'My job is to compete - and a Spoty award is still a competition'

Mark Cavendish's Tour feat did not yield a BBC nomination but he remains happy to retire from riding on his own terms

- Donald McRae

"I've been broken," Mark Cavendish says with a throaty chuckle as he considers the state of his body after decades on the bike. Cavendish will turn 40 next May and his extraordinary career finally ended last month when he won his final race in Singapore to follow his record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage victory this summer. Cavendish is the greatest sprint cyclist the sport has seen and all the blurring wins and moments of history mean there are no regrets even when he feels so battered. "I have to do so much maintenance of my body now," he says, "and I feel it most when I go running. It gives me a perspective on how many hours I've spent crouched over the handlebars while I'm trying to run. That's when I realise how I've been in the same physical position for the best part of 30 years and at the highest level for nearly 20 years.

"That's the nature of being a sportsman. My best friend, Cal Crutchlow, was a MotoGP rider, so he's broken bones everywhere. We're very lucky our joy came from professional sport but the payoff, apart from having a nice life, is the state of our bodies now."

At least, rather than riding his bike or running, Cavendish can walk leisurely on to the stage at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards in Salford this evening. He will receive a lifetime achievement award and, as we discuss the plaudits that will greet him, I realise his competitive spirit remains fully intact. Ever since the Spoty shortlist was announced, and Cavendish was left off despite breaking the record 34 Tour stage wins he and the great Eddy Merckx previously shared, there has been an uproar on social media.

His lifetime award was only announced yesterday morning but Cavendish has known about it for some time. It's the reason we're doing this interview but I love the fact that Cavendish can't help but talk honestly: "I'd be lying if I didn't say I hoped to be on the shortlist, but it's the same as 2021 when I also wasn't nominated."