Mark Cavendish shares horrific details after burglars held Zombie knife to cyclist's throat in front of son
14 January 2025, 21:18 | Updated: 14 January 2025, 21:20
Mark Cavendish has opened up about the ‘horrific’ moment burglars held him at knifepoint in front of his family while they raided his house.
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Mark Cavendish has opened up about the ‘horrific’ moment burglars held him at knifepoint in front of his family while they raided his house.
The Tour de France legend was subject of a home robbery a number of years ago, when burglars beat him and threatened to stab him in front of his wife and son.
The robbers were thought to have been searching for a sapphire Richard Mille watch worth around £2 million, which the Olympian was loaned for an award ceremony.
In November 2021, robbers entered the British cyclist’s home in Essex, eventually leaving with two Richard Mille watches valued at £700,000, a phone and a Louis Vuitton case.
Cavendish, 39, said he is still affected by the incident over three years later.
“I get flashbacks all the time. To have a zombie knife held up to your throat in front of your kid? It was horrific,” Cavendish told the Telegraph.
“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.”
At the time of the robbery, Cavendish was still recovering from an accident which left him with three broken ribs and a torn lung.
His partner, Peta Todd, was pregnant with the pair’s fifth child when she heard noises downstairs.
She ran back into the bedroom after she saw “figures running towards her,” where she hid their three-year-old son under the covers.
She said one of the robbers has a ‘Rambo-style’ knife and took her phone away when she tried to call the police.
“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.” Cavendish said.
Two men were jailed for their roles in the robbery in February of 2023. A third man was also convicted in 2023, while a fourth is thought to still be on the run.
During a trial in January, prosecutor Edward Renvoize described the events. He said: “Mrs Cavendish got into the bedroom and Mr Cavendish got hold of a panic alarm.
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“Two assailants jumped on him and punched him and asked him to turn the alarm off. One individual produced a knife and threatened to stab him in front of his children.
Cavendish continued: "They were looking for a 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.
“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 where I've come from. I've done everything myself. I've paid my taxes. Even if I had bought [the watch] myself, how can I be vilified for that? Why shouldn't I?"Mark Cavendish shares horrific details after burglars held Zombie knife to cyclist's throat in front of son
