British Tour de France record stage winner Mark Cavendish was the victim of an armed robbery.

As the 36-year-old announced on Wednesday, four masked men armed with knives broke into his home in Essex on November 27 and threatened him and his wife Peta.

According to Cavendish, the perpetrators took along two watches "of great value" and a designer suitcase, wrote the sprint star on Instagram.

"As you will understand, this incident has shaken our families - not just me and Peta, but also our children, who feared for their lives and are now struggling with the aftermath," said Cavendish.

The family had been deprived of the feeling of security, security, privacy and dignity in their own home.

"The effect this nightmare had on my family is heartbreaking enough," wrote Cavendish.

Cavendish was recovering from a serious fall at the six-day race in Ghent at the time of the attack.

During examinations in the hospital, two broken ribs and a mild pneumothorax were found.

On Tuesday, Cavendish extended his contract with the Belgian top team Deceuninck-Quick Step, which expired at the end of the year, until the end of 2022.