Where’s Cav? No Manx Missile on the SPOTY shortlist (BUT Dame Sarah Storey nominated); talkRADIO presenter Cristo Foufas continues his crusade against cycle paths; The madness of Icyclo-cross; Bicycle tree; Weekend review + more on the live blog

Mark Cavendish was a surprising omission from the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year list announced this morning. Record-breaking Paralympic cyclist Dame Sarah Storey made the cut and will face Tyson Fury, Raheem Sterling, Adam Peaty, Tom Daley and favorite Emma Raducanu for the award.

> Mark Cavendish “violently attacked” in armed robbery at his Essex home

Fair enough, it’s a tough gig that cuts the entire British team of athletes down to six, and there will always be outrage, but no Cav has certainly got people talking …

On Twitter, Andrew Bain responded to the BBC’s announcement: “Amazing decision not to include Mark Cavendish, the man responsible for the greatest sports comeback of all time. Bigger than Ali and Tiger combined. How can this be justified? It is an absolute disgrace. “

Another dismayed fan said she would not vote for the first time in 50 years because of Cav (and Lewis Hamilton) ‘s omission.

Brendan Gallagher said: “Where is Mark Cavendish? The greatest cycling story / achievement of the year x10 and more, and where is Tom Daley’s diving partner. He did not win the gold medal at he alone who chooses these preselected? “

Stunned that Mark Cavendish was not on the shortlist. Made the biggest comeback since Lazare in this year’s Tour de France. A remarkable sports history for the ages.

– Tim McKenna (@ TimMcKenna5) December 13, 2021

So Mark Cavendish is fighting illness to win again on the bigger stage and yet doesn’t make the list 🙈

– Simon Plackett (@ longtallsally19) December 13, 2021

Well, at least now you don’t have to choose between Cav and Dame Sarah Storey …