Movistar quick to quash Mark Cavendish signing report
Italian press speculation over future of sprinter denied by Spanish team
Since 2008, when Mark Cavendish first burst on the scene at Grand Tour level with Team Columbia, the Manx sprinter has won 53 stages at the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. In the same time period, Movistar, the grand Spanish team, one of the stalwarts of the professional peloton, has won 46 Grand Tour stages.
The squad has endured a difficult few years, with relegation hanging over them for much of 2022, now they are out the other side, but could still do with some more wins on the board.
To this end, it would appear to make sense that the squad might sign Mark Cavendish, a proven winner, the man with more GT stage wins than Movistar over his career; despite him being 37, it is a team that has nothing against older riders, just look at Alejandro Valverde and Annemiek van Vleuten.
Therefore, the emergence of a story in the Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport which hints at Cavendish heading to Movistar was quickly greeted with a lot of sage nodding and excitement on social media.
The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider is still without a team for 2023, with his two-year stint at Patrick Lefevere's squad coming to an end, and he is still stuck on 34 Tour stage wins, meaning he does not hold the record outright.
A new B&B Hotels project was expected to be the destination for Cavendish, after he did not have his contract renewed by Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. B&B would likely gain a wildcard invite to the Tour, which would help Cavendish on his quest to break the record.
However, on Monday evening, a planned press conference to launch the rebranded team run by Jerome Pineau, set for Wednesday, was postponed at short notice.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
On Tuesday morning, the leading French sports newspaper L'Équipe published a report suggesting that none of the potential sponsorship contracts have been signed yet, with the team past the UCI's initial registration deadline. While Pineau has reportedly reassured riders, it still appears up in the air.
Why not Movistar?
There is just one problem with this, and that is that it simply does not add up. The team even quickly denied it, actually taking to social media to quash the rumour, as they have already hit their limit for riders next year.
The Gazzetta piece suggested that Movistar DS Max Sciandri was interested in Cavendish - the pair have a long history which dates back to the sprinter's time at the British Cycling Academy.
Movistar wrote on Twitter: "Can we please, kindly remind everyone that we’re at 30 riders on our men’s team for 2023 (the UCI maximum) and this is just the desire of Max, who has been close friends with Cav for a long time."
They followed this up: "We understand it's a low month when it comes to news in cycling, but come on, some things are too much!"
Officially, Cavendish remains without a team, but the longer this goes on, the more rumours might continue - it is a low month, after all.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.
-
Tweets of the week: Brutal weather at Flèche, an idiot sandwich and is there a new POC helmet?
There's a lot of love for Kasia Niewiadoma, and it turns out Norwegians are good in bad weather
By Adam Becket Published
-
Juanpe López wins Tour of the Alps, does 34 kick-ups with a football
'My coach said to do it for Betis,' says Spaniard of his boyhood football club
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Mark Cavendish to miss Scheldeprijs as illness continues to affect schedule
Cavendish will ride Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye later this month, Astana Qazaqstan confirms
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Astana go all in on Cavendish in his final season, but will the confidence pay off?
The Kazakh team have bet big on the 38-year-old sprinter. Both they and Cavendish need 2024 to work
By Adam Becket Published
-
Mark Cavendish wins his first race in final season after perfect leadout in Tour Colombia
The Briton fended off the challenge of home rider Fernando Gaviria on stage four of the Tour Colombia
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Mark Cavendish forced to settle for third in 2024 season opener in Colombia
Astana Qazaqstan rider says Tour Colombia stage one result ‘best debut race for a few years’
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Nairo Quintana’s former doctor to face trial for doping offences
Fredy Alexander Gonzales Torres is accused of "possession of a substance or method prohibited for use by an athlete" during the 2020 Tour de France
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish seeking aerobic gains at altitude before focusing on high intensity work ahead of new season
Astana head coach Vasilis Anastopoulos: ‘Cavendish is currently doing lots of hours in the saddle and only short sessions of more intensive work’
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish: Altitude training is essential in order to stay at the top of modern cycling
British sprinter will start 2024 season at Tour Colombia in February and will also include two altitude camps in plan
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish reveals details of first race in 2024
Astana Qazaqstan rider will line up at the Tour Colombia after altitude camp in country
By Tom Thewlis Published