"As you will surely understand, this incident greatly traumatized our family, not just me and (my wife) Peta, but our children (8, 6 and 3 years old) as well, who feared for their lives and are suffering the consequences. ", explained the co-record holder for stage victories in the Tour de France, in a statement.
Four people had broken into his home in the southwest of England in the early morning hours of November 27, where Cavendish, 36, is recovering from serious injuries from a fall during a track competition in Belgium, and he saw his attackers leave with a baggage of major brand and two luxury watches.
British sprinter Mark Cavendish is evacuated on a stretcher after his heavy fall on November 21, 2021 during the Six Days at the Ghent velodrome JASPER JACOBS BELGA / AFP / Archives
"The stolen items are only material things and our priority for the moment is to make sure that everyone gets back to family from this incident. We know that it will take time," he further commented.
"There is no doubt that it was a targeted attack" on the home of the champion, said Tony Atkin, the police officer in charge of the investigation, but no arrests have yet been made.
During the last Tour de France, Mark Cavendish won 4 stages, equaling the record of 34 victories on the Grande Boucle held by the Belgian Eddy Merckx.
The British sprinter Mark Cavendish, winner of 4 stages on the Tour de France 2021, poses next to the Belgian Eddy Merckx, after having equaled his record of victories (34), on July 16, 2021 before the start of the 19th stage between Mourenx and Libourne Anne-Christine POUJOULAT AFP / Archives
Five days before the robbery, he had fractured two ribs and suffered from pneumothorax after his heavy fall on Sunday during the Six Days in Ghent.
On Tuesday, Cavendish extended his contract with his team for one season, which will become Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl next season.
© 2021 AFP