but the 26-year-old has described yesterday, Tuesday 3 April, as the "happiest day of my life" after grilfriend Peta Todd gave birth to their daughter.

Cavendish broke the happy news in a tweet shortly after midnight, saying, "Delilah Grace Cavendish was born a couple of hours ago. She & @petatodd are doing very well. So proud of my girls! Happiest day of my life." It's the world champion's first child, while former Page 3 girl Todd has a son by a previous relationship.

Anyone who has followed Cavendish on Twitter during the past few months will be aware from many of the tweets he's posted that if there were a rainbow jersey on offer for being a doting father, he'd most likely be leading the sprint for that prize too - updates on his race preparation have been punctuated by news of nursery furniture purchases and other baby-related topics.

Currently, Cavendish is taking a break from racing to coincide with his daughter's birth, although he should be back in the peloton next month as he prepares for the Giro d'Italia.