Media Isle of Man was granted an exclusive interview with Sir Mark Cavendish at his island home earlier this year. During the 20-minute chat the island’s greatest ever sportsperson candidly discussed this summer’s record-breaking Tour de France achievements, how he felt after receiving the news he was to get a knighthood, the possibility of driving sheep through Douglas (?!) and his plans for the future.

I think, as a nation, we are sometimes a bit blasé about Cav and his achievements, but as he brings the curtain down on a glittering cycling career, he sits alongside Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, and Michael Schumacher in the pantheons of world sport.

Just let that sink in. A lad who spent his formative years pedalling his BMX up Devonshire Road, before honing his craft at NSC’s Youth Cycling League is quite rightly considered to be his sport’s GOAT (Greatest of all Time).

The 39-year-old’s near two-decade career as a professional officially comes to an end on the 31st of this month when his contract with Astana Qazaqstan Team expires.

Sir Mark will sign off with a glowing palmarès. Since turning professional in 2005, the former Ballakermeen student has racked up 55 Grand Tour stage wins, which culminated with an incredible and emotional record-breaking 35th victory at the Tour de France this summer.

That’s not to mention an Olympic silver medal, a Commonwealth Games gold medal, and world titles on both the road and track.

It’s been quite a final year as a pro since Cav reversed his decision to retire last summer, culminating with the BBC Sport’s Lifetime Achievement award last week.

Sir Mark explained it hadn’t been as easy as many would have presumed to make a u-turn on his original decision to step away from the sport: ‘I was retired. That was it. I announced my retirement last May, and 2023 was my going to be last Tour de France. Obviously that didn't end how I wanted it to end, but that’s life - that’s sport.

‘I've had good luck in my career, but you have bad luck as well and it just balances itself out.

‘And that's how I saw it. I've had good times, but then again some things just don't go your way.

‘So that was it. I was done, but as soon as I got back from hospital [after his Tour de France ending crash], my team boss was like “carry on” and my wife Peta was like “carry on”, but I really didn't want to.

‘I knew retiring was what I wanted to do and that it was going to be my last Tour.

‘I put everything I had into doing it.

‘My job's odd. I'm very fortunate to ride my bike for a living, and there's some great perks to doing it, but it's not an easy life.

‘You know, I can't complain. There's people in worse situations I am, but it's not easy. I thought it was time.

‘And then, actually, the kids came to me and said: “What do you mean? You're not gonna be a bike rider?”

‘And then Peta was like: “Daddy will carry on” and I was like “I'm not”.

‘Then I said: “Actually, I'll ask you guys [what I should do]. You know I want to be with you, I want to spend more time with you. What should I do? Should I do another year or what?”

‘And they all unanimously said: “Yes”. So that was the decision made for me really.’

Having made the decision to carry on, soon talk of Cav bettering Eddy Merckx’s long-standing Tour de France stage win record ramped up.

Sir Mark though wasn’t listening to the added noise around his comeback: ‘There was absolutely no added pressure. I’ve never known anything except pressure.

‘You're in a good position when you're expected to win.

‘My whole career I've been expected to win - it means I've done something right, you know?

‘The only pressure you should really pay attention to is the pressure you put on yourself.

‘I know what I can control, and everything else is expectation that is out of my control.

‘I knew if I put the work in, had the right team around me and the right equipment, I knew I'd be in with the best shot of winning.

‘Fortunately I had all those things. A year's not too long to focus on one thing - you need a goal to get out of bed every morning.

‘An Olympic cycle is four years; it that can seem a long way, but a year is manageable.

‘Ultimately, I enjoyed it. I was with a great group of lads. My team were brilliant - like a family - people I've raced with before and a boss [Alexander Vinokourov] who was a champion as well.

‘He was Olympic champion in London in 2012 when he was 40 years old.

‘He understands what it's like, and his words are always like: “We know if you do the work, that's all we can ask of you”.’

The hard work and the preparation paid off for Sir Mark on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 3 in the small town of Saint Vulbas in eastern France.

Reflecting on the months since he crossed the line with his trademark arms aloft celebration to mark his record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage victory, Cav said: ‘In all honesty, it's the same as every other time I've won at the Tour, because my life's been exactly like it has been every other time.

‘After every Tour de France, I always take a couple weeks off with my family, try and regroup and relax a little bit.

‘You're in this bubble, this high-intensity bubble, for not only the three weeks of the tour, but the months leading up to it as well.

‘You have to kind of unwind for a few weeks as it is important for the rest of the year.

‘And that’s not been any different, really.

‘It's been a little bit busier with with things have come off the back of winning the 35th stage. But in terms of the professional side of it, that still continues until the end of the year. So you keep just focusing on that and the next step.

‘There'll be a lot of time to kind of look back after that.

‘Of course, I'm proud of the journey me and my team have made over the last year together, along with me and my family, and the supporters that have lived the journey with us.

‘It's been quite a nice story to build up, and I'm honoured to have been the main character of it.

‘There's a lot of people who've worked as hard, if not harder than I have. So yeah, hopefully they're relaxing now too.’

To be at the top of your sport for nearly 20 years is a remarkable achievement and Sir Mark says some of that longevity has been shaped by the challenges he had to overcome while competing as a teenager.

‘When I was 14 years old, I used to finish school on a Friday and ride my bike down to the boat with like a duffle bag on my back and get that ferry over to compete in the UK.

‘I’d then catch a train to wherever in the night time, ready to compete over weekend. I’d then get a midnight ferry back on a Sunday and go to school on the Monday.

‘I know we're well supported here with Isle of Man Sport Aid, the facilities at the NSC and the community of cyclists here, but you're still at a disadvantage.

‘It means you have to graft and that’s what I did when I was growing up.

‘I was not really as strong as everyone else, but I just worked the hardest I could. I didn’t let other people kind of say what I could do I guess.

‘I also love riding my bike.

‘I like riding my bike with the kids. I like riding my bike as a mode of transport. I like riding out with my friends. I like racing.

‘I get to do that for a job makes it easier to do that job, but my threshold to give up is perhaps higher than other people and I think that is because of my roots here.’

Sir Mark also says the geography and terrain of the island has played a big part in his success: ‘It’s never boring training here.

‘It’s always up and down and if you don't know any different that instils something into you.

‘The roads are hard - they're heavy roads to ride on. They're roads that are designed so the water doesn't stay on them and make them slippery for obvious reasons, so you kind of stick to them.

‘And then, for those obvious reasons which is the weather, you kind of get a bit hardy with it.

‘The rain doesn't bother you, because it rains here a lot and like I said before, the bike riding community here means there's always a group out.

‘As long as I've known, there's a group that meets the same time every day at the NSC.

‘On a beautiful day it doesn't matter how many times you've seen the scenery, you're going to enjoy it.

‘I've been everywhere in the world to ride my bike and this is still my favourite place and always will be.’

The Manx Missile’s achievements on the bike, together with his charity work with organisations such as Help for Heroes, saw him knighted in June’s King’s Birthday Honours.

Sir Mark admitted: ‘I was quite emotional when I found out.

‘In my sport, like most sports people, you strive for results, but this is a different kind of recognition and that’s pretty special.’

Cav admitted he was nervous ahead of his trip to Windsor Castle in October to receive the award from Prince William adding: ‘It’s going to be the most nerve-wracking thing: meeting a member of the Royal Family.

‘I’m going to have to get fitted for a suit and I’m dead awkward in a collar!’

Sir Mark received an MBE for his services to British cycling in 2011, the same year he also won the BBC’s prestigious Sports Personality of the Year award.

Three years prior to that he joined a select list of people of be given the Freedom of the Borough of Douglas.

In other places this usually comes hand-in-hand with an archaic law that allows the person bestowed with the honour to drive livestock through the city.

When asked whether he knew of any ‘perks’ that came with the title, Cav quipped: ‘I think you can use the borough car parks for free, but I always pay unless the machine is broken!’

‘I think you can walk your sheep down Strand Street, but I’ve never done so. However, I've got five kids, and walking them down Strand Street is like walking a herd of sheep anyway!

‘In all seriousness it’s a great honour and I really appreciate being a freeman of the capital city of our island - it means a lot.’

Looking to the future Sir Mark added: ‘I know what I want to do. I like management. I like business and I like working with a team.

‘That’s always what I thought I’d do.

‘I've always been able to get a group of people working well together. I know I can do that.

‘I'm very fortunate I’ve always had the best people around me that I could kind of try and get the best from as well.

‘I get a buzz out of everything from a kid learning to ride a balanced bike up to helping a pro go faster up a hill.

‘I feel success in other people as much as I do in in myself.

‘I think the natural step is into management, whether that is in cycling or out of cycling I don't know.

‘Obviously cycling I know so that'd be an easy choice.

‘Punditry? I’m not so sure. I love watching cycling, but I'm actually quite shy I guess.

‘Of course being Mark Cavendish has opened a lot of doors, but I'm quite happy not to be in the limelight really.’

With the Isle of Man set to host the Island Games in 2029 could their be one last dance on home turf?

‘How old will I be then? 44 - maybe. Andrew Roche is nearly 70 and he’s still going!

‘I don’t know. Look, there’s always so many talented riders over here of every age group and there'll be someone better than me, for sure. I'll come and watch though.’