Sports Personality of the Year: Mark Cavendish 12/1 following retirement win

• Cavendish 12/113.00 to win SPotY after announcing retirement

• Keely Hodgkinson remains long odds-on at 1/61.17

• Luke Littler second favourite and could win Grand Slam of Darts

Cav wins final race of his career

Sir Mark Cavendish is 12/113.00 to win next month's BBC Sports Personality of the Year award following the announcement of his retirement, 24 hours before he bowed out in style by winning his final ever race.

The 39-year-old Manx announced on Saturday that he would retire after Sunday's Tour de France Criterium in Singapore, a race he would go on to win.

Nicknamed the Manx Missile, Cavendish is the most successful sprinter in cycling history and earlier this year broke the record for number of stage wins at the Tour de France when he won his 35th race to move him one ahead of previous record holder Eddy Merckx.

In total Cavendish won 165 races in his career including the road world title in 2011. As well as his 35 Tour de France stage wins he also won 17 stages in the Giro d'Italia and was a three-time madison world champion. Just last month he was awarded a knighthood.

Following Sunday's race win Cavendish said, "I'm quite emotional. I realised in the last five laps it was the last 15km of my career.

"I was nervous about crashing or something if I fight [for the lead]. I really wanted that so bad. I've always loved this sport."

Close to tears, Cavendish added, "I'm looking forward to what the rest of my career holds. I couldn't have wished for a better send-off. I'm so grateful. I hope everyone enjoyed that."

In 2009 footballer Ryan Giggs was awarded the BBC SPotY award, largely due to what many presumed was his last season in football before retirement. However, on the day he was given the award it was announced that he would sign a one-year contract extension.

Hodgkinson still the red hot favourite

Womens Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson remains the long odds-on favourite at 1/61.17 to win the BBC awad next month, with 17-year-old darts phenomenon Luke Littler second favourite at 6/17.00.

Hodgkinson has enjoyed a stunning 2024. The 22-year-old won gold at the European Athletics Championship, set a new British 800m record at a Diamond League meeting in London, and capped her glorious year with victory at the Paris Olympics.

Littler, who burst on to the scene by reaching the final of the 2024 World Darts Championship, has won nine individual titles this year, has thrown four 9-dart finishes and recorded some of the highest match averages in the history of the game. He's currently playing in the Grand Slam of Darts where victory could mean his odds shorten for next month's SPotY award.

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