Retired British cyclist Mark Cavendish to be honoured with BBC Lifetime Achievement award
Olympic silver medallist from Rio 2016, Cavendish will be celebrated in his retirement year with a special accolade at the 2024 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.
Cycling Road
Former Team GB cyclist Mark Cavendish will be presented with the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award to celebrate his decorated career.
The Rio 2016 silver medallist will be honoured with the accolade at the 2024 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards on Tuesday (17 December).
Cavendish retired in November with 165 race wins and a record 35 Tour de France stages, winning his Olympic medal in the cycling track men’s omnium event.
He told the BBC, "It's such an amazing feeling - what an honour. 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. Legacy is important, most people like to be remembered for something. It’s an honour if you are remembered for something, not just for yourself, but for your kids and for your next generations and for inspiration for than anything.”
Cavendish rode for eight teams across a professional career spanning nearly two decades. He won the points classification across all of the grand tours: twice in the Tour de France, once in the Giro d’Italia and once in the Vuelta a España.
On the same night that the 39-year-old will be recognised for his career achievements, the winner of the Sports Personality of the Year will also be announced.
Paris 2024 Olympic champions Alex Yee and Keely Hodgkinson are among the six-person shortlist, as well as Team GB Paralympic champion Sara Storey.
The awards will be handed out during a live show in Salford, Great Britain on Tuesday, 17 December.