Cavendish Puts His Stamp On Isle Of Man
Mark Cavendish will star on a new set of stamps being produced by the Isle of Man Post Office to celebrate the athlete‘s sporting achievements, which include winning the 2011 Road World Championship and the Green Jersey in last year’s Tour de France.
The stamps will go on sale on Tuesday 19th June, the same day that Cavendish addresses leading figures from across British sport as the on-stage interviewee at the Nolan Partners Sport Industry Breakfast Club. The cyclist spoke of his pride at the honour, but insisted it was proof of his sport’s changing fortunes as well as his own achievements.
A souvenir sheet of the stamps will include an augmented reality feature, allowing the £1.05 stamp with a special label come to life using an app on a smartphone, tablet screen or other mobile device. It will automatically display a video of Cavendish winning the world title in Copenhagen.
The postage stamps include images of the Manx Missile winning the 2011 UCI Road World Championships and the Green Jersey in the 2011 Tour de France.
Cavendish said: ‘I‘m proud to feature in this stamp collection and delighted with the images which have been selected. It‘s a great honour for me personally, but it‘s also a reflection of the widespread interest in cycling now and that‘s always great to see.’
As an Isle of Man sporting hero, the 38 pence stamp – the first in the set – features him celebrating winning gold for the island in the scratch race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Cavendish also features on a 50 pence coin minted by Pobjoy Mint in the UK, on behalf of the Isle of Man Government, which will be in general circulation as well as in special celebration packs.
Geoff Corkish MHK MBE, chairman of the Isle of Man Post Office, added: ‘This is a unique issue which will appeal to cycling fans and stamp collectors alike. Mark is a marvellous ambassador for the Isle of Man and for his sport and I‘m delighted that his greatest victories are celebrated in this prestigious first edition stamp issue which has been approved by Her Majesty The Queen. His tremendous achievements in recent years have done a great deal to promote the Isle of Man around the world and the stamp issue is just one example of the pride the Isle of Man has for all of his achievements.’
Cavendish’s win at the Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen, Milan-San Remo, Tour de France Green Jersey, World Championships, in Team Sky colours at the 2012 Kuurne-Brussels and winning Commonwealth Games gold all feature in the collection.
