MARK Cavendish received his MBE from the Queen yesterday and revealed how he told her to give him a cheer when the road race, at next year’s Olympics, finishes on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace.
The Road race world champion and Tour de France green jersey winner secured five stage victories on the Tour this year to take his overall tally of stage wins to 20.
He claimed the event’s final stage in Paris to became Britain’s first winner of the green jersey, awarded to the rider with the most points earned for intermediate sprints and stage wins.
Cavendish endured a below-par Olympics in the 2008 Beijing Games, failing to win a medal, but is a hot favourite for the men’s road race on the opening Saturday of the Games.
Cavendish is also in the running for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, which has this year courted controversy after no female sports stars were nominated.
“All the guys from Beijing got them (MBE’s) in 2008 so I’ve waited quite a bit longer - it was really nice.”
“She (The Queen) said I must have put in a lot of hard work to get where I am.
“We were talking about the Olympics and (my event) finishing on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace next year - I told her to give me a cheer when we come past.”
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