Sir Mark Cavendish will receive the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement award on Tuesday night after ending his record-breaking 19-year career last month.
Cavendish, 39, postponed retirement last winter to have another crack at claiming a record 35th Tour de France stage win and some 16 years after he claimed his first success in his favourite race, Cavendish delivered number 35 in style on stage five into Saint-Vulbas.
The win was the 165th in a remarkable career in which Cavendish was also crowned world champion – and Sports Personality of the Year – in 2011, won Olympic silver on the track in Rio and was a three-time Madison world champion, but one in which he also battled illness and depression before enjoying the perfect send-off.
“It’s such an amazing feeling – what an honour,” said Cavendish.
“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.”
Cavendish built his career around the Tour de France and it is his record there that will define his legacy.
Breaking the record long held by Eddy Merckx had looked inevitable in his youth as Cavendish piled up 25 Tour stage wins between 2008 and 2013, but the ‘Manx Missile’ was then challenged by younger competition before injury and illness contributed to a diagnosis of depression.
Cavendish fought his way back to the top only to see what was supposed to be his final Tour in 2023 end in the back of an ambulance with a broken collarbone.
To come back and win his 35th Tour stage this year was a testament to his staying power, his will and his determination, qualities marked by the lifetime achievement.
Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, said: “Mark Cavendish has redefined what is possible in the world of cycling. From his medals on the track to his breathtaking Tour de France record, his determination to achieve greatness is nothing short of extraordinary.
“Mark has inspired generations of athletes and fans alike through his sporting achievements and openness about his mental health struggles.
“His legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time makes him a truly deserving winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement award.”
