“If you get a knife held to your neck, you can’t do anything”: Mark Cavendish recounts “zombie knife” burglars who made him feel “helpless” in front of wife and kids

Mark Cavendish has opened up about the “horrific” violent robbery at his Essex home over three years ago and the lingering impact it has had on his life. Revealing that he still gets “flashbacks all the time” of the “zombie knife” that was held to his throat in front of his wife and kids, the retired sprinter says he felt “helpless” both during the incident and in its aftermath, which saw him “vilified” on social media “for having expensive watches”.

In an interview with The Telegraph this week, the 39-year-old discussed life after retiring from the men’s pro peloton last year, having finally secured that elusive 35th Tour de France stage win, which saw him move clear of Eddy Merckx as the rider with the most stage wins at cycling’s biggest race, cementing his legacy as the sport’s greatest ever sprinter.

And one of the events discussed in the interview was the violent robbery which took place in the early hours of 27 November 2021, with four masked men breaking into his home in Ongar, Essex. They held a large “Rambo-style” knife to Cavendish’s throat and threatened his wife Peta and his three children then, one of them just three years old, before ransacking the house at knifepoint.

“I get flashbacks all the time. To have a zombie knife held up to your throat in front of your kid?” Cavendish said. “It was horrific. You think about what you could have done [differently]. Everyone thinks, ‘I’d fight.’ And of course I was swinging at first. But I tell you, anybody gets a knife held to their neck, you can’t do anything. Like, my wife’s there, my kid. I was helpless to do anything.”

> Two men jailed for knifepoint robbery at Mark Cavendish's family home

After the robbery, it was revealed that the items stolen from his Essex home — one of the three he owns — included two watches made by Swiss brand Richard Mille, worth a combined £700,000, as well as a Louis Vuitton suitcase and a phone.

“But far, far worse to be taken was the sense of security, safety, privacy and dignity that my young family and everybody else is entitled to in their own home,” he said in a statement after the robbery. “The effect that this nightmare has had on my family is already heart-breakingly evident.”

Thinking back on it, Cavendish now explained: “To be fair, I’m lucky because I was there. I’m happier I was there than if it happened to Peta and the kids when I was away. I would never have forgiven myself. They were looking for a [particular] watch that didn’t even belong to me. I had borrowed it for something. The GQ awards or something. And then I’d given it back.”

Three of the men involved in the burglary have since been apprehended and sentenced to prison, with one of them still on the run. But as Cavendish explained at the time, it wasn’t just the violence which hurt, but also the criticism that came his way in light of his owning the expensive watches.

(Aston Martin)

He said: “That was almost the hardest thing. Being vilified for having expensive watches. Firstly, Richard Mille is a partner. One of the partners who stuck by me on a personal level when I was at my lowest point. Secondly, you’ve seen today where I’ve come from, you know? I’ve done everything myself. I’ve paid my taxes. Even if I had bought [that watch] myself, how can I be vilified for that? Why shouldn’t I?”

> Mark Cavendish wins “special” BBC Lifetime Achievement award after record-breaking final season

The Manx Missile was recently awarded a “special” BBC Lifetime Achievement award, and described his last season as a pro cyclist, which saw him win one last stage at the Tour de France, before finally bowing out at the Tour de France Singapore Criterium in November, as a “fairytale ending”.

The former world champion is also preparing for life after almost two decades of road racing, and he believes that his future although a bit uncertain at the moment, ultimately lies in team management.

“My strength is team-building,” he said. “I know what I’m good at and what I’m not good at. These last few years have been preparing me for the next phase. I understand cycling and what is needed to succeed.

“In my opinion, the problem with the sport today is they don’t know how to tell a story. Pro sport is about inspiring, both actions and emotions. We are in an entertainment industry. I tried to do that with every team I was at.”

Mark Cavendish wins record 35th Tour de France stage, 2024 Tour de France, stage 5 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

However, the immediate thing on his mind right now is training — not for any bike race, but for the Paris Marathon in April. “I’m aiming for four and a half hours. My knees are not really up to going any faster,” he said.

> "Arise, Sir Cav": Mark Cavendish awarded knighthood in King's birthday honours while Chris Boardman receives CBE

But the most important thing, according to Cavendish, is that he will be running with his brother Andrew. He doesn’t often speak about him — the two were estranged for a while after Andrew got into “drink and drugs problems”, however, he revealed how proud he was of his sibling who has now managed to get his life back on track.

“It was actually my brother who inspired me to go cycling,” Cavendish said, describing the day Andrew came home from school, aged about eight, and excitedly told their mother about a new cycling league for children at the National Sports Centre (NSC) in Douglas. Cavendish went too. The rest is history…