Known as the ‘Manx Missile’, he said through retiring he was able to travel back to the island far more.
“It’s been great to be back loads this year,” he said, adding: “My heart’s always there – to be able to spend time there again, I just love it.”
Cavendish said nothing compared to the Manx landscape for cycling, as even in bad weather it “toughens you up”.
“It’s my favourite place in the world to ride a bike and for me it’s the best place in the world to train,” he said.
He also said he more generally enjoyed being on the island, where “life kind of slows down”.
“It’s beautiful, waking up and seeing the sea on a morning is something that has always been with me from growing up there,” he said, adding: “I’m a proud Manxman”.
The raceway at the island’s National Sport Centre, where Cavendish rode as a child and where he fell in love with cycling, was renamed after him last year.