Mark Cavendish Never Enough Review: Netflix’s latest documentary is based on the British racing cyclist champion Mark Cavendish. It tells the story of his journey to become the greatest racing cyclist of all time and focuses on how he found his way back to the track after a drastic tragedy.
What makes this documentary appealing is how personal it makes Mark’s journey seem. With interviews of his wife, his friends, his mental health experts, owners of the teams he rode for and himself, along with archival footage that goes back to his childhood days, the documentary is a deep dive inside the mind of the person and what all he went through to achieve what all he has. The documentary has a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes approx. It has been directed by Alex Kiehl.
– Mark Cavendish Never Enough Review May Contain Spoilers-
Mark Cavendish Never Enough Review: Discussion
The documentary begins by introducing Mark as a kid. His love was cycle racing took root in young he was just a kid. This helps establish just how connected he is with what he does. We get a glimpse of the different races he won, especially the Tour de France in which he youngest British rider to get a stage win. He was a world champion at 21 years of age. Many called him the fastest man in the world. When you’ve achieved so much, a single stumble brings the whole world crashing down on you. This is what happened to him during the Tour de France 2017.
Also Read: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Review: A Poignant Story of Despair, Betrayal and Hope
From that point, the documentary turns inwards into Mark, exploring all the thoughts he had going on while he was struggling to accept that he wouldn’t be cycling for a considerably long time now. And even if he did, it would be a slow climb. The fractured arm and fractured shoulder blade took as much a toll on his mind as they did on his body.
From this situation till his return to Tour De France 2021, we get a see the pain, the rage, and the trauma that he went through; all of which affected his wife Peta and was clearly evident to those who knew him well. He was pulled out of his team as nobody believed that he could ride again. The way the documentary shows just how deep Mark had fallen and how he was being treated not only proves his strength that allowed him to rise back but also just how quickly the scenario changes in sports, is effective.
But what the documentary doesn’t address as much as it should have is his aggressive nature, both in and outside the tracks, which often landed him in trouble. There are multiple instances where he was responsible for his competitors crashing, sometimes very badly.
For example, Korean cyclist Park Sang-hoon had to be carried out on a stretcher following an accident that involved him and Mark. Then there is his behaviour with the media which was not good at all. Though it has been addressed here, it seems that the makers only used it as a motif to showcase his flaws; which would add to the catharsis that would result from seeing him return to the Tour de France 2021 and winning four stages.
Mark Cavendish Never Enough Review: Final Thoughts
The documentary ends by showing Mark failing to break Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins at the Tour de France 2021. In this way, it reminds us that an ending that isn’t happy doesn’t necessarily mean the journey hasn’t been fruitful. In fact, it is not even the end. Mark Cavendish has immortalized himself through his wins and more so via the way he has got back on his feet to equal the world record. He now stands alone at the top. Overall, a worthy watch.
Mark Cavendish: Never Enough is now streaming on Netflix.
Have you seen the documentary yet? Do let us know how you liked it in the comments below.
Also Read: Soulcatcher Review: Action-Thriller is Neither One of Those Things