Tour of California: I'm not just here to mill around, says Cavendish

Mark Cavendish's spring so far has been one to forget. He took a stage at the Dubai Tour in February but then crashed on stage 1 at the Abu Dhabi Tour, suffering concussion and whiplash. A crash in the team time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico left the Dimension Data rider bloodied and battered as he crossed the line.

Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.