MARK Cavendish won the 2011 Sports Personality-of-the-Year award following his brilliant performance in the Tour de France, in which he won five stages. Cavendish, 26, was crowned best sprinter in the Tour with HTC-Highroad then became the first cyclist in 30 years to claim the green jersey-world championship double after winning the road race in Copenhagen.
The ‘Manxman’ has won 20 Tour de France stages in four years and his victory in Denmark ended a period of 46 years without a British winner of the world’s road race.
“This award is a landmark for cycling. For cycling to be recognised in a non-Olympic year is unheard of,” he said while becoming only the second road cyclist to claim the award after Tommy Simpson did so in 1965.
Cavendish is favourite to win the Olympic road race in London next year as well as defend the green jersey with his new Sky team.
Open champion Darren Clarke was second behind Cavendish with Mo Farah, who won the world 5 000m title, third.
The team award was won by the England Test cricket side after their first Ashes series triumph Down Under since 1987 helped them on the way to becoming the number one-ranked Test side in the world.
Captain Andrew Strauss oversaw that comprehensive 3-1 victory in Australia and also series wins over Sri Lanka and India – the latter a 4-0 home whitewash.
Premier League champions Manchester United and the Wales team that so impressed at the Rugby World Cup were second and third.
England’s Zimbabwean cricket coach Andy Flower won the coaching award ahead of Warren Gatland and Sir Alex Ferguson, of the Wales and United teams respectively.
Serb Novak Djokovic won the overseas award after an incredible year in which he took over the number one spot in the tennis rankings – winning his first 41 matches in 2011.
Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi and German Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel were second and third respectively.
Golfer Lauren Taylor won the Young Sports Personality-of-the-Year award after becoming the youngest winner of the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship in June, aged 16.
Cyclist Lucy Garner and Paralympic swimmer Eleanor Simmonds were behind her, while Sir Steve Redgrave, who won five gold medals at successive Olympics from 1984 to 2000, was given the lifetime achievement award.