Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Mark Cavendish says he's decided who he's racing for next year - but he's not telling anyone else just yet

Manx Missile also outlines World Championship and Olympic hopes to BBC

Mark Cavendish has revealed that he has made a decision about which team he will be riding for in 2012 – but for now, his lips are sealed as to its identity. The Manxman, winner of five stages and the green points jersey in last month’s Tour de France, has been strongly linked with a move to Team Sky, and while the future of his current HTC-Highroad team is uncertain, intriguingly, Cavendish hasn’t ruled out staying put.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live this morning, the 26-year-old, whose current contract expires at the end of the year, said that he had made a decision over his future team at the weekend, adding, "I'm 100% happy in my decision."

Cavendish, winner of 20 Tour de France stages, the 2009 Milan-San Remo and the points jersey in last year’s Vuelta, continued: "I had one of those feelings. There was one more ingredient put into an offer I'd had."

He rejected thoughts that his decision might have been financially motivated, pointing out that he would "get the same money whichever team I go to."

Last year, it was reported that Cavendish was unhappy with his present contract with team owner Highroad Sports, negotiated several years ago, which he did not feel reflected the success he had achieved on the road.

However, he is not ruling out staying with the team, telling the BBC, "I want to go to the best place to help me win. That might be the same place I am at now."

Winning the Tour de France points competition has seen Cavendish achieve one of his two main goals for 2011, with the world championships in Copenhagen next month being the other.

"I think with the team I have and the course it is the best chance of my career to win the worlds,” he admitted.

"It is not pan-flat, but it is flat. It is a technical circuit so we have to stay at the front quite a lot.

"We can go with a strong team and be the favourites to win."

Next year, there is also the Olympic road race to consider, which could see Cavendish win Great Britain’s first gold medal of London 2012, although he was quick to put the event into context.

"In the history of road cycling the Olympics is a big thing but not the biggest,” he explained. “As a professional cyclist, it can't come at the forefront.

"But as a British person the Olympics is a massive thing and at a personal level it comes at the forefront for me.

"I am contracted and work for a professional team and I have to do what they say first.

"Next year the Tour de France is a massive goal for me and the Olympics is a massive thing for me," he concluded.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

8 comments

Avatar
Stumps | 12 years ago
0 likes

Dog72: For a moment i was going to bite, then it sunk in !

You were to quick for me there mate !!!!!!!!

Avatar
Dog72 replied to Stumps | 12 years ago
0 likes

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Avatar
Stumps | 12 years ago
0 likes

I think Sky are going to bin a few riders (rodgers, sutton, henderson, pauwels, augustyn, possoni and hunt spring to mind) and bring in a lot of new blood, so releasing the funds to pay for the htc contingent should'nt be to bad. Then there's Gilbert ?  39

Avatar
Dog72 replied to Stumps | 12 years ago
0 likes

Stumpy
I hope for the future of sport that Sky don't bring any "new blood" into the team. Surely a step backwards.

Avatar
RuthF28 | 12 years ago
0 likes

I hope it is HTC. Looking forward to hearing what the outcome is going to be though - and who is going to end up in Team Sky.

Avatar
grahamt1980 | 12 years ago
0 likes

He is probably waiting on the announcement until the new sponsors are confirmed for HTC. I think he would be unlikely to get such a comitted team anywhere else

Avatar
onlyonediane | 12 years ago
0 likes

HTC is a safe bet for Cav, wouldn't be surprised if stays put with them.

Avatar
Bunny Ears | 12 years ago
0 likes

It has to be a new HTC team with the onething being a guaranteed good run into London 2012, surely sky can't afford Eisel, Renshaw and Goss?

Latest Comments