Mark Cavendish will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at Tuesday’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony in recognition of his long and successful racing career.
The Manxman recently retired from racing following an 18-year pro career which saw him win a record-breaking 35 Tour de France stage wins. He ended his career with a win at the Tour de France Criterium in Singapore in mid-November and won his final official race at the Tour de France in Saint-Vulbas back in July.
Cavendish is one of five cyclists to win the main Sports Personality of the Year award, joining Tom Simpson, Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas when he took the honour back in 2011 after he became world champion in Denmark.
Now he will join Hoy in winning the Lifetime Achievement Award which will be awarded during Tuesday’s ceremony.
“It’s such an amazing feeling – what an honour,” Cavendish told the BBC.
“I’ve been riding for 20 years, and I’ve done everything I can so to be awarded this is something very, very special.
“I’m very fortunate I’ve done everything I wanted to do, and proud that’s more than many other people have done as well. I always dreamed of having my name alongside those greats I grew up watching.”
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Beyond Tuesday’s ceremony, Cavendish’s future is unclear. He is not expected to join XDS Astana as was expected. He will be a special guest at the Tour Down Under in January but has so far kept quiet about his future plans.
“I am lucky enough to have done what I love for almost 20 years and I can now say that I have achieved everything that I can on the bike,” Cavendish said back in November when confirming his retirement from racing.
“Cycling has given me so much and I love the sport, I’ve always wanted to make a difference in it and now I am ready to see what the next chapter has in store for me.”
