Mark Cavendish has agreed terms for a contract extension with Deceuninck - Quick-Step, according to team boss Patrick Lefevere.
This puts an end to months of protracted negotiations following Cavendish's comeback year, where he not only returned to winning ways after a three-season drought but also took four Tour de France stages as well as the green jersey.
The Manxman signed with Deceuninck - Quick-Step for the 2021 season on a basic salary, paid for by an outside sponsor, as Lefevere took a gamble on his former rider who had just completed an anonymous season with Bahrain-Victorious and was struggling to find a new team to prolong his racing career.
Negotiations concerned a new salary befitting a rider who won four stages and the points classification at the French Grand Tour, with Cavendish also wanting to explore the potential for a role with the Belgian team after he stops racing.
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"We are finished," Patrick Lefevere announced to Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab). "Mark's new contract is ready."
The Belgian boss confirmed that Cavendish will be present next week at the team's training camp in Calpe.
“Mark is definitely one of them,” Lefevere said of those who will be in attendance in Spain. “Only he is not allowed to fly after the collapsed lung he suffered in the Six Days. We are working on a solution by car or train.”
While Cavendish will be at the training camp, he is expecting his injuries to delay the start to his 2022 campaign.
“As professional sportspeople you know your body well enough to know what it means and what the recovery time is," he explained. "We’re used to broken bones and lungs heal quite quickly, so I should be back in the saddle in a few weeks.
“It might push my season back a bit, and I’ll be in pain for a while, but I heal well so it’s not too bad.”
The official signing of the contract hasn't been completed yet, but the terms have been agreed, and Lefevere is happy to wait until his rider is fully healed to physically put pen to paper.
“It won't come on day one but I'd like to see it done when he's fully recovered," Lefevere said. "He always promised me he wouldn't run away, so."
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