The Isle of Man's Nick Corkill Memorial Race had a surprise last-minute entrant on Sunday. His name wasn’t on any of the start lists, but there, signing on with everyone else, was Mark Cavendish, former world champion and 34-time Tour de France stage winner.
"When I turned up, I could see his bike, and that was the telltale sign," says James Meakin, one of the day's competitors. "It's weird to see an elite pro like him, and his bike, outside a village hall, pinning on a number with all the amateurs. But there he was, chilling casual like any other amateur road racer."
According to one of the race organisers, Richard Fletcher, the plan was hatched just the night before. Cavendish, back visiting his home island, messaged a racing friend to ask if he could join the event. That request trickled back to Fletcher.
"I was actually at a party on Saturday night," he says. "I messaged Cav back and said, 'Bring your licence and bring 20 quid.' And that was it." Fletcher laughs. "He was like, 'Cheers mate.' And that was the exchange.
"Although we have to be quite strict with entry closure, because otherwise everybody just takes the mickey, we all sort of agreed that if it is a Conti-level rider or a WorldTour rider, we always put them in, because their programmes can change. That's the only slack we cut them. They rock up, pay their entry fee, and none of them complain about it.
"I, just by chance, rode from the HQ building up to the start line with Mark. He builds it into a training ride normally. He had ridden out from Douglas, about 18 or 20 miles away, rode the race, and then rode home with a bunch of them as well. He just likes the club scene."
During the race, a 50-mile loop in the north of the island, Cavendish chose to keep a low profile. "From the gun, he was very vocal with the other riders," says 26-year-old Meakin. "He made sure they were pulling their turn. There are a lot of junior cyclists who are future stars for representing the Isle of Man, and he was very good at getting everyone to work together and be a cohesive bunch."
One of those younger riders was 18-year-old Callum Salisbury, who eventually finished second to ex Team Sky rider Chris Lawless. It wasn't the first time the teenager has raced with Cavendish, who often takes part in local events and criterium races when he's home.
What's the Manx missile like in the bunch? "He's still Cav," says Salisbury. "He'll shout orders, but he's very supportive. Every time you go through, he's like, 'That's great. Well done, you're doing great there. Keep tight.' Or, 'Do this, do that.' He's always trying to help us, especially the younger ones. He's not flat-out racing, he's not here to drop everyone.
"He’s a former British champ, he's won however many Tour de France stages, but he doesn't want to ruin the race for everyone else. He could easily just run away with the race, but he wants to help more than actually race."
As the action headed into its finale, and Lawless broke free from the bunch, Cavendish eased up and rolled towards the finish. The results sheet shows he finished 29th, behind a host of promising juniors.
"I presented the trophies at the end," says organiser Fletcher, who also took part and placed 24th. "I'm looking out there, it's a football club house - a typical, British club event - and I'm calling out the names of people who've won the categories, and there's these people dotted in the audience, clapping, with a cup of tea in their hand. Cav's there, and he's just a normal club guy. It's really nice to see, and I know I'm getting sort of sentimental about it, but it is a nice thing."
For Meakin, 16th on the day, the moment was "surreal".
"It was quite funny seeing him at the prize presentation, tucking into a brew and having a few bits of cake as well," the 26-year-old says. "Everyone knows him on a local basis, so it's not quite a fangirling kind of response to him, but it's always nice to see him.
"He's done quite a bit for the cycling community here on the island, and it's even nicer that it was the Nick Corkill Memorial Race, which celebrates a guy who was renowned for giving back to the cycling community."
