On Wednesday, Prince William, heir to the British throne, honored cyclist Mark Cavendish (39) at Windsor Castle for his contributions to sport and charity. Cavendish was appointed Knight Commander by King Charles III in June, and the world champion in both road and track cycling is now officially titled “Sir.” Following the ceremony, Cavendish confirmed to the BBC that this year’s record-breaking Tour de France was his final one.
King Charles recognized Cavendish’s achievements before he broke the legendary Eddy Merckx’s record with his 35th stage win at the Tour de France in July. Cavendish stated, “I still have races to compete in this year, and it will be special to race as a Knight Commander. But as I’ve said before, there will be no more Tours.”
The Isle of Man native has claimed at least one points classification victory in every Grand Tour, twice winning the Tour de France’s points classification (2011 and 2021). His 15th participation this year was also his last.
In his professional career, Cavendish has secured 165 victories, 55 of which were in Grand Tours: 35 at the Tour de France, 17 at the Giro d’Italia, and three at the Vuelta a España. He also won the road world championship in 2011 and silver in 2016. On the track, he earned silver in the omnium at the 2016 Rio Olympics and was a three-time world champion in the madison (2005, 2008, and 2016).