Mark Cavedish (HTC-Columbia) has been named in a shortlist of ten sports stars to be nominated for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Should he win the award he would be only the third cyclist in history to take the prize after Tommy Simpson (1965) and Sir Chris Hoy (2008). He was also nominated for last year’s award, which is decided by a public vote, but was unsuccessful and the prize went to Manchester United footballer [soccer player – ed] Ryan Giggs.
Although the BBC shows very little cycling, restricting its coverage to the Olympics, World Championships on the road and track, and World Cup track events from the Manchester Velodrome, Cavendish probably has a better chance than last year as there are few big names on the list against him; also golf, which enjoys a lot of BBC coverage, has two nominations and so the golf vote may be split between them.
Ironically, Cavendish has been less successful this year than last but his five stages of the Tour de France, long with another three and the points jersey in the Vuelta a España, have been enough to secure him nomination from the panel of thirty British newspapers and magazines.
While cycling rarely warrants a mention in the mainstream British media [aside from when there’s a doping scandal – ed] the award has been won by two cyclists in the past. Tommy Simpson took the prize in 1965 after becoming the first, and so far only, British rider to win the men’s World Championship road race, while Sir Chris Hoy won in 2008 as British cycling rode on a wave of glory following the team’s extraordinary performance in the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Cycling had four nominations that year, with Nicole Cooke, Bradley Wiggins and Rebecca Romero also on the list, which led many to fear that the cycling vote would be split; it was not to be so though, and Hoy polled almost twice as many votes as second placed Formula 1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton.
That year the Great Britain Cycling team also netted the team award for its performances in the Olympic Games and World Championships, and Performance Director Dave Brailsford was named coach of the year.
The award will be made on the night of December 19th at the end of the BBC show; the winner will be decided by public phone vote on the night.
Nominations for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2010:
Mark Cavendish (cycling)
Tom Daley (diving)
Jessica Ennis (athletics)
David Haye (boxing)
AP McCoy (horse racing)
Graeme McDowell (golf)
Graeme Swann (cricket)
Phil Taylor (darts)
Lee Westwood (golf)
Amy Williams (winter sports)