[ad_1]
There have been so many twists and turns in the ‘Where will Mark Cavendish end up in 2023?’ story that, frankly, it’s hard to keep up.
First, we had the Manx Missile’s controversial omission from Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s Tour de France squad in July, ending all hopes of that historic stage win number 35 (for this year, at least), followed by Patrick Lefevere’s confirmation that Cavendish would no longer be “part of our project” after the end of this season.
With Cav’s exit from Quick-Step confirmed, the rumour mill has been swirling wildly since July: first, there were the – albeit tentative – rumours of a move to EF Education-EasyPost, after the 37-year-old attended a Rapha (EF’s clothing sponsors) event in London.
Cav visits Rapha in July (Simon MacMichael)
French minnows B&B Hotels-KTM (who appear to be on the cusp of a major funding boost) then took the lead in the race for Cavendish’s signature, with team boss Jérôme Pineau’s hopes of securing a deal – a “50/50” prospect in August – appearing to rise steadily throughout the autumn, with many expecting the sprinter to be announced as the squad’s marquee signing at a grand unveiling in Paris last Wednesday.
However, that big reveal was called off at the last minute, as Pineau reportedly struggles to secure the required funds, amidst uncertainty over the arrival of new, heavyweight sponsors.
Cavendish, meanwhile, has remained tight-lipped on the matter, telling Cyclingnews at the Tour de France Criterium in Singapore on Sunday: “When I know, then you’ll hear it”.
So, just when you thought things couldn’t get any more convoluted, in walks Movistar, everyone’s favourite chaotic Netflix stars and the unlikeliest of bedfellows for a thoroughbred sprinter like Cavendish.
Movistar riders at the Tour of Britain (SWpix.com)
But according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Spanish band of climbers have emerged as a backup option if Pineau’s Parisian adventure falls through. The venerable Italian sports paper has claimed today that Movistar DS (and former GB rider) Max Sciandri is interested in securing his friend’s signature and aiming for No. 35 at the Tour next July.
A lead out train – consisting of Alex Aranburu, Imanol Erviti and Ivan Garcia Cortina – has even been touted, with Cav apparently set to share sprinting duties with old teammate and new Movistar signing Fernando Gaviria.
Gaviria sprints against Cavendish at the 2022 Tour of Oman (ASO/Pauline Ballet)
But…
Just as we were all getting excited about the prospect of watching the volatile Cavendish and the squad’s impassive GC leader Enric Mas interact on the team bus on Netflix next year, the Spanish team took to Twitter itself to quickly quash any rumours concerning what surely would have been the shock signing of the winter:
Let’s put these rumours to sleep quickly and remind people what the WT rules are (we’re at 30 for 2023) – but it’s No News November after all, we need to come up with something? 😅😛 pic.twitter.com/oRTbV2rw8E
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) November 1, 2022
“Can we please, kindly remind everyone that we’re at 30 riders on our men’s team for 2023 (the UCI maximum) and this is just the desire of Max, who has been close friends with Cav for a long time,” the team’s social media manager wrote, in between fits of laughter I presume, this morning.
And in any case, Movistar tells us, if they could have an extra man in their squad, it would of course be the now-retired Alejandro Valverde:
We’ve already got plenty of (namely Iván Romeo and Vinícius Rangel), and that’s why we’re at 30 – might as well have tried that formula to get Bala out of retirement, but the UCI won’t allow us, either!
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) November 1, 2022
We understand it’s a low month when it comes to news in cycling, but come on, some things are too much!
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) November 1, 2022
Well, they don’t call it the silly season for nothing…
[ad_2]
Source link
