Cavendish stays put

Team Columbia-HTC have confirmed that Mark Cavendish will stay with the team in 2010, ending speculation the Briton will ride for Team Sky.

Cavendish, from the Isle of Man, has taken 10 Tour de France stage wins in the last two years, a record for a British rider, and is now firmly established as the quickest finisher in the peloton. He has continually played down links with the new Sky team, which starts racing next year, and will now remain Columbia-HTC’s star sprinter.

The 24-year-old's victories during 2009 include the Milan-San Remo classic, and once again the Manx Missile will have the team, including New Zealand track specialist Hayden Roulston, signed from Cervélo TestTeam, and Saxo Bank pair Lars Ytting Bak and Matt Goss, built around him next season.

However George Hincapie, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Greg Henderson are the most notable departures, with the American veteran joining BMC Racing and the latter two expected to join Sky.

The news comes as Cavendish took the 50th victory of his career in the opening stage of the Tour of Missouri in the US, his 22nd win of what has been a phenomenal season.