It is finally official! Fabio Aru will be riding for Qhubeka-Assos in the 2021 season where he will hope he can reinvigorate his career and start performing well at the Grand Tours.

Aru, who is leaving UAE Team Emirates, has been linked to numerous teams this year with rumours going around that he could have signed for Alpecin-Fenix and ride cyclocross, or even step down to Vini Zabù-Brado-KTM.

But no, it is the rebuilding project that is currently going on at Qhubeka-Assos that managed to get the former Italian champion's signature on the contract.

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Aru, who is now 30, said: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining Team Qhubeka-Assos next season and I'm very grateful to Douglas Ryder who welcomed me to his team,

"When the possibility to sign first came about, and then after speaking with Douglas and other team members, I immediately felt that this was an environment that I wanted to be a part of.

"In the last few years I haven’t experienced all of the success that I’d hoped for and so I will use this new step to draw from some of the simple factors that saw me achieve those results, as I know that I’m capable again of similar success."

Aru's year ended for UAE Team Emirates on stage nine of the Tour de France where he was dropped on a relatively flat stage and left behind with only the broom waggon to keep him company.

With former UAE boss, Giuseppe Saronni saying that Aru has disappointed the team and that he shouldn't even have been at the race in the first place.

Team principal, Douglas Ryder had this to say about the signing: "I am excited to have Fabio join our team; to have a rider who has won a Grand Tour in the Vuelta, been 5th in the Tour de France and twice on the podium of the Giro adds a lot to our teams development as we continue to strive to win on the world’s biggest stage; to inspire hope and create opportunity.

"Fabio’s passion and love for cycling can be seen in the way he races and I think in our unique team we will see him rise again, as I am sure we will get the best out of each other."

Enrico Gasparotto has announced his retirement from professional cycling at the age of 38 after a successful career spanning 16 years for eight teams, winning various races.

Gasparotto is perhaps best known for his two wins and other excellent performances at the opening race of the Ardennes Classics, Amstel Gold Race, but the Italian-born rider, who is now Swiss registered, has managed so much more than that.

"Cycling has been my life for the past 20 years: 16 as a professional and four as an under-23," wrote the 38 year old on an Instagram post on Sunday (November 29).

"[It's been] a journey that has seen me grow and mature, both as an athlete and as a person, and that taught me what determination, hard work, perseverance, sacrifice and being able to get up after a defeat mean.

"It is these absolute values that I will carry with me and that will guide my new path."

Gasparotto turned pro with the Italian squad Liquigas, where he raced for three years before a year at Barloworld and then a year at Lampre.

He then joined Astana, he stayed with the Kazakhstani outfit for five years when he joined Wanty-Groupe Gobert for two years, a year at Bahrain-Merida followed before he joined the team soon to be called Qhubeka-Assos, now NTT Pro Cycling, where he raced for two years until the end of his career in 2020.

"I want to remember all the teams where I have served in these sixteen years, each of them has stimulated my personal growth and for this I want to thank them all for the opportunity.

"It has been an honour to race for your colours and to fight in the most important races of the world cycling scene.

"I have always lived cycling in an all-encompassing way, with great passion and dedication and I think the right time has come to say goodbye and dedicate more time to my family and my crew, led by my wife Anna (fundamental in everything), my parents Toni and Luigina, my sister Lisa and those friends with whom I have shared ideas and opinions in the last days.

"Thank you, guys, for the incredible unconditional support, both in moments of maximum joy and especially in difficulties.

He was national champion of Italy in 2005 and briefly wore the pink jersey at the 2006 Giro d'Italia, thanks to a team time trial where he led the team over the line instead of the planned leader, Danilo De Luca.

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Taking ten career wins, not including TTT victories, he was still an incredibly talented rider who achieved many great things.

Gasparotto changed his nationality to Swiss in 2019, as he had lived there for many years, so that he had a better chance at riding the World Championships one last time, which he did in Emilia-Romagna in 2020 where he finished 46th.

"My great goal of these sixteen years and above all of these last years of career has certainly been to seek sporting success, but also to be myself, with my strengths and weaknesses, always trying to leave something of me for every person with whom I have had the pleasure of working.

"The messages received in recent years from my younger colleagues, masseurs, mechanics, sports directors make me understand that I have succeeded in this; this makes me a happy and proud person for the work done so far and makes me look to the future with confidence."

NTT Pro Cycling have announced their new headline sponsors, bringing an end to the uncertainty around their future. 

From 2021 the squad will race under the name Team Qhubeka-Assos, as the two names already involved in the outfit step up their sponsorship.

The team has supported Qhubeka, a not-for-profit organisation that donates bike to communities in South Africa, since 2011 and has helped raise the profile and money for the cause. 

Swiss cycling clothing brand Assos came on board as a kit sponsor for NTT Pro Cycling, formerly Dimension Data, in 2019 and has now stepped up as main backer.

Assos CEO Derek Bouchard-Hall said: “We have really enjoyed being part of this mission driven team – Qhubeka’s slogan that 'bicycles change lives' could not inspire us more.  And Assos has always been and continues to be deeply entwined in professional cycling – we were really moved by the opportunity to support the sport during the Covid crisis by keeping this important team part of the pro peloton.”

The team has faced a tough year as Japan-based telecommunications company NTT is bringing its cycling sponsorship to an end after six years, leaving team boss Doug Ryder searching for a new headline sponsor. 

Team manager Bjarne Riis has also left after just one season, having joined the squad at the start of 2020 when Riis and his business partners became minority shareholders in NTT Pro Cycling. 

While it looked like time was running out for the South African WorldTour team, Ryder has been able to secure the squad’s future once again. 

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He said: “I am really happy to have gained the support of some incredible people and partners including Assos of Switzerland who have stepped in to be a headline sponsor. 

“To be able to recreate the team as Team Qhubeka-Assos talks to exactly what we continue to strive for, and that is to be a purpose-led, high-performance racing team. 

“The last few weeks have been incredible seeing all the comments from fans in terms of how this team has connected with them in different ways. I am so happy we can continue to create hope and opportunity through our team and with Qhubeka Charity.”

Bjarne Riis is leaving NTT Pro Cycling after just one season as team manager.

The Dane joined NTT at the start of 2020 after his company became a minority shareholder in the South African WorldTour outfit at the start of the year. 

But amid uncertainty about NTT team’s future, Riis will be stepping down and talks of Riis and his partners buying out the squad have now been abandoned. 

NTT Pro Cycling team principal Douglas Ryder said: “I’d like to thank Bjarne for the experience and leadership that he has brought to our environment, and the contribution he has made. We’d like to wish him all the very best for the future.”

Riis added: “To be a part of NTT Pro Cycling during a unique year for all of us has been a great experience.

“I have a lot of respect for the team that Doug has built and want to thank him for the opportunity. I wish him all the best for the future.” 

Riis came on board of team manager of NTT Pro Cycling, formerly Dimension Data, at the start of 2020 as Danish company Virtu Cycling acquired a minority share in the outfit. 

Virtu, co-owned by Riis and  businessmen Lars Seier Christensen and Jan Bech Andersen, invested in one third of the shares of the team, and was considering a full buy-out of NTT. 

The company had previously sponsored the Virtu Cycling women’s squad, once home to Marta Bastianelli, which was forced to close last season after struggling to find funds to keep running.

NTT Pro Cycling has faced an uncertain future beyond 2020,  Japan-based telecommunications company NTT is bringing its cycling sponsorship to and end after six years, leaving Ryder searching for a new headline sponsor.

Earlier this month, Riis said “time is running out” to find a new sponsor for the team, adding that it does not look good and that there was no new backer on hand. 

But Riis may have spoken out of turn, as just three days later Ryder announced they were “very closing to being on the road next year.” 

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NTT was not on the list of WorldTour teams for 2021 released by the UCI last week, but Ryder said: “ Sadly, it has not been so good from a sponsorship point of view in terms of our future, but we are piecing that puzzle together. 

“In the next couple of days, I think we should be able to say that we will have a plan to move forwards into 2021.” 

The fate of NTT Pro Cycling still looks bleak, as the team’s boss says there is still no new sponsor lined up.

Team manager Bjarne Riis said “time is running out” as he tries to secure the team’s future beyond 2020, as headline sponsor NTT is pulling out at the end of the season. 

Riis, a former pro who won the 1996 Tour de France, only took over the South African WorldTour team in January, but says the chances of him running a squad beyond the end of the year look unlikely. 

In an interview with Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, Riis said: “As it looks right now, there is not a team with me at the helm next year. That's the situation. We do not have a sponsor on hand right now and it is getting late so it does not look too good.” 

In January Riis took over as team manager of NTT Pro Cycling, formerly Dimension Data, as Danish company Virtu Cycling acquired a minority share of the team. 

But in late September the squad announced they faced an uncertain future as Japan-based telecommunications company NTT will be pulling out after six years in cycling.  

NTT is the only African team in the WorldTour and over the years has done a huge amount to support charity Qhubeka, which has supplied thousands of bikes to communities in Africa. 

But the team has been in difficulty this season, as the NTT sponsorship comes to an end at the end of the year with team principal Doug Ryder assuring staff and riders a new backer would be found.

Alongside the sponsorship uncertainty, the team has also struggled for results. 

Last season, the teamed picked up just one WorldTour win all year as Edvald Boasson Hagen won the opening stage of the Critérium du  Dauphiné.

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This year the team has picked up three WorldTour victories, with Giacomo Nizzolo at the Tour Down Under and Paris-Nice, and Ben O’Connor at the Giro d’Italia while Nizzolo also improved the prospects for the team by winning the European Championships in August. 

NTT Pro Cycling is facing an uncertain future as headline sponsor NTT has pulled out of the team.

The South African WorldTour squad, formerly Dimension Data, have now been forced to find a new backer beyond 2020 with just a few months left of the season. 

NTT, A Japan-based telecommunications company, is bringing its cycling sponsorship to and end after six years, with team principal Douglas Ryder now forced to find a new company to back the WorldTour and Continental squads. 

A statement from the team said: “On Monday evening team principal Douglas Ryder informed all members of our organisation – the UCI WorldTour outfit and UCI Continental team – that NTT will not continue with the team, ending our six-year association.

“This is of course is very disappointing news but we are committed to fight for our team’s future and are exploring every possible avenue available to us. Our partnership with the Qhubeka Charity has incredibly spanned 10 years and seen us play a key role in the distribution of over 100 000 bicycles in disadvantaged communities throughout South Africa.”

NTT is the only African team in the WorldTour and over the years has done a huge amount to support charity Qhubeka, which has supplied thousands of bikes to communities in Africa. 

But the team has been in difficulty this season, as the NTT sponsorship comes to an end at the end of the year with Ryder assuring staff and riders a new backer would be found. 

 NTT Pro Cycling has undergone some major changes in the last year, as NTT took over as the headline sponsor from its subsidiary Dimension Data at the end of 2019, while Danish former pro Bjarne Riis was appointed as team manager at the start of 2020.  

Alongside the sponsorship uncertainty, the team has also struggled for results. 

Last season, the teamed picked up just one WorldTour win all year as Edvald Boasson Hagen won the opening stage of the Critérium du  Dauphiné.

This year the team has picked up two WorldTour victories, both thanks to Giacomo Nizzolo at the Tour Down Under and Paris-Nice, while Nizzolo also improved the prospects for the team by winning the European Championships in August.

 The team then struggled for results in the Tour de France, with Nizzolo scoring a podium before he was forced to abandon due to injury on eight.  

NTT is not the only team facing an uncertain future beyond 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on pro cycling.

Polish WorldTour team CCC Team is also struggling to secure a new sponsor as handbag company CCC is pulling out at the end of the year, because of the financial strains caused by the virus. 

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CCC team boss Jim Ochowicz has been on the hunt for a new backer, but with star riders Greg Van Avermaet and Matteo Trentin already jumping ship things aren’t looking promising.   

Bjarne Riis says he's confident Team NTT will survive into the 2021 season, the IT company's title sponsorship ending at the end of the year and not expected to extend.

The Dane having arrived as team manager at the start of the season and says he hopes to announce good news on the team's financial health soon.

"2021? I’m confident," Riis said of the South African squad's continued participation in the peloton. "I’ve been in situations like this before. We are working on it, we hope to tell the world something soon. It’s not optimum, it is what it is, we have to deal with it. The sponsors also know that."

Currently racing at the Tour de France, the team have so far been unlucky in their pursuit of stage victories, which Riis hopes could attract fresh sponsorship prospects.

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"It’s been okay to be back, we’re here, we’re fighting, we haven’t been lucky at all, bad luck is part of the game," Riis said of his return to the French Grand Tour. "We will keep on fighting, and waiting for our opportunity.

"It’s pretty simple. We have to look at the cards we have, and play them as best we can. Keep motivating our goals to keep fighting and to make some results."

His first Tour back looks particularly different to the usual three-week offering, with Riis saying people need to be realistic and if they don't like the racing on offer then they should find other interests.

"The coronavirus? Who enjoys that? I don’t think Prudhomme is enjoying it, the spectactors, that’s the world we’re living in right now," Riis said, bluntly. "If you cannot deal with it, stay home and do something else."

Giacomo Nizzolo took the win at the European Championships road race in a frantic bunch sprint ahead of French national champion, Arnaud Démare and German, Pascal Ackermann.

The race was filled with sharp attacks from around 70km to go, but no move could stick with Italy and France riding solely for a sprint finish.

Riders like Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) and Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium) tried to get away on multiple occasions but it was always heading for a sprint.

Eventually it was the three premier sprinters in the race that came to the fore with Nizzolo able hold off Démare to the line.

How it happened

The race started and finished in the Bretagne town of Plouay in France where the riders took in local laps over a total distance of 177.45km, with each lap including the climbs of the Côte du Lézot and the Côte du Pont-Neuf.

A four man break went up the road early on, with Pawel Bernas (Poland), Dušan Rajović (Serbia), Emil Dima (Romania) and Andreas Miltiadis (Cyprus) forming the escape.

This group stayed together until around 80km to go where they started to break down with the peloton closing in. Eventually Bernas was left on his own before being caught with five laps to go.

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With 70km to go there was a large crash which saw sprinter Jasper Philipsen (Belgium) crash out of the race in a pile up that brought down 20 riders.

The following lap saw the speed rocket with Sep Vanmarke (Belgium) pushing the pace right up as they went up the Lézot, where he tried to break up the peloton for his leaders.

Moments after that, with 51km to go, Van der Poel tried a stinging attack but that was brought back immediately. Rubén Guerreiro (Portugal), David van der Poel (Netherlands), Diego Rubio (Spain) and Bernas then went clear.

Vanmarke tried to do the same again on the Lézot climb, but this time it was to set up an attack from Van Avermaet with 39km to go but it wasn't allowed to go.

Then, Belgium tried again with Jasper Stuyvan going up the road, he bridged over to the leaders with France and Italy left to chase with 36km to go.

That group was pulled back in an instant thanks to another Mathieu van der Poel attack with Matteo Trentin (Italy) and a few other favourites following at 29km to go, the French managed to pull it back again. Van der Poel tried again a few kilometres later but, again, was brought back.

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The race was all together as they went into the final lap and it was Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium who took control.

Markus Hoelgaard (Norway) went solo with 11km to go with no reaction behind. The Uno-X rider pulled out a gap of about 20 seconds with the Dutch controlling the pace then the French came up with 9km to go.

As they hit the final ascent of the Pont-Neuf, Hoelgaard still had a lead, albeit a slim one, but the pace was high behind with 3km to go. Eventually the Norwegian was caught with 2.3km to go.

Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) and Rui Costa (Portugal) tried a last ditch attack as they went over the top but Italy pulled it back very quickly as the race was set up for a bunch sprint.

It came down to a photo finished between Nizzolo, Démare and Ackermann but it was the Italian champion, Nizzolo, who took the European title for Italy who have won the last three years.

The Frenchman, Démare, couldn't get the win on his 29th birthday in France and was in tears after the finish.

Nizzolo will first wear his new jersey on the Tour de France start line in Nice a few days from now.

Results

European Championships 2020, elite men's road race: Plouay to Plouay (177.45km)

1. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita), in 4-12-23

2. Arnaud Démare (Fra)

3. Pascal Ackermann (Ger)

4. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned)

5. Jasper Stuyvan (Bel)

6. Davide Ballerini (Ita)

7. Maciej Paterski (Pol)

8. Iván García Cortina (Esp)

9. Adam Toupalík (Cze)

10. Benoit Cosnefroy (Fra), all at the same time

Time trial star Victor Campenaerts has revealed he is sleeping at 4,700 metres in his altitude tent, so he can “feel like a rider who took EPO.”

The NTT Pro Cycling rider said he is already ready to race, despite the UCI suspending all events due to coronavirus.

Campenaerts, the reigning Hour Record holder, is preparing for the World Championships time trial and the Giro d’Italia by setting his altitude tent to almost the highest level possible.

Sleeping at altitude helps your body use oxygen more efficiently, which can be a huge performance boost to pro cyclists.

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Campenaerts told broadcaster Sporza: “After those weeks in an altitude tent you are super strong. Because you have produced so many red bood cells, you should be able to feel like a rider who took EPO.”

The 28-year-old spent three weeks sleeping in his altitude tent at 4,700m – any higher and his body would not be able to function properly.

He added: “Medically, that is the height at which you are just not starting to die. If you went higher, your body would start to break down because it is too heavy.”

For pros, altitude camps are essential both to prepare for races that enter the high mountains and also to improve oxygen efficiency for events like time trials.

But due to the global spread of coronavirus, altitude camps have been non-existent in 2020 with riders forced to find other ways of adapting their training.

Campenaerts had been targeting the Giro d’Italia in May as he is still in search of his first Grand Tour stage victory.

But the race has now been postponed until October, after the World Championships in Swizterland in late September.

Campenaerts has been knocking on the door of a major victory for the last few seasons, finishing third in the Worlds TT in 2018 and narrowly missing out on victory twice during last year’s Giro.

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But the Hour Record proved his class against the clock, as he rode 55.089km to beat the record previously set by Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis will take over as team manager at NTT Pro Cycling.

NTT Pro Cycling, formerly Dimension Data, have announced that Danish company Virtu Cycling will acquire a minority share of the team to improve the squad and continue to promote the Qhubeka Charity.

Virtu, which is co-owned by Riis alongside businessmen Lars Seier Christensen and Jan Bech Andersen, will invest in one third of the shares of the team, with immediate effect.

The company had previously sponsored the Virtu Cycling women's squad, once home to Marta Bastianelli, which was forced to close last season after struggling to find funds to keep running.

In 2007, retired Danish rider Riis, now 55, admitted he had taken performance enhancing drugs EPO, growth hormone and steroids, including during his Tour victory.

Riis, winner of the 1996 Tour de France, said: “We have had some thorough and fruitful talks and meetings with [NTT founder and team principal] Doug Ryder on the team’s future and potential.

“I’m really looking forward to our collaboration and to take one the sporting leadership of the team in this new setup.

“I have nothing but admiration for what Doug has built and achieved with this team, starting on the Continental level onwards to become a WorldTour team, for his contribution to cycling nad his work and support for the Qhubeka charity.”

South African squad NTT Pro Cycling was founded in 2007 and began the first ever African WorldTour team in 2016.

The team has the join ambition of performing on the world stage while raising awareness for Qhubeka, a South African charity that provides bikes to communities to help people get to work and school.

Douglas Ryder said: “Today is yet another significant moment in the history of this team, and indeed its future. The expertise and breadth of experience that Bjarne Riis will provide in supporting the sporting development through our unique technology-driven performance approach will be hugely significant, and further add on to what we have built with our title sponsor, NTT Ltd.”

“I believe this partnership will benefit the entire team to help them achieve great results which in turn helps shine a spotlight on our partners, our way of working as a team but most importantly our commitment in support of the Qhubeka Charity.”

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Virtu Cycling is a collection of cycling lifestyle brands and companies throughout Denmark, that includes travel, clothing and equipment.

Virtu CEO Anders Gram said: “At Virtu Cycling, we have had talks and negotiations with other teams in terms of building a professional cycling team but decided to take the time needed to investigate our options thoroughly. As seen from our perspective, the potential in the partnership with NTT Pro Cycling and the match in philosophy was by far the most compelling to us and therefore the one, we chose.”

Nic Dlamini says he’s still “coming to terms with what happened” after he was injured by park rangers during an altercation over Christmas.

Dlamini, who competes for NTT Pro Cycling, formerly Dimension Data, was training in Table Mountain National Park in near Cape Town, South Africa when he was stopped by rangers.

In the ensuing confrontation, which was filmed and posted on social media on December 27, a park ranger broke Dlamini’s arm before he was thrown into the back of a vehicle.

In a statement posted on Facebook, South African rider Dlamini said: “I am overwhelmed by the support offered by everyone at home and around the world, especially from the cycling world. This has been an extremely upsetting experience and your support means a lot to me.

“For now, I need to receive expert care and physio at hospital or rest at home until I’m well enough to leave and make a statement to the police. I am not sure when this will be, but for now things are a little uncomfortable and I am still coming to terms with what happened.”

Shocking video footage of the incident emerged just a few days after Christmas, showing Dlamini being manhandled by park rangers.

According to the park rangers, Dlamini was confronted because he hadn’t paid a conservation fee and did not have the required permits, adding that he “injured himself during the ordeal.”

In a statement reported by Times Live, a spokesperson for the park rangers said: “According to the TMNP section ranger, the cyclist had entered gate one of the Silvermine section without paying the conservation fee nor showing proof of activity permits when requested.

“Upon investigation and finding the cyclist who could not produce his entry ticket or a valid activity permit, the situation spiralled causing the suspect to injure himself during the ordeal.”

NTT later confirmed that Dlamini had suffered a broken arm and would need surgery.

In his statement, posted on December 30, Dlamini said the operation was successful but he is still unsure when he will be back on the bike.

He is also seeking legal advice from law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, who are also dealing with athlete Caster Semenya’s case against the IAAF.

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In the wake of the incident, UK cyclist Ryan Visser set up a fundraising campaign with the aim of raising money for Dlamini’s medical costs, legal fees and other support.

The campaign has raised £877 towards the £10,000 target.

Dlamini, 24, started his career with Dimension Data as a stagiare in 2017, joining the main roster that same year.

This season he rode and finished his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España.

He is set to continue riding with the South African squad next season.

Dimension Data have revealed their new colours for 2020 as the team is rebranded as NTT Pro Cycling.

The South African WorldTour outfit, which has been home to Mark Cavendish for the last four seasons, will change its headline sponsor to IT company NTT, which owns Dimension Data.

On Tuesday morning (November 12), the squad revealed their new kit for next season, which will be a major departure from their familiar colour scheme.

Chief marketing officer for NTT, Ruth Rowan, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing our partnership with Doug and the team under the NTT brand in 2020. As headline sponsor, we help NTT Pro Cycling to leverage technological innovation to realise its ambition of being ranked among the top 10 cycling teams in the world.

“We’ve brought together our data platforms, analytics and machine learning, and combined them with the NTT Pro Cycling’s expertise in athletic performance to create a truly unique team that is focused on being the best in the world, whilst riding for a cause.”

The new kit will see the team ditch the white and green that has been present in the WorldTour peloton since 2016, in favour of a blue body with a fade to black, and black sleeves. Swiss brand Assos will continue as kit provider for the new season.

Dimension Data has given a huge boost to the South Africa-based charity Qhubeka, with the team raising awareness and giving exposure to the #BicyclesChangeLives campaign.

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Team principal Doug Ryder said: “Thanks to all our partners, and in particular our title sponsor NTT Ltd, we strive to be the benchmark within the sport through being a performance-driven, technology-enabled team that is underpinned by our unique purpose-led approach in support of the Qhubeka charity.

“Our commitment to changing lives with Qhubeka remains stronger than ever and we’ll be looking to do so with even greater enthusiasm in 2020. Together with our staff, riders and valued partners, this core belief remains a foundation of our organisation.

“Our team’s story no continues into the next phase, which will see us use our established platform to aim higher and to shoot further. We truly are a team that was born in Africa but created for the world.”

Steve Cummings has been forced to end his season early after a nasty injury suffered at the Tour of Britain.

The Dimension Data rider spent a number of days in hospital after he fell with 50km of racing left on stage five to Birkenhead.

Cummings, 38, has now been discharged from hospital, but his team have confirmed he will not race again this year after fracturing four vertebrae in the fall.

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The Brit, who won the Tour of Britain overall in 2016, will not need surgery and his team said there is no further neurological damage.

A statement from Dimension Data, released on Tuesday (September 17), said: “Following his crash during stage five of the Tour of Britain, Steve Cummings has been discharged from hospital.

“He underwent thorough diagnostics at the neurosurgical department in Liverpool and was found to have fractured four vertebrae of the thoracic spine. Luckily no further neurological damage occurred and an operation is not necessary.

“Under conservative treatment he now needs to fully recover and will not be able to participate in any further races until the end of the season."

The team added: “We would like to extend our gratitude for all the messages of support we’ve received for Steve and wish him a speedy recovery.”

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Cummings, whose contract with Dimension Data comes to an end this year, has already spent time off the bike after suffering a broken collarbone in a crash on stage three of the Tour of the Basque Country.

He also DNF’d the Tour of Norway and the Critérium du Dauphiné, but managed to finish the Tour de France and then returned to form at the Artic Race of Norway last month where he narrowly missed out on stage one victory.

WorldTour team Dimension Data have announced their performance director Rolf Aldag will leave at the end of the 2019 season.

A statement released by the South African squad insists the decision was an "entirely amicable step" that was "mutually decided".

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Dimension Data's Tour de France, rather than being defined by results, was dominated by the fallout from the decision not to take Mark Cavendish to the French Grand Tour, where he has won 30 stages during his career.

Aldag said at the time that the team's general manager Doug Ryder overruled him in the decision over Cavendish, after originally selecting him for the race.

"There’s no secret about it. I wanted to have him here and I think he would have suited our strategy but ultimately it was a team owner decision,” Aldag said at the start of stage one.

"It’s within my responsibility to select a team and I called eight names and Mark was included."

Speaking on Aldag's departure, Ryder said: "Rolf’s wide knowledge of the sport, which he was always willing to share, his skilled engagement with our partners and the implementation of systems and structures together with his belief in the core ideal of the team – in that we are changing lives through bicycles – sees him depart as a valued member of our team’s story."

Aldag added: "After working productively for four years with the team, for me the bike handovers to South African kids at trainings camps in Cape Town will forever be one of the most emotional and memorable moments in my career. And so I will continue to deeply root for the team’s success in what it hopes to achieve, on and off the bike."

Both Cavendish and Dimension Data have struggled for results over the past two seasons, with the Manxman having only recently recovered from the Epstein-Barr virus that had plagued his performance over the last couple of years.

Dimension Data, who will become Team NTT in 2020, have signed Lotto-Soudal's Hour Record holder Victor Campenaerts for the new season in a three-year contract that runs through to 2022.

Meanwhile, Cavendish has been rumoured to be leaving for Bahrain-Merida, where he would be teaming up with his old Team Sky performance direction Rod Ellingworth, who will become Bahrain-Merida team principal in October.

Wout Poels and Bernie Eisel are also reported to potentially be making the switch to the Middle East-based team.

Victor Campenaerts has confirmed his move to Dimension Data from Lotto-Soudal.

The Belgian pro will be joining the South African outfit, which will be rebranded as Team NTT next season, and hopes to target some major time trial victories.

Campenaerts, the Hour Record holder, says he hopes for Olympic and World Championship TT success after signing a three-year deal with the team.

>>> Jumbo-Visma confirm Tom Dumoulin signing 

The 27-year-old told Het Nieuwsblad: “When it turned out at the end of June that Lotto-Soudal did not intend to keep me longer I started looking for other options myself. I opted for a hyper-professional environment like Team Ineos. I chose a team that is in line with Lotto-Soudal and where I would have the freedom to concentrate on time trials. Dimension Data has become that team.”

Campenaerts is amongst the top echelon of time triallists in the WorldTour peloton, claiming the European TT title last season and finishing third at the Worlds.

Earlier this year he set a new Hour Record on a velodrome in Mexico, beating previous holder Sir Bradley Wiggins by 500 metres.

Campenaerts then turned his attention to the Giro d’Italia, where he was targeting a maiden Grand Tour TT victory, but the race ended in disappointment as he left the race without a win, finishing second in two out of the three solo tests.

>>> Romain Bardet told team he was thinking about quitting racing following Tour de France disappointment 

He will now switch to Dimension Data after five seasons with Belgian team Lotto, saying he had a good feeling about discussion with sports director Rolf Aldag and had asked his compatriots Serge Pauwels (CCC Team) and Julien Vermote (Dimension Data) for their impressions of the team.

Campenaerts added: “I had known the Dimension Data team for some time and I have always found it an attractive project. The riders get a lot of opportunities to race freely.”

Dimension Data team principal Douglas Ryder said: “Welcoming Victor into our team is hugely exciting. His pedigree is exceptional and, in particular, to have someone join us with his time trialling ability is a huge boost for the whole team and for our bike partner BMC as we continue to innovate together. Victor has huge ambitions for next year with which we believe through our partners NTT and ALE and how we use technology, we are able to achieve great things together.

“2020 is a big year which of course includes the Olympic Games in Tokyo as a major highlight for many riders. Our title sponsor, NTT, has its roots in Japan and so to prospectively have Victor challenging for a medal there will be a fantastic moment for us.”

World Hour Record holder, Belgian Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Soudal) will join Team Dimension Data for 2020, says local media.

Campenaerts beat Bradley Wiggins's Hour Record in April, riding 55.089km on the track in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

>>> Cycling transfers 2020: All the ins and outs from the WorldTour

Belgian media Het Nieuwsblad and Het Laatste Nieuws reported that only a signature remains to make it official his passage from Dimension Data, next year Team NTT, to Belgium's Lotto-Soudal.

"Victor's contract extension was even a priority at the start of the season," Lotto-Soudal general manager John Lelangue said.

"We also made a proposal to him twice. But Victor, who initially screened other offers, thought it was insufficient and came up with a counter-proposal that was too high for us."

Lotto-Soudal reportedly had cleared their budget to help sign John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) and Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) for 2020, both deals have yet to be announced. They also set aside a large chunk to re-sign Belgian 22-year-old talent Bjorg Lambrecht, who died on August 5.

Those deals did not leave much space for riders like Tiesj Benoot, who is joining Team Sunweb, and Campenaerts.

Campenaerts, 27, initially turned down an offer and came back with a counter-offer that was higher. At the same time, he was in talks with teams like Ineos. The media reported that around the end of June he was disappointed that Lotto-Soudal had no money left for him.

At the same time, he was busy with the Hour Record and the Giro d'Italia. In the final Verona time trial, he fell disappointingly short to winner Chad Haga (Sunweb).

He could bring an important surge to Team Dimension Data, who currently count on Mark Cavendish, Steve Cummings and Edvald Boasson Hagen. The team now sits third to last in the WorldTour rankings for wins, with only seven on their 2019 books.

The team will need to support Campenaerts's Olympic ambitions, which is targeting gold in the time trial in Tokyo next July.

Today, French media L'Equipe also reported that sprinter Nacer Bouhanni will leave for Arkéa-Samsic. He raced the last five years with the French team Cofidis, picked up stage wins in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, but caused headaches. This year in Tirreno-Adriatico's first stage, a 21.5km team time trial, he was dropped and missed the time limit.

At team Arkéa-Samsic, he'll find Nairo Quintana. Quintana, currently with Movistar, and his brother Dayer are expected to announce their move in September to join the French team, who already have sprinter André Greipel.

Team Dimension Data will rebrand as Team NTT for the 2020 season, as their title sponsor switches name from the South African IT company to Japan's Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT).

Telecoms giant NTT actually own Dimension Data, having bought the company in 2010, so it seems the only thing that will change for the WorldTour team is its name.

>>> Mark Cavendish goes for ride with young fan ‘to cheer us both up’ after Tour de France omission

This announcement was made alongside the unveiling of two new signings, Matteo Sobrero and Samuele Battistella. The two burgeoning u23 talents have already spent a season with Dimension Data's Continental feeder team, winning nine races between them.

Sobrero, 22, won the U23 Strade Bianche, Giro del Belvedere and the U23 Italian National Championships time trial. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Battistella's victories include the Tour de Limpopo and the GP la Torre.

The duo take the number of riders to graduate from the Continental team into the WorldTour ranks to seven.

Dimension Data are currently riding the Tour de France, with controversy surrounding the exemption of Mark Cavendish from their line-up and the public airing of the disagreement surrounding that decision.

The team's performance director Rolf Aldag said general manager Doug Ryder overruled him in the decision over whether to bring Cavendish to France.

"There’s no secret about it. I wanted to have him here and I think he would have suited our strategy but ultimately it was a team owner decision," said Aldag at the start of stage one.

"It’s within my responsibility to select a team and I called eight names and Mark was included. The team owner has the right to overrule me, which he did."

Cavendish said he was "heartbroken" at his first omission since his debut Tour in 2007, that he had been following a specific training plan, designed to see him peak in July – and felt he was in the "perfect place" to perform in France.

Team Dimension Data's management disagreed on Mark Cavendish participating in the 2019 Tour de France, which eventually began on Saturday in Brussels without the star British sprinter.

Cavendish's name was on the roster selected by the performance manager, Rolf Aldag, but the general manager, Doug Ryder "overruled" him in naming the final eight.

>>> Mark Cavendish goes for ride with young fan ‘to cheer us both up’ after Tour de France omission

"There's no secret about it. I wanted to have him here and I think he would have suited our strategy but ultimately it was a team owner decision," said Aldag at the start of stage one.

"It's within my responsibility to select a team and I called eight names and Mark was included.

"The team owner has the right to overrule me, which he did."

Aldag has guided Cavendish since his T-Mobile/Highroad days, heping him to 30 Tour de France stage wins. But Ryder went against Aldag's call and kept 'Cav' out of the Tour for the first time since his debut in 2007.

Ryder indicated that everyone was on the same page in excluding Cavendish for a roster that also includes Brit Steve Cummings and Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen.

"Mark is legend of this race and it's sad for this race that he's not here," Ryder said. "We took that into account for sure and we spoke to the organisers about that as well.

"We've selected a team based on the route and how hard it is this year. Multiple people made that decision. It was a team decision and our whole high performance team was involved in the conversations with Mark."

Cavendish has been suffering since last year. After he dropped out of the Tour mid-way, he announced that he discovered he had been dealing with the Epstein–Barr virus.

He raced through 2019 and polished off his preparations with an altitude camp and the British National Championships road race. But then the team, in the final week, made the decision to leave him at home.

Ryder and Aldag skipped the team pre-Tour press conference on Friday and left a few of their riders, including Boasson Hagen, to answer questions about Cavendish's exclusion.

On Saturday at the Grand Départ, they spoke about the decision: first Ryder, who said "the best decision was made," and then Aldag, who contradicted his boss.

"I have physically seen him, I'm one of very few who have physically seen him and been following him for quite a while," added Aldag.

"I was there [at the Tour of Slovenia last month] and I've seen a Mark Cavendish who is 300 per cent better than in 2016 when he dropped out on stage two [of Slovenia] and fell asleep in my car after 20 kilometres because he was so tired."

Cavendish went on to win four stages, including stage one for a day in the race leader's yellow jersey, in 2016.

"That's why I thought he was definitely in a good path and in a good way so it was worth taking him," said Aldag.

"I'm not just talking about [doing it for] the media and to give him another Tour de France. I thought about the sprints and that he's a good choice."

Cavendish's contract with Dimension Data ends this season. After the decision, it is uncertain if Cavendish will want to remain in Ryder's team. Ryder, however, underlined that he believes everyone was on the same page.

"It was team decision," said Ryder. "There were differences of opinion but it was team decision."

Mark Cavendish has paid tribute to his legendary lead-out rider Mark Renshaw who will retire at the end of the season.

Renshaw and Cavendish have been a peerless sprint pairing over the last decade, racking up 19 Tour de France victories while riding together.

Australian Renshaw announced on Thursday (July 4) that he would be retiring from professional cycling at the end of the 2019 season, saying could no longer race at the top tier.

>>> Richie Porte: ‘Geraint Thomas is clear favourite for the Tour de France’

In a touching social media post, Cavendish said: “Today I’ve been taking a trip down memory lane. 10 years ago I started to follow the wheel of a smooth-as-silk Australian in the sprints and it wasn’t long before we were pretty much unstoppable.

“My long-time friend, team-mate, lead-out man, pilot fish, room-mate, and much more Mark Renshaw announced his retirement from professional cycling. A social media post would not do justice to the tribute you deserve from me mate.

“So I shall wait until you’ve officially taken your last pedal revolution to do a proper tribute. I sincerely hope we race together again before this day. Thank you for everything.”

Renshaw will call time on his 16-year pro career later this year, aged 37.

After starting his career with Française des Jeux in 2003, Renshaw went on to ride for some of the most successful sprint teams in the peloton like Columbia-HTC and Etixx – Quick-Step, before joining South African outfit Dimension Data in 2016 where he will see out the remainder of his career.

Cavendish and Renshaw first teamed up in 2009 at Columbia-HTC and have had phenomenal success together.

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Renshaw said one of his fondest memories was finishing second to team-mate Cavendish on the Champs-Élysées on the final day of the 2009 Tour de France.

Both Cavendish and Renshaw have been left out of the Dimension Data squad for the 2019 Tour de France.

Renshaw has notched 12 career wins for himself despite his role as a support rider, including his first win at Tro-Bro Léon in 2006, two stages of the Tour Down Under, a stage and the overall at the 2011 Tour of Qatar and two stages of the Tour of Britain.

Mark Renshaw has announced he will retire at the end of the 2019 season, when he will be 37 years old.

The Dimension Data rider has been an intrinsic part of Mark Cavendish’s lead-out train, with the pair working together to score wins on the biggest stages.

Australian Renshaw will call time on his 16-year professional career at the end of the season, saying he is unable to compete in races like the Tour de France.

In a statement released on Thursday morning (July 4), Renshaw said: “After 16 years, I’m proud to announce that 2019 will be my final year as a professional road cyclist.

“Looking back on my career it’s very gratifying to note the individual successes, as well as being a major component in victories for my team-mates.

“Being a key part of these victories has certainly been a career highlight and motivated me to perfect the role of a lead-out rider.”

Renshaw started his career with Française des Jeux in 2003, going on to ride for some of the most successful sprint teams in the peloton like Columbia-HTC and Etixx – Quick-Step, before joining South African outfit Dimension Data in 2016 where he will see out the remainder of his career.

Cavendish and Renshaw first teamed up in 2009 at Columbia-HTC and have had phenomenal success together, with Renshaw contributing to 19 of the Brit’s 30 Tour de France stage wins.

Renshaw said one of his fondest memories was finishing second to team-mate Cavendish on the Champs-Élysées on the final day of the 2009 Tour de France.

Both Cavendish and Renshaw have been left out of the Dimension Data squad for the 2019 Tour de France,

He added: “I know it’s the right time to step away from racing, my body and mind won’t allow me to perform and compete to the level that’s required for a race like the Tour de France.

“I am very fortunate to be able to make the decision to finish this chapter of my life on my terms and I’m hugely excited about my future ventures.”

Renshaw has notched 12 career wins for himself despite his role as a support rider, including his first win at Tro-Bro Léon in 2006, two stages of the Tour Down Under, a stage and the overall at the 2011 Tour of Qatar and two stages of the Tour of Britain.

He said he hopes to stay apart of the sport in some way, but also hopes to pursue other passions while spending more time with his family.

Mark Cavendish has said he's "heartbroken" by the Team Dimension Data management's decision to leave him out of the Tour de France line-up this year - his first absence from the race since his 2007 debut.

The Manx missile added that he's been following a specific training plan, designed to see him peak in July - and now feels he is in the "perfect place" to perform in France.

However, with the decision out of his hands, he reinforced his support for the team and its charity goals of taking more bicycles to impoverished communities in Africa, and wished the eight riders going to France "safety and success."

>>> He may be missing the Tour, but don’t write off Mark Cavendish just yet

Reports suggest that whilst Dimension Data head of performance, Rolf Aldag, wanted Cavendish to race the Tour, he was overruled by team principal Doug Ryder.

The omission from the Tour start list takes the 34-year-old one year further away from equalling, or beating, the 34 stage wins held by Tour veteran, Eddy Merckx. His tally currently stands at 30 - his last success being in 2016, where he won on four days in total.

Cavendish left the race on stage 11 last year, having missed the time cut, alongside several other sprinters. Soon after, he was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr syndrome, and took time away from racing to recover.

So far this year, his best result has been a third place in the Tour of Turkey in April.

However, a block of altitude in Austria has formed part of his Tour prep - and the sprinter says it was tailored to Tour success.

Posting on Twitter, he said: "I’m absolutely heart-broken by the decision that means I won’t be [at the Tour de France] this year. As I have done for my entire career, I targeted a specific time to be at peak form. This has pretty much always resulted in me hitting my goals or coming damn close.

"Predominantly at the most beautiful, special race that is Le Tour de France, where 30 of these victories have defined my career. After a long, difficult fight back from trying to compete for the whole of last season with Epstein Barr Virus and after following a specific training program to peak in July, I feel I was in the perfect place.

"Nevertheless, I truly came to [Team Dimension Data] with the purpose of making a difference, by mobilising entire communities in Africa with bicycles through our incredible charity [Quebuka].

"Though I won’t be there, as always I’ll be supporting my teammates with all I have, wishing them safety and success in France and hoping we can get even more children on bicycles. Thank you all for your support."

Anyone expecting a valedictory review of Mark Cavendish’s career should stop reading now. While the Manxman has struggled over the last two seasons, his focus largely devoted to battling the Epstein Barr virus rather than his sprint rivals, I learned a decade ago that writing off Cavendish tends to be an exercise in futility.

>>> Tour de France 2019 start list: Line-ups for the 106th edition

Instead, and adapting Mark Anthony’s words a touch, I wish to praise Cavendish rather than to bury him, and in doing so offer those disappointed by the news of his non-selection for the Tour de France with some hope that there might be a flourish or two before he decides to hang up his wheels.

In 2007 Cavendish started the Tour de France for T-Mobile despite having previously being written off by one of their coaches on the basis of his test results. The coach was reported to have said that Cavendish's numbers meant he wouldn't even make it to the end of a pro race, let alone win one. Cavendish's response was to train with insulation tape over the screen of his SRM power meter display.

The following summer, he emerged centre stage at the Tour with four bunch sprint victories in Columbia’s royal blue jersey.

While that was impressive, his performance at the next edition of the Tour was staggering, as he romped to victory on six stages, a debatable relegation for dangerous sprinting depriving him of success in the green jersey competition, where Thor Hushovd just edged him out.

The fourth of those victories came in the small town of Saint Fargeau in the heart of France. The final 500 metres rose steadily to the line at four-five percent. Riding up them with writer and now podcaster Richard Moore a couple hours beforehand, we agreed that the hill was too steep for Cavendish to be able to continue his winning run, even with the commanding HTC-Columbia team that featured the likes of Tony Martin and Mark Renshaw leading him out. It looked odds on that Hushovd and Tyler Farrar, both powerhouse sprinters, would duke it out between them. To a degree we were right, with Farrar beating the Norwegian, but only to second place behind Cavendish, a couple of bike lengths ahead of the pack, arms flung upwards, grinning with delight.

The wins continued to flow wherever the Briton raced, most obviously at the Grand Tours, each of which he has led. But the questioning of his ability has endured too. He was completely dependent on his HTC train, some said. His weakness on the climbs meant he would never win the green jersey, others insisted. But the wins kept coming, even when his train was outgunned, Cavendish surfing from wheel to wheel until he was in the right place to unleash a double kick sprint that first took him clear and then right away from his rivals. Winning the points title at each of the Grand Tours underlined his endurance.

He has won just about everything in the sport that’s within a pure sprinter’s reach. In 2011, he started as favourite for the world title in Copenhagen and totally lived up to the hype, snatching victory when it appeared to be beyond him by drawing on his daring, speed and tactical nous in the final 500 metres.

Just three seasons ago, Cavendish’s four stage wins took him to within four of Eddy Merckx’s record for Tour victories. But the collision with Peter Sagan in 2017 that put him out of that edition and the Epstein Barr illness that forced him to quit last year have prevented him moving closer to that mark. Missing out on the race completely this summer suggests that Merckx’s record will remain beyond him, particularly as he will be 35 next year.

But Cavendish excels at proving naysayers wrong. Indeed, he seems to thrive on that desire to demonstrate that he can’t be written off. There may yet be a fairytale finish to his racing career, and if not at the Tour then perhaps at next year’s Olympics, where a gold medal would fill the only significant gap in his palmarès.

Mark Cavendish will not take part in the 2019 Tour de France after being omitted from Dimension Data's eight-man line-up. It is the first time Cavendish has missed the Tour de France since his race debut in 2007.

The 34-year-old had been hoping to take on the Tour this year after a disappointing 2018, which saw him miss the time cut on stage 11 to La Rosiérè. He was later diagnosed with Epstein-Barr syndrome, and was forced to take an extended break from competition.

>>> Tour de France 2019 start list: Provisional line-ups for the 106th edition

Cavendish returned this season cleared of the virus, aiming to work his way back into condition to compete for stage wins at the Tour and close the gap to Eddy Merckx's record stage win tally of 34.

But the Manxman has not been able to really compete as he may have wanted in races this season, with his best result a third place on stage three of the Tour of Turkey in April. He last raced at the Tour of Slovenia and then the British National Championships road race on Sunday, where he finished 22nd.

Dimension Data have instead opted to take Italian sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo off the back of a stage win at the Tour of Slovenia last month. They will also aim for the sprints with three-time stage winner Edvald Boasson Hagen.

The rest of the team looks set to try and be competitive in the hunt for stage wins rather than any overall ambitions, with Ben King, Roman Kreuziger and Michael Valgren all included to try and take wins in harder stages.

The surprise inclusion is Britain's Steven Cummings, who has had a fairly quiet season, last racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné where he failed to finish stage two. The 38-year-old will also be aggressive in breakaway stages, having taken two memorable victories in the past at the Tour.

“I was pleasantly surprised about the Tour selection, I wasn’t expecting that," Cummings said.

"I’m very grateful to the team again for the opportunity to go to the Tour and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I think it’s a pretty open Tour, there are a lot of chances to be aggressive and I think it suits the team that we have very well and I hope that we can have a great July and every one can be proud of us.”

South African rider Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and the experienced Danish rider Lars Bak complete the line-up for Dimension Data.

Dimension Data squad for 2019 Tour de France

Edvald Boasson Hagen

Stephen Cummings

Reinardt Janse v. Rensburg

Michael Valgren

Roman Kreuziger

Giacomo Nizzolo

Ben King

Lars Bak

As expected, the final stage of  the Tour of Oman came down to a bunch sprint, with Dimension Data’s Giacomo Nizzolo taking the honours. The Italian was led out consummately by team-mate Ryan Gibbons, who finished fifth, capping a good day for the team.

In what was a close fought sprint, Nizzolo managed to pip compatriot Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) into second place, with another Italian, Davide Ballerini (Astana) in third.

Ballerini’s team-mate, Alexey Lutsenko finished in the bunch, enough to win the general classification for the second consecutive year.

Lutsenko was the dominant rider throughout the six stage race. He took the overall lead in stage three and not relinquishing it while winning two further stages, including Wednesday’s queen stage to Jabar Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain).

Astana themselves have had an excellent month, bagging ten victories in February alone.

Kazakh champion Lutsenko will travel home before heading to Belgium for the Opening Weekend where he will ride Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. He is however, expected to skip the other northern Classics in favour of the Ardennes in April.

How it happened

The 135.5km sixth stage between Al Mouj Muscat and Matrah Corniche, saw a huge fight to get in the early breakaway. Though CCC’s Nathan Van Hooydonck escaped in the opening kilometre, behind him it was chaos, as group after group tried their luck, only to be brought back by a raging peloton.

In the end the bunch saw fit to allow three individuals go up the road, each of them catching the leader one by one until, after 17km a group of four formed.

Van Hooydonck was joined by Stijn Vandenbergh (Ag2R), Alexis Guerin (Delko-Marseille Provence) and Adam de Vos (Rally-UHC), and over the ensuing 10km the quartet set about increasing their lead to 3-20.

Behind, the Astana team of race leader Alexey Lutsenko were allowed a rest as some of the sprinters’ teams took responsibility for managing the gap, which remained constant until 35km.

Then, a brief period of crosswinds saw Direct Energie threatening to split the bunch, though they did not have time before the course changed direction, and all they actually achieved was to reduce the gap to the leaders to 2-30. There the lead remained as the race sped along Oman's version of the M25, the Muscat Expressway, bypassing the built up coastal strip.

The race finally left the main roads, passing through crowded village streets before tackling the short but painfully steep climb of Al Hamriyah. By this time, with 52km to go, the bunch had closed in further, the gap down to 1-48.

From thereon the leaders' advantage was whittled away gently by a peloton that was never out of control. With Guerin dropped early on the first of three closing 7.5km laps, the breakaway’s fate was sealed and they were eventually caught on the final circuit.

The day was not without incident, however. Winner on the Corniche for the preceding three years, Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) was caught in a crash and forced to abandon with an injured knee, while Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida) suffered severe road rash, apparently in the same incident, but continued to finish second overall.

Results

Tour of Oman 2019, stage six: Al Mouj Muscat to Matrah Corniche (135.5km)

1. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Dimension Data in 3-07-12

2. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

3. Davide Ballerini (Ita) Astana

4. Clément Venturini (Fra) Ag2R

5. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data

6. Boris Vallée (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert

7. Reto Hollenstein (Sui) Katusha-Alpecin

8. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen

9. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel

10. Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) UAE Team Emirates, all at same time

Final general classification

1. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, in 21-45-51

2. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 44s

3, Jesús Herrada (Esp) Cofidis, at 47s

4. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 53s

5. Élie Gesbert (Fra) Arkea-Samsic, at 1-03

6. Jan Polanc (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-14

7. Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles, at 1-25

8. Fabien Doubey (Fra) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 1-31

9. Brandon McNulty (USA) Rally-UHC, at 1-43

10. Quentin Pacher (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotels, at 1-51

Brit Scott Thwaites has announced he will be stepping down to Continental level after parting ways with Dimension Data.

The 28-year-old has joined British team Vitus Pro Cycling after spending two years at WorldTour level.

Thwaites, from Steeton in West Yorkshire, recently revealed he had considered retirement after a serious spinal fracture derailed his 2018 season.

But instead he will return to the British racing circuit, where he will try to capitalise on his previous Grand Tour and Monument experience.

>>> Brit Scott Thwaites has announced he will be stepping down to Continental level after leaving Dimension Data

Vitus team boss Cherie Pridham said: “I’m delighted to welcome Scott to Vitus Pro Cycling.

“Strength-in-depth is the defining characteristic of our 2019 squad, and Scott embodies the unwavering standards demanded of a top professional.”

Thwaites has first started racing for Pridham back in 2006, before he went onto to ride at the highest level in 2017 and 2018.

During his time at the top tier, Thwaites rode the Tour de France alongside compatriot and team-mate Mark Cavendish, and was beginning to make waves in the Classics.

In 2017, Thwaites finished 10^th at Strade Bianche, and 16^th at the Tour of Flanders.

But a crash in March 2018, that left him with several fractured vertebrae, took him out of racing for four months.

He was able to return to the peloton with Dimension Data, but in December he revealed he was considering his opportunities outside cycling.

Thwaites has instead opted to return to the domestic circuit, where he previously honed his skills with the Endura Racing team between 2010 and 2012.

Pridham added: “It was a pleasure to work with Scott when he was still an emerging talent with obvious potential, and now he has completed nine years as a professional, it’s very satisfying to be working with him again.

“A rider strong enough to finish two Grand Tours and nine Classics can only be a significant addition to our squad.”

>>> British women’s circuit racing to be held as national series for the first time

Vitus Pro Cycling said they expect Thwaites to be an inspiration to younger riders on the team.

He joins a powerful line up of talent, including youngsters Liam Davies and Tim Torrie, as well as Commonwealth Games medallist Chris Latham and British Cycling Academy graduates Joe Holt and Ali Slater.

Multiple Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy will also be joining Vitus for 2019 after the collapse of the long-standing JLT – Condor outfit.

Dimension Data’s Mark Renshaw has suffered a nasty break after being hit by a car on a training ride.

Australian Renshaw will be out for at least three months after suffering a fractured pelvis in the crash.

The 36-year-old was riding in his hometown when a car pulled out on him at a roundabout.

Speaking from his hospital bed Renshaw said: “I was heading back out on the road for the final two hours of my five-hour training ride and as I entered the roundabout the car looked like it was going to stop, I assume the driver didn’t see me and I hit the front right of the car and flew over the bonnet, landing heavily on my pelvis.

“I’m not sure if the impact with the car or the ground caused my injuries but it was definitely a scary moment as you now realize it could have been much worse.”

>>> Andrea Tafi not listed in Dimension Data roster for 2019 despite rumours he will join team

Renshaw, a key lead-out man for British sprinter Mark Cavendish, does not need surgery but will miss the start of the 2019 season.

He had been riding at home in Bathurst, Australia following the team’s Cape Town training camp last month.

Renshaw was due to start his season at the Australian National Championships in January.

He said: “I’m devastated that my pre-season training will be hampered as I was planning a big start to 2019.

“I returned from our training camp super motivated for next season and I was already into serious training for January’s racing.

“It’s gutting to have another set-back but as hospital staff have told me, it could have been much worse than it was.”

Dimension Data’s head of medical, Dr Helge Riepenhoff said: “Mark has a fracture of his left pelvis.

“Unfortunately it will take at least three to four months until he will be back racing but the good news is that he doesn’t need surgery.”

>>> Mark Cavendish to ride Assos kit for 2019 as Dimension Data announce new partnership

Renshaw has extended his contract with Dimensions Data through 2019 along with Cavendish and fellow lead-out man Bernhard Eisel.

Cavendish is looking to return to form in 2019 after suffering from illness and injury in recent seasons.

The Manxman ended his 2018 season early after being re-diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus, but is now back to full health and training hard for the new year.

But Renshaw’s injury means Cavendish will start 2019 without his trusted lieutenant.

Andrea Tafi has not been listed in the 2019 Dimension Data roster despite rumours he would ride for the South African team.

Tafi plans to ride Paris-Roubaix next year, 20 years after he took home the coveted cobble trophy.

The 52-year-old has registered with the UCI testing pool and says he has found a team to support his ambition.

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Rumours had circulated that Tafi would join Dimension Data for the 2019 Monument, but the team has denied that.

The 2019 rider roster for Dimension Data, published last week, includes Brits Mark Cavendish and Steve Cummings, as well as new signings Enrico Gasparotto and Giacomo Nizzolo, but no Tafi.

Head of performance at Dimension Data, Rolf Aldag told Cyclingnews that Tafi will not be riding for the WorldTour team.

Aldag said: “He’s not with us, I can guarantee you that.”

Tafi won the French cobbled Monument in 1999 as Italian champion, then 32 years old, with Team Mapei.

The Tuscan retired in 2005.

His last participation, 14 years ago, he placed 42nd racing for Team Saunier Duval.

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Australian Mathew Hayman (Mitchelton-Scott) won the race in 2016 at 37 years old.

The oldest winner is Frenchman Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle, who won twice, the second time in 1993 at 38 years old.

No one ever retired and returned 20 years later to race, let alone win.

Tafi’s former team-mate Paolo Bettini recently spoke publicly to discourage Tafi from riding the cobbled Classic.

Bettini said: “To Andrea I say, I hope you don’t race, you need to do something else in your life at 52 years old."

Mark Cavendish will don Assos kit next season as Dimension Data announce a new clothing sponsor.

The South African team have announced partnership with Assos for the 2019 season, giving the team a fresh strip.

Swiss brand Assos and Dimension Data will work together to improve the kit on offer, testing the equipment at the highest level.

Dimension Data’s team principal Douglas Ryder said: “To have Assos partner with Team Dimension Data is a major coup for our organisation.

“The quality of their products is without peer and means that our riders will be kitted in the most technologically advanced products in the peloton.”

Assos will produce authentic and replica Dimension Data kits based on the new S9 bibshorts.

The team kit will be available from 2019.

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Ryder added: “Our partnership will go beyond just the supply of apparel though, as we will work closely with Assos in the research and development of new items while they deeply share our team's values through the association we have with the Qhubeka charity in changing lives through bicycles.

“The passion which the Assos team have already displayed with us is infectious and this mix will undoubtedly see us share many successes in the years to come.”

Assos will collect technical feedback from riders as kit is tested at the WorldTour level.

Riders will also collaborate with Assos on the research and development of products.

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Assos chairman and CEO Phil Duff said: “The mission and ethos of Dimension Data pairs exceptionally well with out ‘Sponsor Yourself’ revolution and the spirit within the team is outstanding.

“Of Course, Assos will use all its resources to support the athletic goals of Dimension Data – we want to win races – but in addition, our missions are aligned with regards to making the world a better place by getting more people on bikes.”

Dimension Data have been partnered with Oakley since 2016, but the three-year Assos deal brings that relationship to an end.

The team are also switching bike sponsors, from Cervélo to BMC.

Lovers of cycling memorabilia can now pick up a piece of history, in the shape of Mark Cavendish’s Cervélo S5.

Dimension Data is auctioning off some of its pros personal machines to support charity Qhubeka.

The South African team supports sponsor Qhubeka, which aims to get more children on bikes in the country.

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To aid the charity’s aims of giving out 100,000 bicycles by 2020, Dimension Data is auctioning the Cervélo bikes of team riders Cavendish, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Britain’s Steve Cummings.

Cavendish’s bike is the 2018 black and green Cervélo S5, with a 51cm frame.

The bike features a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, Enve rims with DT Swiss hubs, a Rotor InPower crankset, Enve handlebars and stem and a Fizik saddle.

View the auction page here.

Currently on zero bids, the starting price for the bike is $2,500 and the auction ends on November 23 at 11.45pm GMT.

Boasson Hagen’s 2018 S5 also currently has no bids and starts at $2,500.

Finally Cummings’ bike has one bid at $3,000, but there is a buy it now price of $10,000.

Cavendish has renewed his contract with Dimension Data for another year, after much speculation about the Manxman moving on.

The 33-year-old has returned to training after taking an indefinite break from racing due to Epstein-Barr virus.

After recent seasons plagued with injury and illness, Cavendish is due to return to racing in early 2019.

He last raced in the RideLondon-Surrey Classic in July, after racing through to stage 11 of the Tour de France.

Cavendish was eliminated on the mountain stage to La Rosière after finishing outside the time cut.

Written off many times in the past and most recently when he failed to contend for stage wins at this July’s Tour de France, Mark Cavendish revealed at the 2019 Tour de France route presentation that he’s been racing with the debilitating Epstein-Barr virus for the past 16 months.

Now back on his bike in training, the Manx sprinter is hoping that competing with it hasn’t caused him permanent damage and that he can return to his best form before next year’s Tour.

“It’s nice to be back on my bike finally. I just have to monitor my health and hope that I stay OK really,” said Cavendish, who has just signed an extension of his contract with the Dimension Data team he joined in 2016.

“It’s not the second time I’ve got it, it’s been the same thing but was misdiagnosed,” the Briton explained of the virus, which provokes fatigue and fever.

“I was racing with it for 16 months so I’ve actually done all right to win some races. So, I’ve taken those positives but I’m nervous in case I’ve done some damage.”

Cavendish admitted he had been boosted by the support he has received from his team. “The team believes in me and that’s a good thing to get going for next year,” he said, with the Tour providing extra motivation.

“For me it’s everything, it’s my career. It’s the only reason I still ride my bike.”

He also struck back at those who have written him off as a spent force at the age of 33. “How many times have people written me off?

"How many times have I been over in my career? In 12 years? How many times? It takes people like me to give keyboard warriors something to do really,” he said.

Mark Cavendish, after a "difficult" season, has re-signed with Dimension Data for the 2019.

The super sprinter from the Isle of Man suffered in the Tour de France without a win and ended his 2018 season soon after the RideLondon-Surrey Classic in July. He discovered he had the Epstein-Barr virus.

"It's no secret that both 2017 and 2018 have been very difficult years for me physically due to injury and illness," 33-year-old Cavendish said.

"The physical fatigue suffered as a result of the Epstein-Barr is terrible but the most difficult part was the impact on my job which is my life and passion; not being able to do that is very difficult to handle and it takes a mental toll on you.

"It seems that I've always made a career out of comebacks and I'm sure that 2019 is going to be no different after the couple of tough years with illness. I know that I'm on the right track to come back and dominate in the sport again."

The announcement ends speculation that Cavendish would join another team. He had been linked to Bahrain-Merida with sponsor McLaren.

In 2019, his goal will be adding to his 30 Tour wins and trying to reach the all-time Eddy Merckx record of 34. But also helping the South African team's charity Qhubeka.

"Growing up all I ever wanted was to ride my bike – I loved riding my bike - and so not being able to do it and not being able to succeed, which is the only thing that I know, well it's incredible as you realise then just how tough it is when things don't go right," Cavendish said.

"In my 12 years as a professional with the teams that I've been in I'm proud to say that I've made some history within the sport and one thing that matters to me is leaving a legacy, and not just on the sporting side.

"The Tour de France record is massively important to me but equally is what we can give back by using the status we have within the growth of cycling, it's hugely significant."

Qhubeka delivers bicycles to needy Africans in return for deeds such as collecting used plastic bottles or planting trees.

"Mark has made a significant impact in this team since joining us in 2016 -- who'll ever forget his four Tour de France stage wins to go with the yellow jersey as well as the green -- and I am thrilled that he has agreed to continue with us and take on additional leadership responsibilities," said team boss Doug Ryder.

Performance Manager Rolf Aldag added: "Mark needs to fight back from a difficult year, with crashes and health issues, but we believe that he can do this and return to old strength, if he is fully recovered.

"He has an outstanding palmarès already and we will support him to add some more great results. But Mark also gets more and more involved with our technology partners, helping them to make the best products. He shows some great skills in this realm and will continue to develop those relationships, so all our riders can benefit from his input and experience."

Cavendish began training on his bike again recently. Last weekend, he attended the George Hincapie Gran Fondo in the United States.

With the new deal, he can focus firmly on 2019. It involves adjusting to new equipment, like the team's BMC bikes. They already announced that they will switch from long-time sponsor Cervélo.

"The Tour de France record, it's no secret that it's the one goal that I have left in cycling," Cavendish added.

"After winning 30 stages in my career another four doesn't seem that much but I've always been the first one to say that winning one stage of the Tour de France is something that makes a rider's career, so I know how difficult it could be to win another four; but I'm never going to stop trying.

"I firmly believe that I will get it and I believe with the best people around me that I have the best chance of getting it. The day that I don't believe I can challenge to get that record is the day that I probably stop riding my bike."

Bernard Eisel has extended his contract with Dimension Data after suffering a serious head injury earlier this season.

Eisel, a key lead-out man for British sprinter Mark Cavendish, has extended his contract for 2019 but is considering his retirement in the near future.

The Austrian recently told Cycling Weekly he had considered retiring this season after he needed brain surgery following a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico.

Eisel’s re-signing, along with that of Mark Renshaw, adds weight to rumours that Mark Cavendish will also be staying with his current team.

The 37-year-old Eisel said: “I’m looking forward to the new season. This year obviously wasn’t perfect and I had my ups and a lot of downs with injury but I’m super-happy that I’m back.

“That’s also a key reason in why I’ve decided to stay on - I had so much freedom from the team who supported me with everything that I needed with my injury.

“They gave me all the time that I required to come back, there was never a push from them. I basically didn’t race for five months this year and the team never complained about that.”

In April the Austrian underwent successful surgery to relieve a chronic subdural haematoma on his brain. The injury stemmed from a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico and only became fully diagnosed when he started complaining of headaches.

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Eisel had previously told Cycling Weekly that he would be staying with the team next season, but Dimension Data officially confirmed the contract on Wednesday afternoon.

He added: “When I spoke to Doug about renewing my contract for one more year it was an easy discussion. I’m really, really thankful that even after being a pro for 18 years it was definitely one of my easiest talks with a team owner about a new contract, so that also shows the character of Douglas.

“I wasn’t done with cycling after the crash this year so I want to have one really good season before I think about retirement for good, although I think in my head I’d already retired three times this year.

“The injury was heavy but I made a full recovery so I want to complete one more year of racing from January until October and let’s hope that we win a lot of bike races in 2019.”

Eisel is likely to ride for Cavendish in 2019, who has been is dealing with Epstein-Barr virus since the Tour de France.

His race plans for 2019 remain unknown though he has begun training on his bike again.

Cavendish has not yet announced his team for 2019, but he is expected to re-sign with Dimension Data, despite previously being linked with Bahrain-Merida.

Team principal Douglas Ryder said: “Bernie has one of those voices that let’s everyone know that he’s around. He’s one of the great characters of the sport and has an unmistakable aura about him but, most importantly, he simply is an outstanding rider who leads by example in every way.

“As our road captain he’s become a major figure in our organisation in every sense making his presence felt with staff and riders, being exceptional in interacting with all of our valued partners as well as the media and is a firm fan favourite too.

“Not only that, but his commitment to the Qhubeka charity ever since joining us in 2016 has been exemplary and he’s among the first to get involved whenever new campaigns are launched or bikes are being distributed.”

“We are thrilled that his future lies is with us to continue and build on our wonderful partnership.”

Founded in 2007, Dimension Data for Qhubeka became the first ever African WorldTour team in 2016.

Qhubeka is a charity that works with partners to provide people in Africa with bikes in return for work improving communities, the environment or schooling.

The team’s head of performance, Rolf Aldag, said: “Bernie is more than just a rider on this team. His tactical skills in the races give our sport directors an extra pair of eyes and ears in the peloton and lead us to make better decisions.

"He is a mentor for our young riders, sharing all his experience and due to the respect he earned over the last 18 years in the peloton, he can move in the bunch more freely to place our riders into the perfect positions in critical moments.”

Mark Cavendish will stop racing if he cannot return to his top level, says his long-time director Rolf Aldag.

Team Dimension Data's performance manager explained that Cavendish returned riding 10 days ago, cleared of the Epstein-Barr virus. Now, the super sprinter must try to reach his top speed again.

"If he isn't competitive at the highest level, then I don't know what he's going to do," Aldag told Cycling Weekly.

>>> Mark Cavendish to stay with Dimension Data through 2019, according to reports

"He's not aiming to win a stage in the Four Days of Dunkirk or whatever, no disrespect to those races.

"He's motivated to come back to the highest level, to be competitive in the first sprints. I think that if he realises he can't be at that level, he could stop."

Cavendish counts 30 Tour de France stage wins, second only to Eddy Merckx with 34. He suffered through the 2018 Tour without winning a stage and was eliminated after missing the time cut in the Alps and last raced at the RideLondon-Surrey Classic. Since, he has been dealing with Epstein-Barr virus.

The good news is that Cavendish, 34 next May, is riding again. This weekend he was in the US to ride the gran fondo that former team-mate George Hincapie organises. His 2019 race programme remains unknown, but the focus as always will be on the Tour.

"He will make the decision himself, it'd never really come to that when the team would say, you're not selected [for the Tour roster]. He won 30 stages, I can't see him having a Tour de France like the one this year," Aldag said.

"Last year was different, he crashed and broke his shoulder, but I think he was competitive. 2018 was a complete disaster due to illness and sickness. He will be very clear, he is not going to make himself look like a fool."

Aldag said that recent blood tests cleared Cavendish to start riding again. He returned with a ride at home on the Isle of Man.

"I believe that if he wouldn't trust in his own comeback, he wouldn't do it. He believes he can come back," continued Aldag.

"He's always strongest when people write him off, that was the way in 2015, then he won four stages in the Tour de France and an Olympic medal.

"It's good that he starts slowly, takes the time, not to rush it and to give your body an extra rest."

Dimension Data are said to have renewed Cavendish for one more year. They announced Mark Renshaw's extension, and should follow it with Bernhard Eisel and Cavendish.

However, some suggest that Cavendish may not stay with the team for a fourth year given they signed sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo from Trek-Segafredo.

Bernhard Eisel (Dimension Data) "could've retired" after brain surgery and with Mark Cavendish telling him to do so, but he is racing again with a new contract through 2019.

In April the Austrian underwent successful surgery to relieve a chronic subdural haematoma on his brain. The injury stemmed from a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico and only became fully diagnosed when he started complaining of headaches.

"I thought about retiring," the 37-year-old told Cycling Weekly as he prepared for China's WorldTour event, the Tour of Guangxi – his last race of 2018.

"I retired three times in that period. It was just a kind of depression you go through.

"Mine was a bit heavier than a concussion. It's a heavy impact that affects your whole body. You can imagine that is in the back of your head, it is there, something is wrong.

"I went though a tough period. I was at home, feeling useless, everything was stressed and it was tough. But then you get through, you go out there and put your helmet on."

Eisel put in his team's two-way radio ear-piece ahead of the second stage, departing from Beihai in the south of China. Arriving here, he travelled a bumpy road.

Instead of leading out Mark Cavendish, he remained in Austria. First he dealt with his immediate injuries from Tirreno-Adriatico and then headaches and subsquent brain surgery.

South African WorldTour team Dimension Data supported Eisel and his decision to return to racing. His professional career began in 2001 and includes a Ghent-Wevelgem victory, leading out Cavendish in sprints and helping Bradley Wiggins win the Tour de France. On July 27, in the GP Cerami, he pinned on a race number again.

"Mark [Cavendish] was definitely one of the guys who settled me down. He more cared about what I needed to do. He said, 'Don't take the risk, you better retire.' He even asked me when I was back, 'Are you sure you want to do this?'" Eisel added.

"I could live without cycling, but I enjoy it too much. At the same time, it's too difficult to leave. It's simple: I know what I can do, it's an easy sport for me. I can repeat it, at least for one or two years."

Eisel could not say with which team, but he explained he will ride for one more year though 2019. He will likely ride for Dimension Data, who announced Mark Renshaw's renewal recently and is expected to do the same for Cavendish any day.

"It feels great to be riding. When I got the OK from the doctor, he said it was 100 per cent perfect. It changed everything, freedom just to be out riding again. The best part of it was having three to five months off. I enjoyed riding my bike again. I really found the enjoyment of riding," explained Eisel.

"If I had two hours on the schedule, I came home with three and a half, but normally before when I had three hours, I'd come home with two and a half and say, 'I'm done with it.' I'm really enjoying being in China, too.

"I had a pretty good career. I came to the point where I achieved my goals. I am happy with it, now I enjoy being around and doing the best I can with everyone. It hasn't changed."

Eisel will again be asked in 2019 to help Cavendish, who has been is dealing with Epstein-Barr virus since the Tour de France. His race plans for 2019 remain unknown though he has begun training on his bike again.

"I'm 100 per cent convinced he can get back to the way he was," Eisel added.

"In all those teams with him or without him, I've seen all those articles where people say, 'He's done.' And he always comes back! I'm 100 per cent convinced he can comeback."

Australian Mark Renshaw has extended his contract with Dimension Data through 2019.

Renshaw is a key-lead out man for Mark Cavendish and the pair have ridden on the same team since 2014.

The 35-year-old Renshaw has committed to Dimension Data for a fourth season after he joined with Cavendish from Quick-Step in 2016.

Cavendish’s plans for 2019 have not been officially confirmed, but the re-signing of Renshaw adds weight to reports that the Manxman would be staying put.

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Renshaw said: “I’m looking forward to racing my 16th season professionally with Dimension Data for Qhubeka in 2019.

“This will be my fourth season with the team where we have had some great success over the past three years.

“Working with our new sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo next season as well as seeing Ryan Gibbons continue to develop will be very exciting, I look forward to help him and our other leaders in the sprint finals next season in my favourite position of lead-out rider.

“I will be sharing all my years of experience on the road to bring the team our best results.”

Renshaw also revealed he will also make a donation to the Qhubeka charity, which provides bikes to people in Africa in return for work improving communities, environment or school attendance.

The Australian said he will purchase four bikes – one for each year with the time – to help a child in Africa.

Dimension Data have signed Italian sprinter from Trek-Segafredo for 2019, as well as re-signing Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Ben King.

Team principal Douglas Ryder said: “Mark staying with us is a big moment for our team.

"It’s not just the obvious amount of experience that he has on the WorldTour but it’s the huge success that he’s been part of throughout his career.

“That will obviously play a big role as we look to stand on the top step of the podium more often in 2019. “

Ryder added: “When Mark joined us in 2016 he quickly became part of the success story which I don’t think any of us imagined would have been possible.

“Mark’s ability to navigate his way through the peloton and position his sprinter in the perfect spot is right up with the best ever – to have him with us not only to continue doing that for our current crop of sprinters but also pass on that knowledge to the rest of out lead-out team is fantastic.”

Renshaw was key to Dimension Data’s success in the 2016 Tour de France, which saw the team pick up five stage wins and Cavendish in the yellow jersey.

Cavendish was rumoured to be in talks with Bahrain-Merida around joining the team as part of a new sponsorship with car manufacturer McLaren.

But reports earlier this month suggested the British superstar had reached a last-minute deal with Dimension Data to stay for another year.

Star sprinter Mark Cavendish will race in 2019 with Dimension Data after reaching a last-minute deal for an additional year, according to reports.

Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Cavendish will stay at Dimension Data.

The deal, if confirmed, will see the Manxman racing his fourth year with the South African team after he joined in 2016.

Relationships appeared rocky between him and general manager Doug Ryder after the Tour de France in summer.

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Last month, Cavendish was believed to be talking with Team Bahrain Merida. A potential move hinged on the team making a sponsorship deal with McLaren Technology Centre in Surrey.

At the same time, Dimension Data added sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo. The also team announced several new cyclists for its Grand Tour and Classics teams, including Roman Kreuziger, Michael Valgren, and Enrico Gasparotto.

According to one source, Ryder and Cavendish were not speaking and the contract renewal appeared unlikely. However, a meeting apparently took place and a deal made.

Cavendish is second only to Eddy Merckx when counting Tour de France stage wins, the Manx sprinter has 30 compared to Merckx's 34.

In terms of total wins, out of active riders, only André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) counts more with 155 compared to Cavendish's 146.

Cavendish's last Tour de France stage win came in 2016, when he celebrated four times.

In 2017, he crashed with Peter Sagan and was forced to abandon.

This year, he suffered from early season crashes and he pushed through the Tour as far as he could until a time cut forced him out in stage 11.

He raced only the RideLondon-Surrey Classic afterwards.

Later, he announced he had been re-diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus. It is uncertain when he could return in 2019.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Cavendish said he received positive news about his illness and was able to return to training on the bike.

Ryder will have to decide how many men he includes in his eight-man roster with Cavendish, if he returns to the Tour de France. With Cavendish, Mark Renshaw and Bernhard Eisel are expected to renew.

His longer aim is Eddy Merckx's 34 record and the 2020 Tokyo Games to race for the Madison gold medal.

Of note, however, the short one-year deal only sees Cavendish continuing through 2019 with the team.

An underwhelming season during which Team Dimension Data tried to 'shake the tree' with Steve Cummings's race programme ultimately 'didn't work', but the Brit remains a big brand at the South African registered outfit, according to manager Doug Ryder.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly ahead of the Vuelta a España, Cummings said: “it’s been a s**t year... there's no use sugar coating it."

He blamed a change in his traditional race programme, stating "they wanted to take a risk with a race programme that didn’t work."

Dimension Data's 2018 season has been marred with bad luck - the tale of misfortune includes Edvald Bossan Hagen's gall bladder removal in January, Bernie Eisel's brain surgery in April and Mark Cavendish's run of crashes.

These incidents, among others, meant that riders needed to be moved around, "the whole Classics programme, we had the wrong riders in the wrong races" Ryder admitted.

Cummings's 'blueprint' for success was therefore disrupted, taking him to areas of central Europe where he's suffered in the past - his appearance at the Tour de Romandie led to breathing problems that affected his Critérium du Dauphiné until a specialist was able to fix him up.

"We asked Steve to step in to certain races where we didn’t have riders" explained Ryder, "there were times when we said 'Steve, we need you to step up'..."

Ryder pauses, and it's perhaps clear from Cummings's results that the team didn't quite get the desired result: he failed to finish after stage two in Romandie and after stage six in Dauphiné.

"Steve is one of the most knowledgable people about himself. There isn't anybody that is as critical and as focused and as determined and dedicated, in what he knows," said Ryder.

"But sometimes its nice to shake the tree a little bit and break the mould. I thought we could do good things together in that - and it just didn't work out."

Cummings claimed a stage win at the Tour de France, on his first year riding with Dimension Data in 2015 - and he repeated the success in 2016. He was disappointed not to make selection for the 2018 race.

The team instead took a squad which it felt could support Cavendish on his way to equalling the Tour wins of Eddy Merckx - a goal he fell short of after being eliminated on stage 11. 

"It was sad not to take him to the Tour," says Ryder, "but we couldn't bring Steve in knowing what we wanted to do: the dream of the Eddy Merckx record with Cav. We were all in and sadly Steve didn't fit in with that."

"It was sad because Steve is a big brand in our team and kind of defined us in our first Tour de France," he says, referring to his win for the South African registered team on Mandela Day.

"Steve’s been with us for years. We don’t put a square peg in a round hole just because we can. We obviously have a team strategy, but if we can break it down, and motivate and inspire every single individual to give their best, we do.

"When Steve came to us from BMC, he was never going to ride the Tour. He came to us, we focused on his strengths, and he won a stage on Mandela Day.

"You can't write that story. You'd make a movie out of that and it would be a Hollywood. To that point.. we try, where possible, to do that."

The words "this year - it wasn't possible" aren't said but represent the obvious conclusion.

Ryder still believes in the 37-year-old's form for what is left of the year, though.

"I think he could still win a stage at the Vuelta I think he's motivated for that," he said on Thursday.

Team Dimension Data – the squad which set out to have an African rider win the Tour de France by 2020 - will feature fewer riders from the continent in 2019 in a bid to maintain their WorldTour status.

A potential reduction in WorldTour teams from the current 18 to 15 looks set to see three teams lose the chance to compete at the highest level by 2020, and manager Doug Ryder doesn't want to be the weakest link when it happens.

Currently, the South African outfit - which supports Qhubeka in donating bikes to people from impoverished backgrounds - is ranked last for 2018, behind Katusha-Alpecin.

“The investments we’re making now are about being sustainable. Ultimately we want to mobilise the African continent, with the success of this team. We want to create an African hero. We can’t do that if we don’t exist,” says manager Doug Ryder.

“There will be some hectic decisions we need to make. One of those is reducing our African footprint - so we’ve got more depth and quality.

"Then we can open it up again [in later years] and bring riders from the African continent back in. Hopefully the next row of riders - that were inspired and motivated by this team that’s opened the door for Africa - are better than potentially some of the ones that started that journey with us."

"We will take some pain at the end of this year, when come the end of September, some people don’t get contracts. Currently 13 of 27 riders come from the African continent – and we will reduce that by a couple.

“Our sustainability is the most important thing. The riders we’re bringing into the team now are all around that. And our WorldTour ranking.”

“Has our focus changed? No. Do we care about Africa and mobilising the continent on bicycles? Critically. Do we go backwards to go forwards? Sadly, today we do." he adds.

“Dimension Data has been an amazing partner, they back us backed us 100 per cent and love everything around this team… but cycling is a big sport.”

The team has signed some notable Classics riders for the coming year – including Michael Valgren who won the 2018 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Amstel Gold Race.

“We want to respect the Classics, they have so much rich history. And we need to focus on the big ticket races. You score so many WorldTour points at the Classics, it’s bang for buck,” says Ryder.

Despite two wins via Ben King at the Vuelta a España, Dimension Data has 1,539 WorldTour points at time of writing.

“It’s been our worst year ever. We just had so many accidents and incidents that happened that we just never built momentum.

“When your leaders, and the senior riders in the team are not firing, it starts to expose the depth and quality that we have,” Ryder says.

Edvald Bossan Hagen had his gall bladder removed in January, delaying his Classics preparation, Bernie Eisel had brain surgery in April.

Star signing Mark Cavendish had a run of crashes in the spring, eventually being diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus after a sub par Tour de France, where he was eliminated on stage 11.

It looked like the team might get a break with Ben O'Connor in the top-10 overall at the Giro, before he broke his collarbone and left the race on stage 19.

“The whole Classics programme, we had the wrong riders in the wrong races," says Ryder. "The sport’s become too hard now and you can’t fake it. You can’t go with a good team and expect to do great things.

“We had an amazing Giro… Louis Meintjes [GC leader] didn’t fire, but Ben O’Connor in his first Grand Tour, at 22, rocked it… until he broke his collarbone on stage 19, lying in the top-10 overall."

“I was like: ‘are you kidding me?’ It’s like someone built a voodoo doll with Dimension Data on it and poked it, and whacked it on the table. It was just never ending.”

The logistics of having African riders on the team don't help, either.

"It costs us three times as much to have an African rider on the team. I've talked to the IOC [International Olympic Committee] about an athlete passport, so our riders could travel the world more easily," he says.

The UCI's decision to cut Grand Tour teams from nine to eight - something intended to decease the chance of formulaic racing influenced by the best - has been a negative influence on the overall goal, too.

This year at the Tour, Team Dimension Data had only two African riders on its roster: Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Jay Robert Thomson, both from South Africa.

"For us, as an emerging team from a continent that needs opportunity, that throwaway spot is the African rider's spot, for a rider who you want to bring on and give hope," says Ryder.

"And it means you can't go with a dual plan."

President of the UCI David Lappartient has floated the idea of further reducing Grand Tour squad sizes to just six riders. Needles to say, Ryder is against this idea.

"The UCI don’t really know... that’s the disconnect, there needs to be a closer conversation between teams like ours, the UCI and organisers. I wouldn’t reduce it any more. I would shorten the stages and make it really exciting."

The team’s renewed focus on chasing top results at the WorldTour, Ryder says, is not its end goal – more an intermediate step. Albeit in the wrong direction.

So far, 800,000 bikes have gone to charity, "when we win races, and when donations increase, the two charts mirror each other," says Ryder - and continuing that work remains a huge part of the vision.

“What is the next part of the dream? I suppose it’s a child that starts on a Quebeka bike, that ends up at the Tour de France. That’s the cradle to the Holy Grail story.”

“[To get there] we have to focus. Our budget is limited. We cant be everything to everybody, or we will be nothing to nobody."

Ben King (Dimension Data) took his second stage win of the 2018 Vuelta a España, soloing to victory on the summit finish of La Covatilla.

The American had been part of the day's main breakaway, but had got away on his own with 19km to go on the early slopes before the official final climb.

Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) was the main rider in pursuit, but couldn't do anything to bridge the 20-second gap and it was clear King would hold on for his second win of the race after taking the win on the race's first summit finish on stage four.

In the GC, leader Rudy Molard was dropped early on the climb and saw his stint in red come to an end. Surprisingly, the likes of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) were unable to compete with the attacks of some of the other contenders, with a group of Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb) and Ion Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida) all getting away in the closing kilometres to finish close together.

It was Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) though who took the overall lead from Molard, finishing nine seconds behind the Quintana group and 15 seconds ahead of Valverde to take the red jersey by one second over Valverde.

How it happened

The Vuelta peloton face a huge mountain day ahead of the first rest day on Monday, with 200.8km on the cards taking in three categorised climbs before an especial classified summit finish.

As per usual, there were some riders who fancied a slog out in the breakaway, but the group of 11 that slipped away will be pleased that they weren't made to work hard for it by the peloton.

Luis Angel Maté and Kenneth Van Bilsen (Cofidis), Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), Dylan Teuns (BMC Racing), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Ben King (Dimension Data), Reto Hollenstein (Katusha-Alpecin), Tom Leezer (LottoNL-Jumbo), Luis Mas (Caja Rural), Aritz Bagues (Euskadi-Murias) and Jesus Ezquerra (Burgos-BH), were the riders who formed the break early on.

Things remained fairly calm for much of the day as the break were allowed to establish a maximum advantage of 10 minutes.

The race only began to heat up as the riders approached the final climb of La Covatilla. Classified on the profile at 9.8km, the break really began to ascend with around 30km to go, and the attacks soon started to fly.

Thomas De Gendt was the first to try, but their was no panic from his breakaway companions and he was brought back.

The gap was now gradually slipping, but they still had seven minuted when Luis Mas went away, followed by Ben King with around 20km to go. King then dropped Mas with 19km to go, and began a long solo effort with no-one able to stop the American establishing a decent gap.

Behind Astana, led the peloton towards the final climb with the pace now increasing. King held 1-25 over the chasers when he hit the official climb of La Covatilla with the peloton still over five minutes back.

Bauke Mollema then took up the chase, languishing just under a minute behind King for some time. The leader then began to show signs of struggling as he hit a steep section of the climb with around 6km to go, but the gap to Mollema stayed at 45 seconds.

Bora at this point were taking up the chase on the front of the peloton in aid of Emanuel Buchmann, with red jersey Rudy Molard now dropped off the back.

Entering into the final few kilometres, King still led with around 20 seconds, however Mollema was gaining ground.

But as King hit the easier part of the climb towards the top, he continued to hold off the Dutchman and it quickly became clear the Dimension Data man would hold on for his second victory in the first week of the Vuelta.

In the peloton, LottoNL-Jumbo set the pace into the final 4km, with splits soon coming as contenders tried to get away. A group of Uran, Izagirre, Lopez, Kelderman and Quintana battled it out up front with numerous attacks, however no-one could get away within the final 1.5km as Yates chased on just behind.

Michal Kwiatkowski was notably absent from the group, dropping way off the pace, while Valverde fought on behind in a group with Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo).

In the end, that lead group finished more or less together, with a final sprint putting three seconds into Uran and six seconds to Izagirre from Lopez, Quintana and Kelderman.

Yates trailed in just behind at nine seconds to grab the overall lead, with Valverde coming in a further 15 seconds back.

Team Sky's overall hopes took a major blow with David de la Cruz finishing a further 28 seconds down on Valverde and Kwiatkowski a further 1-40 down.

The Vuelta a España hits its first rest day on Monday, but riders will return to racing on Tuesday with a flat stage of 177km from Salamanc to Bermillo.

Results

Vuelta a España 2018, stage nine: Talavera de la Reina - La Covatilla (200.8k)

1 Benjamin King (USA) Dimension Data, in 5-30-38

2 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo, at 48

3 Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing Team, at 2-38

4 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team, at 2-40

5 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team

6 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb, all at same time

7 Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac, at 2-43

8 Ion Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 2-46

9 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 2-49

10 George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 3-02

Others

11 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 3-04

Overall classification after stage nine

1 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, in 36-54-52

2 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team, at 1s

3 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team, at 14s

4 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 16s

5 Ion Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 17s

6 Tony Gallopin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale, at 24s

7 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team, at 27s

8 Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac, at 32s

9 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, 43s

10 George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo, 48s

Ben King (Dimension Data) took his maiden Grand Tour stage win at the Vuelta a España 2018 stage four, beating Nikita Salnov (Astana) to victory in a two-up sprint from the breakaway on the summit finish to Puerto de Alfacar.

The American had broken away from the day's main break just ahead of the final climb along with Salnov, and the pair worked well together up the climb before entering the final kilometre.

From there, King simply sat on the Kazakh's wheel and waited until the final 200m, when he launched a powerful sprint to the line which couldn't be matched by Salnov.

King was able to celebrate across the line, and take a hard earned victory on the Vuelta's first summit finish.

Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) retained the overall lead, but saw his deficit cut to seven seconds, with Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) jumping into second and Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) moving into third after they attacked from the main group of GC contenders.

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) slipped from second to fourth overall, but took two seconds out of Kwiatkowski towards the line to sit at 12 seconds back.

How it happened

The riders of the Vuelta peloton faced their first summit finish on another hot day in southern Spain. With two first category climbs on the cards over 161.4km, it was no surprise that the GC contenders were happy to let a sizeable group get away early on with nine riders going up the road.

That breakaway group, including Ben King (Dimension Data), Nikita Salnov (Astana), Pierre Rolland (EF Education First-Drapac), Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis), Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal), Lars Boom (LottoNL-Jumbo), Oscar Cabedo Carda (Burgos BH), Aritz Bagues (Euskadi Basque Country-Murias) and Ben Gastauer (Ag2r La Mondiale), steadily grew their advantage over a calm Team Sky led peloton, reaching nine minutes with just under 60km to go.

With the breakaway now almost certain to contest the win between them, it didn't take long past the the 50km mark for riders to begin trying their luck getting away. Lotto-Soudal's Jelle Wallays was the first to try, with the other breakers not keen on letting him get out on his own.

The break then settled down to work together again towards the final climb, gradually lifting their lead to a maximum gap of 9-50. That was until Wallays gave it a second go, attacking again with 32km to go but unable to stay away.

Into the closing 20km, the attacks began to come more frequent, and eventually Wallays and King were able to get away with Stalnov joining them with 16km remaining.

They managed to quickly gain a 20 second gap, before extending that out to over 40 seconds on to the final 12.4km climb of Puerto de Alfacar.

Wallays immediately struggled to match the pace of King and Stalnov, while further behind, Movistar began to ramp up the pace of the peloton.

Pierre Rolland attacked from the second group shortly into the climb, quickly bridging to the flagging Wallays before attacking again and struggling to make it up to the front pair.

In the peloton, LottoNL-Jumbo drove the pace on the early slopes, with no attacks coming from the contenders.

Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) was the first of the contenders to attack with just over 5.5km to go, stretching the main GC group and putting in a gap of 17 seconds.

Up front, King and Stalnov entered the final kilometre together with the American sitting behind the Kazakh. As they slowed, Rolland almost looked like he would catch back up, but as they hit the final 200m, King launched his sprint around Stalnov and gapped him immediately, leaving the Dimension Data man to celebrate his first Grand Tour stage victory.

Behind, Yates was able to hold on to take a 27 seconds advantage over the Kwiatkowski group across the line, with Bora-Hansgrohe's Emanuel Buchmann the only rider able to get close to him.

Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) and Alejandro Valverde small gaps between themselves and race leader Michal Kwiatkowski, with the Pole leading in the other contenders.

The Vuelta a España continues on Wednesday with stage five, a 188.7km stage from Granada to Roquetas de Mar, with a category two climb to conquer close to the finish.

Results

Vuelta a España 2018, stage four: Vélez-Málaga - Alfacar. Sierra de la Alfaguara (161.4km)

1 Benjamin King (USA) Dimension Data, in 4-33-12

2 Nikita Stalnov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team, at 2s

3 Pierre Rolland (Fra) EF Education First-Drapac, at 13s

4 Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Spa) Cofidis, at 1-08

5 Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale, at 1-39

6 Jelle Wallays (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, at 1-57

7 Oscar Cabedo Carda (Esp) Burgos BH, at 2-24

8 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 2-48

9 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 2-50

10 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team, at 3-07

Others

12 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team, at 3-13

13 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky, at 3-15

Overall classification after stage four

1 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky, in 13-47-19

2 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 7s

3 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 10s

4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team, at 12s

5 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb, at 25s

6 Ion Izagirre (Spa) Bahrain-Merida, at 30s

7 Tony Gallopin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale, at 33s

8 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team, at same time

9 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 37s

10 Enric Mas (Spa) Quick-Step Floors, at 42s

British rider Steve Cummings puts his "terrible" 2018 season down to multiple factors including a change in his race programme at Team Dimension Data.

Cummings, who currently has a chest cold, is starting the Vuelta a España in Málaga on Saturday with the team after a tough year. The goal is to help Louis Meintjes win the race overall.

"It's been a s**t year. A terrible year," Cummings told Cycling Weekly by telephone from the south of Spain in Andalusia.

>>> Vuelta a España 2018 start list: Nibali, Sagan, Porte, Quintana among starters

"There's no use of sugar coating it. I'm not being negative, but I've not been near my potential. It's sad for me and sad for the team."

Cummings won stages of the Tour de France in 2015 and 2016 and both the British national road race and time trial titles in 2017. He knows the highs and can recognise the lows, but says a 2018 race programme that saw him miss Tirreno-Adriatico and take part in other races like the Tour de Romandie did not suit him.

"They wanted to take a risk with a race programme that didn't work. That's been the main reason. There's more intricacies than that but... If you have been training for one way for many years and then you start changing...

"I thought we had a good recipe that was working well. I didn't want to change. Even now at the Vuelta. If you asked me at the start of the year the races I wanted to do, the Vuelta wasn't on my list.

"I am happy to be here but it's just like the whole season has been like that. The only time I really was going well was July then they didn't select me for the Tour de France. I didn't understand that."

The 37-year-old has coped remarkably well considering the change in programmes and setbacks. Recently, he just recovered from a fractured fibula head in his left leg suffered in the Tour of Austria.

"Normally, I start with one race before Tirreno-Adriatico. Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-Sanremo, País Vasco. I wanted to do the Giro this year because of the extra week ahead of the Tour. I would've asked to do the Giro, that was the only difference," continued Cummings.

"It's about races that suit me and then timings between races to have time to work in the best way I can. Some guys work best under load. I've understood what's best for me, the blue print, then to change it and do other stuff just didn't make sense."

The change in programme led to breathing issues that needed to be resolved by a specialist. In certain parts of central Europe, Cummings has always suffered in his career. As a result, he always tailored his race programme to avoid those areas.

"I did Romandie for the first time this year. I had a massive breathing problems, it affected me in the Dauphiné, but with a specialist he fixed it," he added. "But then if I didn't go to Romandie, I probably won't have that problem at all, but I'm just doing what's best for the team."

Dimension Data was hit with a number of injuries in the team this year, including Mark Cavendish suffering several setbacks. As a result, the team needed to shift its healthy riders around and fill race rosters. And it needed WorldTour points.

"I'm a rider who needs a lot of work, objective driven, but if I'm not working properly then I'm not going to get the best out of myself," Cummings said.

"The secret for the last few years has been hard work and consistency, good planning, but if you take good planning away it's more difficult to find consistence and train properly because it's not clear what you are preparing for.

"I'm not a big risk taker, I ride at the back. I take calculated risks because I have to. But if something's not broken then there's no need to fix it."

Cummings has won stages in both the Tour and the Vuelta in his career. His goal is to get through the Vuelta with Meintjes, perhaps win a stage, and "decompress" after 2018.

In 2019, a Giro stage victory in his adopted home country of Italy is his "big objective." He added, "but for sure, I need to go back to following a proper plan."

Dimension Data have confirmed that Michael Valgren has signed a contract to ride with them for two years from 2019.

The Dane has spent the last two seasons at Astana, having ridden with the now defunct Tinkoff team for three years before that. At just 26, Valgren has already developed into one of the most all-round talents in the professional peloton, supporting GC riders like Jakob Fuglsang on the climbs in stage races, as well as taking major Classic victories for himself at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Amstel Gold Race this year. Valgren also finished just off the podium in fourth place at the Tour of Flanders in April.

Valgren is likely to head up a reinforced Dimension Data Classics squad, with the team struggling to feature heavily this year with Edvald Boasson Hagen leading the line in the one-day races. The South African team will switch from Cervélo to ride BMC bikes next season, after the Swiss brand finished its deal with eponymous team.

“I’m extremely excited to be joining Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka," Valgren said.

"It’s a big opportunity for me to go to a team that’s keen on really building its Classics squad. I really look forward to working with the guys on the team and I see a big future there for myself.

“I’m also really proud to join the team because of what it stands for: its mission to distribute bicycles through the Qhubeka charity. It’s a super-cool mission and I’m really looking forward to being a part of that.

“Right now I can’t wait for 2019 to get going on my new BMC bike, which is obviously also really important these days – the equipment. In that regard Team Dimension Data is right on top of things so I’m sure there will be some great, great years ahead.”

“Michael joining us is a huge coup for Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka," team principal Doug Ryder said.

"He’s been one of the stand-out riders in 2018, with his victories early on in the year backed up by really strong performances at the Critérium du Dauphiné and at the Tour de France.

“Michael signing is another step in our journey to the top of the sport in particular gives a major boost to our Classics campaign, where he showed such good form earlier in the year."

British national road race champion Connor Swift will join Dimension Data as a stagiaire for the remainder of the 2018 season, the team has confirmed.

WorldTour teams are permitted to take on three trainees from August 1 to the end of the season, with the stagiaires only able to race Continental level races while they are also permitted to continue racing for amateur teams.

>>> British riders Ethan Hayter and Mark Donovan join Team Sky as stagiaires

Swift, 22 and cousin of UAE Team Emirates rider Ben Swift, currently rides for British team Madison Genesis, and took the biggest win of his career in June at the British Road National Championships road race, beating Adam Blythe (Aqua Blue Sport) and Owan Doull (Team Sky) to the title.

He'll now link up with the likes of Mark Cavendish and Steve Cummings at Dimension Data for the rest of the year, with the hope of impressing enough that he might be offered a contract at WorldTour level.

Swift will be joined by 21-year-old Italian, Matteo Sobrero and 22-year-old South African, Kent Main as the other stagiaires at Dimension Data for the rest of 2018, with pair moving up from the WorldTour team's Continental development squad.

"It’s great to see another two stagiaires step up from the Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka UCI Continental Team," team principal Doug Ryder said.

"This team is improving year on year and with the incredibly close relationship to our WorldTour team, where the Conti team riders get to train with our WorldTour team riders. We hope to continue to fast track riders and give them opportunities to step up and succeed in the tough world of professional cycling."

Meanwhile, Mitchelton-Scott have taken on Esteban Chaves' brother Brayan as a stagiaire for 2018, moving him up from their development team Mitchelton-BikeExchange. Chaves will ride with the team at the upcoming Tour of Utah, having ridden the U23 Giro d'Italia, the Giro del Belvedere and the Tour de Bretagne this season.

“It’s an exciting period for Brayan, and the Tour of Utah will be a good opportunity for him to gain some valuable experience racing with professionals and form another part of his ongoing development," said sports director Matt White.

“Racing at altitude in Utah will be similar to where he grew up in Colombia and that should be an advantage for him. The experience of racing at another level will be good for Brayan and he should come out of it in good shape for the second half of the season with the U23’s.”

Dimension Data will ride BMC bikes from the 2019 season after the Swiss brand agreed a three-year deal to replace Cervélo as bike sponsor of the South African team.

The deal comes after BMC withdrew its support for the BMC Racing team, leaving the team with months of uncertainty as team manager Jim Ochowicz searched for a replacement sponsor.

Dimension Data have ridden Cervélo bikes since 2015, when the team was known as MTN-Qhubeka, during which time they have made the step up to WorldTour level and won six stages of the Tour de France.

>>> Transfer news: Richie Porte set to make Trek move, Geraint Thomas to stay at Sky, & Greg Van Avermaet still undecided

In April BMC mourned the death of owner and long-time investor in cycling Andy Rihs, with the company saying that they would be trying to continue Rihs' legacy through the partnership with the Dimension Data team.

"We are very thankful to Continuum Sports [the company behing the BMC Racing team] and all the riders for the success we have achieved together as the ‘BMC Racing Team," said BMC CEO David Zurcher.

"BMC’s DNA is racing; this was driving Andy and is driving us today. We want to ensure Andy’s legacy and that of BMC continues in a sustainable and progressive manner, in line with today’s demands.

"Joining Team Dimension Data is much greater than purely ‘racing’, we will bring our credibility, building the fastest bikes in the world and combine our visions, being stronger together."

>>> BMC Racing saved by merger with CCC and agree deal with Greg Van Avermaet

The deal is thought to be the first of a few in a rotation of bike sponsors between the WorldTour teams ahead of the 2019 season.

With Cervélo being replaced by BMC as Dimension Data's bike sponsor, the Canadian manufacturer is expected to join up with Team Sunweb for next season, with the team becoming Sunweb-Cervélo.

That will mean Giant, the world's biggest bicycle manufacturer, needing to find a new home at the top level of the sport, with a deal expected to be announced with the team that is currently known as BMC Racing, but which will continue to exist in a new guise from 2019 after having its survival confirmed through a merger with the Polish CCC Sprandi Polkowice team.

Mark Cavendish is confirmed to lead the Dimension Data squad once again at the Tour de France, with the 30-time stage winner backed-up by a strong sprint support in 2018.

>>> Tour de France 2018 start list

The Manxman has had a difficult time of it since crashing out of the 2017 Tour, with just a single win to his name at the Dubai Tour since then.

This year the 33-year-old has been blighted by bad luck, crashing out in the neutralised zone of stage one of the Abu Dhabi Tour, crashing in the opening team time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico and crashing into a bollard during Milan-San Remo.

Cavendish has since competed at the Tour de Yorkshire, Tour of California, Tour of Slovenia and the Adriatica Ionica Race, but has failed to take a victory at any of those races, with a second place at the Adriatica Ionica on stage five his best result.

Still, Cavendish will hoping to turn his luck around on the stage he thrives on the most, the Tour de France. He entered the 2016 edition not looking to be at his best in comparison to some of the other sprinters, but took four stages in one of his best appearances in recent years. Cavendish says he's still aiming at edging closer to overtaking Eddy Merckx's record stage win tally of 34.

“I’m so excited to be able to ride the Tour de France again in my career, for the third time in Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka," Cavendish said.

“The Tour de France is not only the biggest cycling event on the planet but it’s one of the biggest sporting events on the planet; and it’s the best platform to get across what we as Team Dimension Data do for our charity Qhubeka, to get people in rural parts of Africa on bicycles.

“I’m excited to be part of a strong team and I’ll be looking at getting closer to that record (34) of Eddy Merckx.”

As usual, he'll be supported by long-time lead-out man Mark Renshaw, as well as three-time stage winner Edvald Boasson Hagen, who took over sprint responsibilities last year after Cavendish crashed out.

The rest of the team is made up of Belgians Julien Vermote and Serge Pauwels, South Africans Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Jay Thomson, and The Netherlands' Tom-Jelte Slagter.

The Tour de France kicks-off on July 7 in Vendée, however Cavendish will make his last racing appearance before the Tour at the British Road National Championships road race on Sunday.

Dimension Data line-up for the 2018 Tour de France

Mark Cavendish

Edvald Boasson Hagen

Mark Renshaw

Reinardt Janse van Rensburg

Serge Pauwels

Julien Vermote

Tom-Jelte Slagter

Cervélo bicycles will supply Tom Dumoulin and his team-mates in 2019 and become co-sponsor, seeing the team race as Sunweb-Cervélo, sources suggest.

Cycling Weekly sources say that Cervélo's owner, The Netherlands's Pon Holdings that distributes car brands Audi and Porsche, wanted a bigger presence in cycling and with one of the country's biggest stars.

The deal would see Cervélo leave Mark Cavendish's Dimension Data team after four years together.

Dutch newspaper De Telegraph reported the Cervélo move this morning as part of a larger article about BMC Racing.

The consulting firm Deloitte, which joined Dimension Data to help pay for Cavendish's arrival in 2016, could leave to become the title sponsor of BMC Racing in 2019.

BMC Racing's founder Andy Rihs died last month, but already the team management had been looking for a new sponsor with the Swiss bike company saying it was planning on leaving.

The team has not commented, but was said to have given an early May deadline to find a new sponsor. After that, the team's stars Greg Van Avermaet, Richie Porte and Tejay van Garderen could look elsewhere. If the deal is confirmed, they should fly the Deloitte-Giant flag in 2019.

Taiwanese manufacturer Giant Bicycles will co-sponsor the team and provide the structure that it gave to Sunweb for nearly the last decade. It remains uncertain how the WorldTour licence for BMC Racing, and any team, would switch hands.

That leaves BMC bikes and Dimension Data. Some insiders say that the Swiss bike company could continue at a lower level, simply as a technical supplier to the South African WorldTour team.

Another possibility is that Bianchi steps in. It is looking for a second team besides LottoNL-Jumbo and Dimension Data could be the perfect fit.

Mark Cavendish will have an opportunity to change the tide of a so far bewildering season on stage five of the Tour of California.

Sprinters will again come to the fore of the race following a test in the mountains, a day for opportunists and Wednesday’s 34.7km individual time trial at Silicon Valley.

Cavendish (Dimension Data) wasn’t in the mix and sat-up on the opening stage, which Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) won, though stayed upright. That was perhaps a sigh of relief for the 32-year-old, who after winning a stage on season debut at the Dubai Tour has spent majority time on the tarmac and finished just two of the six races he has started.

Cavendish stayed in the Middle East and rode the Tour of Oman before the Abu Dhabi Tour in which he fell in the neutral zone and abandoned kilometres later with a concussion.

The 30-time Tour de France stage winner recovered in time for Tirreno-Adriatico but crashed in the opening team time trial, which he finished outside the time limit with a fractured rib and facial lacerations.

He then fractured another rib when he somersaulted over a high and wide bollard at Milan-San Remo, a race he knows intimately well having won in 2009.

“I always found the phase of the Classics more intense because you can win and lose in a shorter period of time whereas this is more drawn out,” Dimension Data sports director Roger Hammond said in California.

“Now I feel like I’m on a massive oil tanker that takes two miles to change direction or turn. Once you start that’s it, whereas the Classics feel like a speed boat race.”

Cavendish entered the Tour of California, normally happy hunting ground for him, off the back of the Tour de Yorkshire that he retired from on stage four.

Hammond said California was a “new start” to get “on the right path” with a view to the Tour de France more than anything else.

“He’s not here riding around to have a look at the California countryside but it’s part of a phase of the season now,” he said. “I think we’re pretty confident that you wouldn’t bet against him winning.

"That’s what he did in Milan San-Remo. He didn’t ride in Abu Dhabi, or Tirreno-Adriatico, and then he was one of the last sprinters left approaching the Poggio, before he hit the bollard. That’s the way to look at it.”

Hammond interpreted the spills as bad luck over something more sinister and threw a wider net, encompassing the squad’s season, which has been compared to a voodoo doll getting repeatedly beaten.

The latest blow could have been fatal for veteran road captain Bernhard Eisel, who underwent emergency brain surgery for a crash-related subdural haematoma last month.

“I think a little bit of bad luck brings more bad luck in that you have less and less people around you. It’s not just Mark in the team,” Hammond said.

“Reinardt Janse van Rensburg hasn’t raced since the World Championships last year so he’s an important part of his lead-out. [Mark] Renshaw has been sick since last year as well so that’s another key person in his lead-out.

"If you then have to cover those people on your own, or have people that are new and stepping up, it’s like working with neo-pros in that position, which isn’t ideal. We do our best to try and replace, make it right, but things happen.”

Thursday’s 176.5km fourth stage from Stockton to Elk Grove features one category three climb around the halfway point of an otherwise flat course.

The final stage in Sacramento - where Cavendish has never lost a bunch sprint – is what the Manxman has put his own name down for though.

Sprinter Mark Cavendish has sad his first race back from injury has shown him his form is a little behind where he thought it would be.

“It has been a shock to the system, having had so little racing this year,” said the Manxman after arriving at the finish of stage three of the Tour de Yorkshire in Scarborough more than eight minutes behind winner Max Walsheid (Sunweb).

“I thought I’d be a bit better than I am,” he said. “I’m a bit skinny, I’ve been training but I’m just missing that top end.”

The Dimension Data captain last finished a race at the Tour of Oman in February and has since crashed out of the Abu Dhabi Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo. He started the Tour de Yorkshire hopeful of bagging a stage win on either of the first or third stages that, on paper, appeared to suit a bunch sprint.

However, on the first he was denied the opportunity because the breakaway stayed away to contest the win and on the third he found himself distanced from the peloton on the Cote de Sipho around 50km from the finish when BMC upped the pace.

“We knew they were going to do it, we’d talked about it,” he said referring to BMC’s pressure on the climb. “We were trying to hang on over the top… When I felt myself blowing I thought maybe I can get over it but I didn’t have do enough to do it.

“We were behind by about 30 seconds and we knew we had to commit before the TV knew I’d been dropped because the bunch gets a tow from the TV motorbike and we don’t and we might never get back unfortunately we didn’t get it going before the TV saw us.”

Still, Cavendish seemed relaxed with his family around him at the finish and will doubtless be making plans to find his top end before his big goal of the Tour de France in July. Before that race he is due to race the Tour of California in later this month and Tour of Slovenia in June.

Mark Cavendish says his form isn't far off where he hoped to be, despite a stop-start 2018 season to date.

The Manxman's 2018 has be plagued with crashes so far, most recently with a spectacular crash at Milan-San Remo.

However despite these setbacks, Cavendish doesn't believe the time off the bike has hampered his form in the build up to the Tour de France,

"Honestly, I’m not far off where I wanted to be. I was really good after the winter and completely on track for where I wanted to be throughout the year and those set backs didn’t push me back as much I thought, I just had to work a bit harder to get back."

"This was always going to be the start of my build up to July and I’m pretty happy to be in a comfortable position to do that."

Speaking at the pre-race Tour de Yorkshire press conference, Cavendish praised the race for some of the initiatives it has introduced this year included the two day women's race.

"It is incredible what Gary [Verity] and the team do. Its exactly what cycling needs to move forward. Its really making a festival out of the race and really showcasing what a beautiful place Yorkshire is and fortunately we’ve got some good weather as well this weekend."

Cavendish's last appearance in the county of his mother ended in despair as he crashed out of the first stage of the 2014 Tour de France, in which he joked about at the pre-race press conference.

"I don’t know the roads like the back of my hand that’s for sure. I know one part of the road in Harrogate better than most people but we aren’t going there this year."

The Team Dimension Data rider will be hoping for better fortune this time around and carry on the success of last year's overall winner and team-mate Serge Pauwels, despite not putting any figure on a successful race for himself.

"A successful race for any bike rider here is one win, a successful season is one win," Cavendish added. "I’ll just see what I can do. We’ve got a good team who can go well across all four days, but I know tomorrow into Doncaster is going to be a sprint.

"With the lay off my form is not too bad, but I’m not sure where my top end is but I’ll certainly be given it one hundred per cent."