Sir Mark Cavendish has said it will be “really nice” to race as a Knight Commander as he received a knighthood at Windsor Castle. The 39-year-old from the Isle of Man finished this season with a record-breaking 35th career Tour de France stage win in what he said would “likely” be his last race.
However, he has postponed retirement before, and has since given mixed messages about whether he will race again. Asked on Wednesday about his future in the sport, after receiving his knighthood from the Prince of Wales, he hinted at a return. “I’ve still got races this year,” he said. “I’m still training for them, it will be really nice to race as a Knight Commander.”
However, he repeated that he would not race in the Tour de France again. “I’ve already said I won’t do another Tour de France,” he said. “That’s public knowledge, I won’t do another Tour de France.”
On receiving a knighthood, he said: “I was really nervous. His royal highness was superb. I didn’t honestly know I’d be nervous, but I’m so incredibly proud of representing the country.”
He revealed he spoke to William about cycling, saying: “I think the last time we met was at the Tour de France in Yorkshire and I crashed at the end of that stage. He asked me if I was doing anything else up there, and he was talking about my career, which was very nice.”
He reflected on his long and successful career and expressed his delight at the growth of the sport in recent years. “I am very fortunate to have got to do what I love for so many years, and to see other people inspired by that and riding bikes themselves,” he said.
“Seeing how many people ride bikes now, seeing the growth of cycling in this country now and seeing how successful we’ve become at it… it’s incredibly rewarding to be part of that. It wonderful. You know, I’m just a lad from the Isle of Man, to be a Knight Commander, that’s not something I could ever have dreamed of.”
Cavendish has registered 165 career victories on the road, including the 2011 world title, stages of all three Grand Tours, and Milan-Sanremo in 2009. He also secured a silver medal in the omnium at the 2016 Olympics, and is a three-time Madison world champion on the track.
Cavendish said one of his children expected him to come out wearing a suit of armour after he was knighted. “One of the boys thinks I’m going to be walking about in armour,” he said. “They’re very proud.”
