Following his record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win in the summer, Mark Cavendish's year of celebrations continued as he was awarded a knighthood on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old was awarded in Windsor Castle by Prince William. The honour is among the most prestigious available in the United Kingdom and is awarded to people who have made significant contributions in their field, from sports and the arts to public service, politics and more.
"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," Cavendish said after receiving his knighthood, reported the BBC.
"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.
"It's 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 also spoke about his future in the sport. He said that he's set to compete in further races to complete his 2024 season.
November's Tour de France Prudential Criterium in Singapore is set to be the final meeting of his long and storied career, though it's not clear which – if any – UCI-ranked races he'll take on before then.
"I've still got races this year. I'm still training for them, it will be really nice to race as a Knight Commander," Cavendish said, before seemingly shutting the door on continuing his racing career into 2025.
"I've already said I won't do another Tour de France," he added. "That's public knowledge, I won't do another Tour de France."
Cavendish last raced at the Tour this summer, where he sprinted to a historic stage win in Saint Vulbas, scoring his first stage win since 2021 and breaking Eddy Merckx's 49-year-old record.
Earlier in the year, Cavendish scored victories on stages of the Tour Colombia and Tour de Hongrie, making him responsible for three of Astana Qazaqstan's 11 victories thus far in 2024.
