After a tremendous season Mark Cavendish has been awarded the F T Bidlake Memorial Trophy for 2011.

The award is presented annually by the Bidlake Memorial Trust committee for the most outstanding performance or contribution to cycling in the UK. The list of previous recipients is like a who’s who of the UK cycling scene over the last 75 years and includes Tom Simpson, Reg Harris, Beryl Burton, Alex Moulton, Hugh Porter, Graham Obree, Sean Yates, Nicole Cooke, Chris Boardman and Dave Brailsford.

Graham Thompson Secretary and Treasurer of the Trust said “In a year when he won 5 stages of the Tour de France, was the first Briton to win the Green Jersey, won the UCI Road World Championships and was appointed an MBE, Mark Cavendish was the clear winner for the 2011 Award.”

The Award is named after Frederick Thomas Bidlake, affectionately known as ‘Biddy’ who was a dominant figure in the cycling world for two generations. He was an outstanding competitor and his achievements on a tricycle were sensational. Later in life he became an outstanding administrator where he represented cyclists on many bodies including being the Vice-President of the Cyclists Touring Club, President of the Road Records Association and was generally considered to be the father of time trialing.

For further details go to www.bidlakememorial.org.uk.