[Closed] Has Cavendish already signed for Sky?

I suspect its just the beeb being rubbish.....

Can't see him going to Sky, daft if he did. Currently he has a team built to get him to the line. Sky is all about wiggins and the yellow I can't see them (sky) doing a High road set up from him at the expense of the GC.

The problem is Highroad are struggling to get a sponsor, I think Goss and possibly Renshaw are going to green edge, so he needs to find a new team. I agree though, Sky isn't the place.

The problem is Highroad are struggling to get a sponsor

I don't understand with their tour succsses why that would be the case?

The BBC story has since been edited. It now says:

The Welshman also praised green jersey winner Mark Cavendish, describing him as the "fastest guy in the world".

cav wants to keep all his team with him i would imagine.reckon he'll stay with htc (as said above i cannot imagine them having problems with sponsorship after the success at the tour)

Cav, Eisel and Renshaw all going to sky.

Cav seems to work better as a team, take his team away and he may well get sad without them, also Sky have pushed Brad to the front and as leader, where will Cav fit in, second in comand, i think not

I think he would be daft moving anywhere. He will not get the same level of support in any other team

As I said Cav, Bernie and renshaw to sky. Brad will concentrate on track and olympics next year anyway.

Where would EBH fit into the a Sky set up with Cav?

G, Wiggins, Ed Bo, rogers, ,lofkvist etc + eisel and Renshaw no they would be a shit leadout train 😯 f f s .Anyway half of them already did the job for him at high road

As Chris Boardman has said Wiggo would be silly to concentrate on Olympics next year, he already has every colour medal from 2 different games he isn't getting younger and is running out of time if he wants to do well in the tour. No way would Cav work at Sky for numerous reasons as already mentioned. I think Journos are jumping on band wagon again of rumours last year.

Cav's what, mid 20's? What scope for getting stronger and more self-reliant?

I get the impression as Cav gets older he could be another Husvold in the future.

As Chris Boardman has said Wiggo would be silly to concentrate on Olympics next year, he already has every colour medal from 2 different games he isn't getting younger and is running out of time if he wants to do well in the tour. No way would Cav work at Sky for numerous reasons as already mentioned. I think Journos are jumping on band wagon again of rumours last year.

There's no point being the fastest over 250m unless you have the team to deliver you to that final 250m. I can't see him going to sky at present as it would mean too radical a shake up and would go agains the ethos of the team to develop British riding talent.

The lines between SKy and British cycling are a bit blurry which is where the confusion lies with the BBC (probably).

I thought that the team had found a potential new sponsor anyway?

he may go as i dont think wiggo will ride for them next year in the tour

Where would EBH fit into the a Sky set up with Cav?

kinda funny that brad left highroad because he was sick of being cav's lead out man - and now they may be reunited 😀

actually all of the above is a load of WUMmery from me, I don't think Cav will go because I can't see DaveB wanting to hire 3 riders and restructure a team... this year's TdF showed that he has versatility in spades, he would sacrifice this if cav came

Sponsor situation may be resolved at Highroad:
[url= http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/stapleton-with-new-sponsor-for-highroad ]http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/stapleton-with-new-sponsor-for-highroad[/url]

My money is on none of the major players in the Cav sprint train leaving.

How would signing cav go against the policy of signing young British talent, he is young and British 😯

I thought HTC signed another 3 years with them.

How would signing cav go against the policy of signing young British talent, he is young and British

isn't he from the Isle of Man? Not part of Great Britain, though in the British Isles..

but suppose is close and they have the same national anthem so will let him off 😉

Renshaw has already said that him, Eisel and Cav are staying together, wherever they go. I can't see that fitting into a Sky team that also wants to go for the GC.

Highroad is really built around one thing, getting Cav 250m from the finish. I can't see Cav wanting to compromise on that.

isn't he from the Isle of Man? Not part of Great Britain, though in the British Isles..

The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom but the Manx people are British citizens and are issued with British passports by the Isle of Man passport office.

Ed2001 - Member
Cav, Eisel and Renshaw all going to sky.

^ Just this, basically. Cav going to Sky is cyclings worst kept secret and the rest seems to be a given as well.

Cav going to Sky is cyclings [s]worst kept secret[/s] biggest rumour which may not actually be true

UK citizens shotsaway Is it not?

if cav joins sky then wiggins will be looking for a new team - cant see that my self

i see wiggins doing a cadel - he crashed out last year due to wrong place wrong time and won this year - ill put money on wiggins next year tbh - would love to see him give the schlecks a kicking .... if cadel has any sense he would retire at the top of his game - he was the best on the 3 weeks of the tour this year BUT i am not under any illusion that he is the best in the peloton.....

also cav becoming more self reliant like hushovd - i dont think so, i dont think mentally he can hold together - when things go south he seems to go south too - only my opinion though

Cav's what, mid 20's? What scope for getting stronger and more self-reliant?

He is already the fastest the issue is that no other team would pull back any breaks as Cav would win. So his leadout train is needed to keep the pack together as much as anything else without HTC dominating the peleton other teams would try and avoid a sprint. He would only need two guys to lead him in the sprints but he needs the rest of the team to ensure its a sprint in the first place.

the issue is that no other team would pull back any breaks as Cav would win

There is an interview on velonews saying the whole team were waiting at least another 2 weeks for Stapleton to put pen to paper with a new title sponsor!

From the reports coming out the press the team will remain for 2012 and are in the process of sorting new title sponsor!

As said why move to sky and risk loosing the machine that is the HTC delivery service to the line!

If HTC have got a new sponsor and bigger budget then I agree, he should stay. Isn't one of his gripes about being with HTC the amount he's being paid compared to other sprinters?

If he does go to another team and BE, MR have agreed to go with him then I'd imagine part of the deal would be to bring them over with him, but I'd imagine that could prove expensive as they are still under contract with HTC. Would he want Tony Martin too?

THing with Mark is he needs a team with the same ethos as HTC if he's to move. If you look at what HTC are good at it's TT (Martin) and Sprints (Cav) so predominantly flat stuff. They've chosen not to mix abilities by adding (proper) climbers cos they want the glory post which gets more media coverage, quite simple really, max coverage for sponsors.
So if Cav moved to another team they would have to have the same ethos and no team really has that OPL did for a while but then they're classics orientated.. and they've got Griepl (spelling) anyhoo's.
Rumours suggest HTC have a 3yr deal with another sponsor lined up so why split a sucessful team now..
I'd like Cav to expand his palmares to become a classics winner..

I'd like Cav to expand his palmares to become a classics winner.

He's already won Milan-San Remo but he's a very explosive rider rather than a powerhouse in the style of Hushovd, Cancellara or Boonen so is unlikely to win Roubaix or Flanders, his physiology is too different.

he was the best on the 3 weeks of the tour this year BUT i am not under any illusion that he is the best in the peloton.....

There is no "best" in the peloton. No one can be the best for every event and has to target specific events. Cadel has always been well up there, has one world championship to his belt and is certainly one of the best in the peloton. He's a well deserving winner of the tour.

UK citizens shotsaway Is it not?

Bizarrely not.

For example, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom but not part of Great Britain, yet they are classed as British Citizens and are issued with British Passports (They are also entitled to Irish citizenship by birth under the 1998 Belfast Agreement).

It would be so much easier if the Government issued UK Passports and classed the people as UK citizens!

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/

My comment about developing talent was that putting Cav in the team wouldn't help the rest develop. As suggested above he needs a team that can control the peleton, chase down breaks and then a couple of people to lead him out. HTC is the "Cav-alry" and run purely for him to win sprint stages. I think they would be more interested in bringing on their own talent base (Swift/Thomas/Kennaugh) than getting/buying someone in who is already a acomplished rider.

I think you're right Jonba, but there is nothing quite like regular race wins to appease your sponsors, giving the team breathing room to focus on development.
I can see how buying in Cav to net all those wins would be attractive, particularly after a lacklustre 2010. 2011 has been much improved for Sky though so they may not be feeling the need quite so much.

Ideally Cavendish would go to a team where he can be fully supported and continue to expand his palmares at his current rate. But this is also his job and his contract at HTC is estimated to be around half his market value with a not particularly good win bonus deal. Sports of any kind can be a unpredictable career and he needs to make his money whilst he is healthy and in demand.

Not saying he should just follow the money, but it is a balance that needs to be struck. He's established himself at HTC and any contract that he negotiates now is likely going to take him into his peak years. it needs to be a good deal as well as a good team.

yes but if hes not winning he will get no win bonus .....

his contract at HTC is estimated to be around half his market value with a not particularly good win bonus deal. Sports of any kind can be a unpredictable career and he needs to make his money whilst he is healthy and in demand

You make it sound like he's going to be on the breadline. At £750,000 a year at HTC I'd imagine he could retire already.

People forget that Cav wins just as many stages without his lead out train as he does with it. He's only sprinting at 85% most of the time remember.

He doesn't win just as many without the leadout train. However, he has demonstrated that he is capable of winning without a leadout.
Still the majority of his wins come from a leadout and the best way to ensure a win is to have an effective leadout.

any new sponsor will either want Cav or not and the value of the deal will reflect that,

I imagine Bob is negotiating Cav's signature right now and I hope he gets it. Stability and HTC work for Cav

htc are very good at chasing down break aways, two times htc weren't interested in the race the break away made it and Thor got the wins.

At £750,000 a year at HTC I'd imagine he could retire already.

How's that add up? If he lives until he's 80, that's about 55 years he has to fund.

It's a short career, so they have to maximise earnings. If he was on twice that much, which is his market value, that's twice as much disposable to invest in a pension. That makes a huge difference.

any contract that he negotiates now is likely going to take him into his peak years.

I'm sure he'll make a great commentator when he retires. I'd rather listen to him than some of the plonkers on telly, that's for sure 🙂

I'm sure he'll make a great commentator when he retires. I'd rather listen to him than some of the plonkers on telly, that's for sure

True enough, although what they gonna ask him when the race hits the mountain?

"So Mark when attacking a mountain such as this did you prefer to hold the door pillar or the base of the window frame?" 🙂

Renshaw and Eisel are contracted to High Road until the end of next season. Cav isn't. Cav isn't a neccesity for securing a sponsor - there are plenty of other Cav-less teams with sponsors after all. And they have Matt Goss ready to step up after all.

I was told at the British Nationals by someone who would know that Cav was definitely going to Sky.

Has Cavendish already signed for Sky?

Yes he has

He go a free HD box and standard setup with a Movie and Sports package at half price for 6 months

How's that add up?

Because a few years on wages like that is more than most people earn in a lifetime.

Uplink...thats the funniest thing I've read in ages

Lol at both mW and uplink 🙂

Phil W if you are talking about minimum wage maybe. Cav is great, a really asset to cycling, fast talking but delivers the good, wears his heart on his sleeve and is a "marmite character" as Geraint describes. I guess we can speculate all we like about whether or not he has signed for Sky there are lots of rumours flying around, like at start/end of football season and none of us frankly know anything.

Bernie and Renshaw are legends too and Cav's tweets during this years TdF were great. Either way he will continue his winning streak and become a force to be reckoned with .. bigger than he is already! Look at much everyone else struggles when his second kick goes in!

IIRC Contador was on Euro 3million last year. I'd have thought Cav was probably as valuable given his ability to win pretty much every sprint and not be involved in doping scandals.

" Look at much everyone else struggles when his second kick goes in! "

the look on the garmin guys faces on sunday when HTC decided it was time to leave the station - they couldnt even match cavs lead out !

Exactly Renshaw, Goss and potentially even Bernie all have the ability to be phenomenal sprinters themselves.. look at others teams they don't have 3 or 4 people ni their team who are world class sprinters! Even Geraint whos is a great lead out wouldn't match up to Renshaw in a sprint. Swifty maybe...but still young with a lot to learn but he's a quick talent look at Tour down Under and Tour of Oman.

Goss is a top class sprinter in his own right. I'm not convinced about Renshaw (remember Ciolek, his predecessor?) and Eisel definitely not.

In the 2008 TDF, Cav won 4 stages. At the time people talked about how Cav was nothing without his lead-out train. The only other High Road rider remaining from that year is Eisel. The fact is that the lead-out train can be swapped for another - the most important person in it is Cav. And even then he's proved numerous time that he can win without it - Milan-San Remo being the best example.

What he does need in Grand Tours is a team that will get on the front and bring back breakaways. And usually that means sacrificing the GC to an extent.

Renshaw is MOST DEFINATELY a good sprinter! look at TdF 2009 was it when no one could catch Renshaw and he finished 2nd!

the issue is that no other team would pull back any breaks as Cav would win

I presume you didn't watch any of the TdF - or maybe missed the days where the teams of other sprinters were pulling the pack in the hope their man might win.

So you must have just watched the highlights then. HTC always kept the break in range throughout the day on the flat stages, apart from when voeckler got a decent lead for his team to defend it. Theres a difference between getting going in the final 10-20km as many teams did and pulling all day to keep the break around 3-5mins then reducing the lead to 30 seconds. Its only when it got down to 30 seconds that the others got intrested.

Renshaw is MOST DEFINATELY a good sprinter! look at TdF 2009 was it when no one could catch Renshaw and he finished 2nd!

You must mean the final stage on the Champs Elysees. That was more about the speed at which he took the corner than his flatout sprinting speed.

He's fast, of course, but it doesn't mean he will win races in his own right.

Mark Renshaw is a brilliant bike rider and a brilliant guy, but neither he nor Matty Goss are sprinters, not proper sprinters in the mould of a Cav, Cipo or even Petacchi and they all would realise that they are in a lucky position with Cav, I mean look at his last two teammates that left to "make it on their own" Messrs Greipel and Ciolek. Both are happy to take whatever crumbs are left under Cavs table.

Mark recognises he is way better off as Cavs right hand guy, Bernie Eisel is the same, wherever Cav goes they will go. Matt Goss is a different kettle of fish altogether - he is after all only 24 and has already won M-SR I think it more likely that he would be the heir to Boonen's crown (or Fab C's) in the Spring Classics, he is big, strong, fast as hell and can ride like a man possessed.

Cav IMHO would not be well served by going to Sky in any way other than financially. He would be joining a team built around GC success, it just wouldn't suit him NOT being the complete centre of the team. Wiggins would leave within a year regardless of what he says now.

But it will be interesting to see what happens. I spent half an hour up Alpe d'Huez last week while waiting for the final km kite to be blown up with Mick Rogers, he was keeping his cards pretty close to his chest, but reading between the lines, Cav will be in black and white next year (with a thin blue line)