World Champion Thor Hushovd said that he will help his new team-mate Tyler Farrar beat Cavendish at the Tour France in July.
"We must go far back in time to find a flat stage where I beat Mark Cavendish," Hushovd told Norway's VG Nett. "So, I'd rather help Farrar to beat him."
Norway's Hushovd won the World Championships on October 3 in Geelong, Australia. At the Tour de France he has won eight stages and twice the green points jersey.
Britain's Cavendish wants to win his first green jersey and will have the backing of his HTC team to do so next year. However, Hushovd said he will give up his quest for a third jersey to help American Farrar win his first stage. Farrar, despite a fractured wrist bone, finished second and third in the sprints this year.
Hushovd and Farrar will officially become team-mates as of January 1 as their teams, Cervélo and Garmin, announced a merger in August. The team will be called Garmin-Cervélo and run by Garmin's team manager, Jonathan Vaughters.
"It looks very good. The organisation of the team is strong and professional," Hushovd said. "I've got a very good impression."
The team met this week on the Caymen Islands, about 800 kilometres south of Miami. Hushovd sat down with Vaughters to plan his spring racing schedule, which is centred on his goal of winning Paris-Roubaix. The 31-year-old will start with the Tour of Oman in February and use the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race in Italy as a launch pad for the classics: Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Hushovd will race the Vuelta a España to prepare for his end of season goal, defending his title at the World Championships in Copenhagen. Cavendish wants to win the World title too and previewed the course in last month with HTC sports director, Brian Holm.
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