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news
Mark Cavendish after winning 2022 GB National Championship (copyright Alex Whitehead, SWpix.com).JPGMark Cavendish "not part of our project" — Patrick Lefevere confirms Cav will leave Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
The Manx Missile will be riding for a new team in 2023...
On yesterday's Tour de France rest day, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevere was delighted to unveil the team's new name and kit for next season, when Soudal will cross over from Lotto Soudal to sponsor their Belgian rivals — soon-to-be Soudal - QuickStep.
From 2023...
It’s Soudal - Quick-Step 💥
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/G5sAj4oHKv
— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) July 11, 2022
One man who will not be part of the team, however, is the sprinter whose controversial absence from the Tour dominated the pre-race narrative — Mark Cavendish.
> Wiggins: "Any other team would be crazy" not to take Cav to the Tour de France
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Lefevere confirmed that Cav "will not stay" beyond this season.
"I think not, it is not possible. It hurts my heart, I would like [...] but every now and then the time comes to say thank you for everything he has done for the team and I hope vice versa," Lefevere said.
"I know he wants to race for another two years… but it is not part of our project."
The 37-year-old's departure has been assumed since his omission from the Tour de France team, with Lefevere instead placing full support behind stage two winner Fabio Jakobsen.
Cavendish is, of course, just one win away from holding the record for the most Tour de France stage wins outright having equalled Eddy Merckx's famous tally of 34 with his fourth stage victory at last year's edition, and it seems likely wherever he races next will need the guarantee of a spot at next year's Grand Depart in Bilbao.
[📷: ASO/ Pauline Ballet]
The Manx Missile won the British national road race championship, for the second time, with an impressive display of climbing, endurance and race craft just one week before the Tour began in Copenhagen, and despite Tim Declercq having to withdraw due to a Covid positive, Florian Sénéchal was selected instead.
[📷: Alex Whitehead / SWpix.com]
Speaking before Cav's national title-winning ride, Sir Bradley Wiggins said any team other than his current employer would be "crazy" to not select him.
"Patrick [Lefevere] knows what he's doing but from a personal point of view, it would be a real shame if Cav's not there," the 2012 winner said.
"Aside from the personal relationship with him, I find it hard to see why you wouldn't take Mark: from a performance point of view, for the sponsors, for the impact he has on other riders around him on the team and the fact that he won four stages last year and the green jersey.
"Why wouldn't you take the defending green jersey back to the Tour de France? I can't see anybody else on that team who would merit going ahead of him, personally."
The noise around Lefevere's decision was somewhat hushed when Yves Lampaert won the opening time trial and wore the yellow jersey on stage two as Jakobsen won the sprint.
[📷: ASO/Pauline Ballet]
Main image: Alex Whitehead / SWpix.com
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
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12 comments
I think its always interesting to look at what's being said, by not being said with these things.
Mark is not dripping about betrayal or making public statements. Now it could be that this has blindsided him and he's taking time before publically commenting, or it could be that he has already signed a deal for next year. This deal could also be the key driver behind why he was benched for the tour.
Alternatively, the Soudal deal may have a lot more to do with Mark's fate than anything else. It sounds that they are building a GC team moving forward, around Evenepoel... no room for sprinters or big lead out trains there. Also if my memory is not betraying me, I'm sure Soudal properly muddied the water around rider selection when they partnered with the Lotto team. Maybe I'm wrong on that.
Time for that career twilight move to Israel..a..n.othersponsor?
They may not be a World Tour team next year. Relegation looms.
Israel may have vacancy next year with one of their great hopes not performing anywhere near his expectation but having been bitten by the lure of a mega star multiple winner joining their payroll I wonder if they will be a little bit more cautios in the future. Can you imagine the publicity any team would get from Cav winning just one stage of the tour? The pictures and publicity would be priceless so hopefully a few teams will be tepmpted to commit a whole season to one sprint result.
The way the numbers look at the moment...... Israel won't be at the Tour.
The young Alpecin team would benefit from his experience and can provide a decent lead out crew. If Cav could 'choose' I can't think of a better option for him.
I think Alpecin is a good shout. Merlier out Cav in.
Might have some TdF issues, but Alpecin took Merlier, Philipsen and MvDP to the Tour last year. He would at least have a chance.
You were shafted there Cav, what a disgusting way to treat one of the best riders ever. I hope you (just in case by some quirk of fate you do read this) find a team who will appreciate you and throw their resources behind you and that you keep winning and giving us mere mortals enjoyment watching you win.
It's just not, it was Lefevre and Quickstep who gave Cav his chance of a return when nobody else wanted him and gave him the leadout train that enabled him to equal Merckx's record last year. In Jakobsen they have arguably the world's best sprinter and with him still being in his mid twenties it makes the soundest possible commercial and sporting sense fully to commit to him. If we take off the patriotic and fan specs (and I'm as big a fan of Cav as anyone) we can see that Quickstep have treated Cav perfectly fairly - he probably would have had to retire pre-2021 without their taking him back into the fold.
Quickstep are expected to sign Merlier (30) as back-up or competition for Jakobsen.
Although he isn't known for his tact and diplomacy, Lefevre is being straight with Cav (hopefully to his face). Given his record this year I am sure he will get another team. The hard bit is getting a TdF spot with enough back-up to support a stage win.
I know it is big business and there is no place for sentiment but I understood that part of the reason that Cav went back to Quickstep was to secure a future wih the team after his racing days. I know that the marriage of Cav/Quickstep was for mutual benefit but from what I know from the press it does seem like QS promised him something they have now gone back on.
I don't think anyone envisaged that Cav would have quite the success he did, and certainly not that he would be planning to race for another two years. In those circumstances obviously any previously-agreed deal that he would race for one more year and then become part of the backroom staff would go off the table; I'm sure if he'd said he was retiring at the end of this season the team would have found a position for him, but if he doesn't form part of their racing plans they can hardly be expected to keep him on their active roster for X number of years until he decides he's ready to stop.
Who knows, maybe they will still give him a place on the staff when he retires from racing...