And it's goodbye from him? Brailsford says Mark Cavendish can leave Team Sky if he wants to (but he'd rather he didn't)

I really hope that if he is forced to leave Sky to go for another green jersey that he ends up with OPQ rather than Greenedge or Katusha. Old rivalries would be rekindled if he went to Greenedge and I really feel uncomfortable about teams from the old soviet block countries like Astana and Katusha because I don't think they take the problem of doping seriously and sometimes, I suspect, positively encourage it.

Cav is too good to play second fiddle to anyone.

Use them then lose them.

1/2 of HTC are now at OPQ so I think that would be the obvious route. If cav goes I think Bernie will follow....

OPQ have Czech billionaire money behind them, so they can pay the wedge as easily as anybody else. They also happen to ride Specialized, and Cav has often been vocal about wanting to continue his relationship with them. Not that that would stop another team breaking their contract with their bike supplier and switching to Specialized if they had to.... but then with Tony Martin and cohort already there, it has to be the most logical move. I couldn't see Cav gambling on a bunch of dodgy Russians. Greenedge would be a move from Man U to Wigan, to mis-quote Wiggins slightly.

"They also happen to ride Specialized, and Cav has often been vocal about wanting to continue his relationship with them."

I'm sure I remember reading that Sky have signed up to switch from Pina to Spesh next season...

I bet the media team at Sky love it when DB drops a quote like that...

Interesting to see that there's STILL talk about Sky going to Specialneeds even though it's widely reported (and announced on the official Sky web site) that they are staying with Pinarello until the end of next year at least.

I'm increasingly convinced that it's Sky's policy to discuss things speculatively when there is no chance of it happening and openly ONLY when it's inevitable/decided.

Enjoy the media circus and the debate it fuels - it seems to mess with everyone's head except those in the eye of the storm.

It's almost like Brailsford is acting like a minister of misinformation sometimes, and I like that. Imagine the frenzy of (potentially worthless) scheming and budget rejigging by teams who suddenly feel they have a chance of signing Cav for next year, pissing off the roster and hierarchy that already exists at a successful team like, say, OPQS. Psychologically, that must be a massive weapon.

That was the rumour, but they've decided to stick with Pinarello for at least one more season.

Looks like OPQ would be a good bet, doesn't it? Lots of his old buddies, no real GC ambitions, and maybe a chance to learn the classics craft for the future (which Cav has always said he'd be interested in). If they can afford him, it all slots in to place...

Zabel will be a big pull for Cav, dodgy russians or no, and Cav could give Katusha the new clean image they need.

Zabel will be a big pull for Cav, dodgy russians or no, and Cav could give Katusha the new clean image they need.

OPQ is the only logical choice after Sky, but if you read the article carefully it never says he is leaving, all it says is that if he wanted to he could, just like any other rider.

The story in L'Equipe is from a highly respected paper which is a surprise if they are printing pure speculation or is it a way to try and cast some doubt and in fighting over the preperation for the Olympics by a rival country ?

Brailsford almost said "...and don't let the door hit you on the way out, Mark..."

This is just so British.

Here we have a British-based team with British subjects as world's top all-rounder, top climber and top sprinter, and all you can do is wish it'd fall apart?

Try enjoying being part of cycling's top nation for a few days.

No one reckon Sky could bankroll two teams, or BC to have two teams under different sponsorship?

I don't think Cav would need much more attention from his team to be back to his usual number of Tour stage wins (five rather than three). The team were understandably paranoid about defending the yellow jersey this year. With a little more attention keeping Cav towards the front of the peloton he might have got a couple more stages. Having Geraint Thomas back next year should help.

I knew that should have done the Spesh switch. Brad seems less bothered about what bike he rides, etc.

That way everyone would have been happy well, ok, I wouild have been happy

Mind games prior to the olympics?

I don't think he'll stay at Sky, Cav enjoys winning too much and Sky are obviously more interested in GC than stage wins.

I think Specialized want Cav back on their bikes so OPQ is the most likely place for him, he'll have a team around him and there'd probably be the money from Specialized to make the deal work.

Would it not be possible for Murdoch to join forces with the Belgians?

Omega-Pharma-Phonetap has quite a ring to it....

Step-hent: "That's a good point - Sky were missing a top quality lead out man really, and GT fits the bill for that."

Well they had Eddie but I suspect once Siutsou was out he had to do way more work in the mountains than had originally been envisaged and wasn't able to do as much for Cav as foreseen in the pre-Tour plan.

Cav was only really given full support on the final two road stages once GC had been more or less secured following the Pyrenees.

And if they had G working for Cav next year, we've also seen in shorter stage races that he works for Brad in the mountains too. But you can't switch between those two roles every day for three weeks, some days you have to take it easy.