London 2012: Cyclist Mark Cavendish in stamps honour

Manx cyclist Mark Cavendish has said it is a "great honour" to feature on a set of stamps released by the Isle of Man Post Office.

The stamps feature key moments from the cyclist's career, including winning the men's World Road race championship and the Tour de France green jersey.

The 27-year-old said: "I'm proud to feature in this stamp collection and delighted with the images."

Cavendish will be one of Britain's earliest medal hopes at London 2012.

He will also look to retain the sprinter's green jersey at the Tour de France, later this month.

'Augmented reality' stamp

"It's a great honour for me personally, but it's also a reflection of the widespread interest in cycling now - and that's always great to see," he added.

Among the seven-stamp collection will be an "augmented reality" stamp which comes to life on smart phone or tablet screens.

Scanning a smart phone over the £1.05 stamp of Cavendish will make it appear to come to life and automatically display a video of him winning the world title in Copenhagen.

The images also include early-career highlights, including the cyclist winning gold for the Isle of Man at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, his first victory as a professional cyclist in the 2007 Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen in Belgium and his victory in Italy's Milan-San Remo classic in 2009.

The current BBC Sports Personality of the Year will also feature on a 50p coin minted in the UK on behalf of the Isle of Man Government, which will be in general circulation as well as in special celebration packs.

The stamps will be issued on 19 June.