MARK Cavendish is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
He finished in first place ahead of Darren Clarke in second and Mo Farah who was third,
A clearly emotional Cavendish said he was 'absolutely speechless'.
He thanked everyone for their support.
'To be nominated against nine inspirational people this year, to get this I am lost for words.'
He added: 'For me it is a landmark and I take this on behalf of cycling. For cycling to be recognised in a non-Olympic year a few years ago would have been unheard of.
'I want to thank everyone who supported me here and everyone at home.'
Ahead of tonight’s ceremony, the Manx Missile was the bookies’ favourite, having once been a 33/1 outsider before his spectacular performances in the Tour de France put him in the box seat.
Five stage wins and the green jersey catapulted him into the spotlight and tonight will see just how much of a star Cav has become.
Speaking on the show, he praised his support crew and team mates for all their help.
Looking ahead to next year's Olympics, where he represents the British team's strongest hope for a first gold medal, he said: 'I am pretty confident we can get GB off to the best start possible.'
Lord Sugar, a cycling fan, praised Cav as a 'British icon'.