Movistar was quick
to dismiss speculation that they might add Mark Cavendish to their roster for the 2023 season, confirming that their roster is now complete for next season.
Cavendish is still without a team for 2023 and a report is underway La Gazzetta dello Sport (opens in a new tab) This Tuesday the hypothesis circulated that he could sign for Movistar due to his long friendship with sports director Max Sciandri.
Movistar immediately defused the rumor with a statement on social networks.
“Can we remind everyone that by 2023 (the UCI maximum) we have 30 riders in our men’s team and this is just the wish of Max who has been close friends with Cav for a long time,” one post read. the team’s Twitter account (Opens in a new tab.)
Movistar has already added a sprinter for 2023 after signing Fernando Gaviria from UAE Team Emirates. The other additions to the team for next season are Rubén Guerreiro, from EF Education First-EasyPost, and Iván Romeo, moving up to the WorldTour from Hagens Berman Axeon.
Cavendish has ridden for QuickStep for the past two seasons, but his departure from the Belgian team has now been confirmed.
In recent weeks, Cavendish has been heavily linked with Jérôme Pineau’s addition to the team from B&B Hotels, but the team canceled a press conference scheduled for the eve of last week’s Tour de France course unveiling.
The team was not included in the original list of possible ProTeams for 2023 published by the UCI last week, although they have until November 15 to complete their application for that status.
Since then, reports in the French media have revealed uncertainty about a significant increase in the finances of the second division and the arrival of new sponsors, although Pineau was optimistic in talks with him. The telegram last week: “I have the people to finance my team. I am in constant contact with them. I believe in it, I hope for a good announcement in November.”
Cavendish competed
in the ASO-organized Tour de France Criterium event in Singapore on Sunday, despite refusing to be dragged into his 2023 final. “If I know, you’ll hear me,” he said. cyclingnewyes
The 37-year-old appeared close to retiring at the end of the 2020 season before agreeing to return to QuickStep. He enjoyed a remarkable revival in Patrick Lefevere’s team, winning four stages in the 2021 Tour de France to equal Eddy Merckx’s record of 34.
Despite winning a stage of the Giro d’Italia and the British Champion title in 2022, Cavendish was dropped from the QuickStep’s Tour team in favor of Fabio Jakobsen, thus losing his chance at the record.
