Latest doing the rounds on various social networking sites.

And not alone either (again rumoured).

Put money on it

OPQS?

How much do you reckon it’s worth wrecker?

Also, carbon: ❓

A few quid 😉

OPQS?

Omega Pharma Quick Step

DD, care to elaborate on the rumours a bit more?

With his statement about wanting to compete on the track at Rio it would be hard for any team to accept his absence from the road to prep for that.

However OPQS seems most likely if he were to.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-may-want-more-than-sky-can-offer

My money is on OPQS as well…

Sounds sensible though there will be other teams that can don’t have a GC contender but could buy in Cav and a leadout to turn themselves round.

DD, care to elaborate on the rumours a bit more?

I couldn’t possibly say…

Nah, just something I picked up on a retweet of Richard Keys/Andy Gray (don’t follow) via Brian Moore (who I do)

I’m in two minds about this one.

If he wants wins – especially TdF wins, then he should move.
It would do him no harm on a global scale.

If he wants his profile to be as large as possible in GB, then he should probably stay.

The fact he’s talking about track cycling in Rio suggests to me, he’d prefer to be as close to BC as possible and will stay.

The fact he’s talking about track cycling in Rio suggests to me, he’d prefer to be as close to BC as possible and will stay.

This would seem the most likely.

Contract negotiation strategy, perhaps.

Giving up three years in a less than ideal team for a shot at Brazil? Doesn’t make sense IMO. There’d be nothing stopping him riding for another team for three years and then signing with Sky again in 2016.

Next year, Wiggo or Froome (if he’s still at Sky) will expect full support again. Cav won’t be willing to go with that without the promise of support for his Olympics win as this year.

a retweet of Richard Keys/Andy Gray

Those well known cycling experts

Those well known cycling experts

Well Richard Keys used to present the first ever TdF TV programme on Channel 4. And now works for Sky Sports who would have a few insiders I would guess.
(that’s not to say they’re right though)

Those well known cycling experts

Yeah, I wondered about that myself…but hey, it’s just rumours, and as Alex helpfully points out, at least one of them probably knows a bit more than you’re speculating.

Yeah I can’t see him sitting in the wilderness having to scrap for the odd GT stage win just because he might fancy a go on the track in Rio. I’m not even sure he’d make the team for that anyway (without giving up a year on the road to focus). I can see why he switched to Sky this year but unless he’s purely motivated by money (doesn’t seem to be) then I’m guessing he’ll be off elsewhere next season.

I think if he stays with SKY then it will be because he is looking to the long term to become a classics rider – similar to the route that Boonen took. Lots of prestige to be won there and having the strength of team that SKY could provide him would be a bonus if he were to go down that route.

That’s a great point mangoridebike. He was talking like that just before the tour (when he was talking about his weight loss).
Although the counterpoint is that he does still look the fastest in the peleton. Perhaps not ready to do that quite yet.

Hmmm – he was drinking with Max Sciandri (BMC) last night.

I’ve a feeling if he does leave (I think unlikely) he’ll move (or be persuaded to go (push shove wink wink)) to either Astana or Katusha.
My reasoning, well they have the $$$$’s to spend, they have an image to uphold, they need the publicity of either a GT or Stage Winner (both have ex GT’s and stage winners but are getting long in the sprocket now) they have support in their respective teams to drag Cav around the bumps, they have expressed an interest, both teams can offer decent salary and a holiday home in the Balkans,.
OPQS are the only ones to make public their interest so far, so far I think it’s smoke and mirrors.
Cav has a couple of years to round his riding out a bit, MSR was an excellent race win for him, stage wins are his forte but he needs a couple of Classics wins to be really rounded out.
Money, well money isn’t really the driver anymore for him (I suspect he’s actually very humble when negotiating £’s) I think his major goal is the possibility/probability of winning stages and sprints and having the support to do that.

He’s been around for some time now, bound to have a drink with a few folk on the circuit no?

He’s been around for some time now, bound to have a drink with a few folk on the circuit no?

Sure – just throwing fuel on to the fire 🙂

I can see why he switched to Sky this year but unless he’s purely motivated by money

I can’t see why he switched. Can’t believe he naive enough to think they’d drop the dream of Sky winning the tour to lead him out on all the sprint stages.

He was a guaranteed shoe-in for the Olympics regardless of team (Millar too) and up ’til that point I’d not really seen Wiggins et al (apart from the final TdF stage) leading the sprint train so he wasn’t getting much practice with his new teammates.

Possibly a stupid question, but with 9 riders in a team, why can’t SKY support both BW for the GC and Cav for the green jersey?

Rio’s 4 years away, pelenty of time for a 3 year contract with lots of stage wins before coming back to Sky/BC if there’s space? Don’t forgett here’s a constant trickle of riders coming out of Manchester, so by then he’ll be competing against 8 years worth of accademy ‘graduates’ since he left, and they’re already winning pretty much everything Olympic.

Possibly a stupid question, but with 9 riders in a team, why can’t SKY support both BW for the GC and Cav for the green jersey?

It’s just too hard.

It’s just too hard.

+1, it’s one thing controlling breakaways to limit them to non GC contenders, so this year all Sky had to do was preven Evans and Nibbali from getting away in the first 150k or so where the pace is relatively gentle. The last 50k can be left tot he sprinters teams to claw back the breaks to get their stage wins while the GC contenders sit in the pack and coast tiot he finish. To controll the Pelaton for 200km every day and lead out for the last 50k would be very hard work.

…not really seen Wiggins et al (apart from the final TdF stage) leading the sprint train…

Wiggins led him out to a win on the final two stages (if you exclude the time trial) of the Tour. Two in a row is some good going…and 3 stage wins overall. It’s nothing to sniff at.

It would be good to see him getting some more support though, of course.

3 stage wins overall. It’s nothing to sniff at.

Which could have been 4 if he hadn’t crashed on stage 4.

Its not the money!!!! Like the guy a lot but of course money talks!!!!

Racing Sunday , Monday ,Tuesday after Olympic road race Saturday.

They could have supported Cav better if Siutsou hadn’t crashed out as EBH could have saved himself better for the leadouts.
But predicting that you’re going to get through the first week without crashes is almost impossible (how have Liquigas done it 12 GTs in a row!)

Yeah Cav is obviously good enough to pick up bunch sprint stages but without a team working for him then:
a). there’s less likely to be a bunch sprint as other teams rarely chase down breaks if Cav is still in the bunch (and the break doesn’t have a GC threat ofc)
b). he has to take more risks in the final few km, means more chance of crashing and uses more energy jumping between wheels and making his way through the bunch

9 isn’t really enough as you need 4 + Cav for the train and GC rider needs 3 for the mountains really and that leaves you no spots for roleurs to drive the peloton on (doing all the work you don’t see on TV highlights). It is doable ofc but you end up compromising both your GC and sprint stage chances which you can’t really risk doing.

We’ve been having this discussion since the end of the Olympic RR – one mate thought GreenEdge would be the place, my money was on rejoining Renshaw at Rabobank.
QuickStep was a bit of a surprise but I can see him and Bernie enjoying it there.

& geoffj NO you can’t adequately contend the Sprints and the GC – just look at Telekom with Ullrich and Zabel. The team has to focus on one or t’other.

Erm.. Renshaw to GreenEdge next year.

Good point about Bernie.. what say he retires before the next Olys.

Still think a trip tot he Balkans is for him if the choice was made for him.

just look at Telekom with Ullrich and Zabel.

Telekom won green and yellow in the same tour twice in ’96 and ’97. And they deffinately did it without any chemical help 😯

jfletch they just had a special drink in Freiburg the week before the TdF – but I stand corrected I’d forgotten Zabel got it then

Actually, am I right in thinking radios aren’t going to be allowed in next years Tdf?

I think that will have a big impact on the sprinters teams as I think a lot more breakaways will stay away without some team manager telling a train they need to work at ‘x’ watts for the next ‘x’ minutes to catch up.

as I think a lot more breakaways will stay away

No, they’ll just not be allowed to get away.

No radios = old school = people at side of road with radios and white boards on ground at intervals. Everyone forgets what they used to do without radios.

Rumours be rumourin’

Cav to Omega Pharma Quickstep? (Cycling News)