The British Mark Cavendish has signed for Astana-Qazaqstan for the 2023 season, the WorldTour team announced on Tuesday, ending speculation about his future.
Cavendish has been linked in the media with various teams, including B&B Hotels, after leaving Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl earlier this year.
The 37-year-old was left out of the Quick-Step squad for the 2022 Tour, with the team opting for Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen instead.
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In Astana, Cavendish will try to beat his record of 35 stage wins in this year’s Tour de France.
“Team Astana Qazaqstan will be a good place to be successful, with a strong team led by Alexandr (Vinokourov), a champion on the bike and a gentleman from the bike,” Cavendish said.
“I have enjoyed a long race, but the joy of riding and the hunger to keep winning is as evident as ever… As always, the goal is to be on the top of the podium.”
Cavendish said at the end of 2020 that he was considering retirement, but enjoyed an impressive return to form in 2021, sprinting to four Tour de France stage wins to equal the record of 34 set by the Belgian great Eddy Merckx.
In the 2022 season, Cavendish won the Milano-Torino, a stage in the Giro d’Italia, the Tour of Oman and the UAE Tour.
Source: La Verdad
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