At speed - Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish is quite simply the most exciting thing in world cycling. With his self-belief and smouldering competitive fire, Cav has turned the animalistic hunger to win into an art form. Cycling bible L'Equipe has responded to his staggering success by naming him the best sprinter in the history of Tour de France.

In Boy Racer, published by Ebury in 2009, Cav told of his early years, culminating in his first experiences of the Tour. Since then his career has advanced at a lightning pace. He has clocked up another three record-breaking years in the Tour, becoming the first Brit to win a jersey in 25 years and the first ever to win green; sailing to final-stage victory on the Champs-Elysees for an unheard of four consecutive years. He won green in Spain's Vuelta in 2010 and spent the 2012 season in the World Champion's rainbow jersey; making him the first British cyclist in 50 years since Tom Simpson to win the World Championship road race. As well as being one of Britain's most successful sportsmen he's also the most popular, winning half the votes to become the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year in 2011.

But no one has ever claimed that being one of cycling's elite is easy. In 2012 Cav joined Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome at Team Sky. Still relentlessly ambitious, he had to learn his role within this hugely talented team, even at the expense of his own individual interests. And despite Team Sky's success at the 2012 Tour, Cav had to contain his disappointment when events conspired against them in the Olympic Road race a month later.

Cav tells his very personal story of the journey to the top, and gets to the heart of the pain and the passion, and the guts and the glory of professional cycling.