Mark Cavendish has signed for African squad MTN-Qhubeka, their parent company Ryder Cycling has announced.
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The 26-time Tour de France stage winner and 2011 world champion has agreed a three-year deal with the team, who will be known as Team Dimensions Data from 2016, his CVNDSH brand said.
Cavendish’s current deal with Belgian squad Etixx-QuickStep expires at the end of the season and his move to MTN-Qhubeka has long been mooted.
Mark Renshaw and Bernhard Eisel, both long-term allies of Cavendish, will also the squad.
The move to the UCI Professional Continental team is not without its risks.
Their status means a Tour de France berth is not guaranteed, for example, but Cavendish’s place on the roster and the performance of the squad in 2015 – which included a Tour stage win for Steve Cummings – means an invite is likely in 2016.
The 30-year-old Manxman said: “I’m super excited about becoming a part of the team for 2016.
“It is a team that I have watched closely as it has grown, especially over this season and been really impressed with the spirit, strength and dynamics of the group.
“It’s fair to say that most of the peloton has seen how incredible the team raced this year.”
It is understood MTN-Qhubeka are prepared to allow Cavendish to pursue his goals of competing for Great Britain on the track at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
An Olympic gold medal is one of the few honours to elude Cavendish, who was ninth in the 2008 Olympic Madison alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins and 29th in the 2012 road race, on the opening day of London 2012.
Mark Cavendish’s number of wins since turning pro: 2007 – 11 2008 – 17 2009 – 23 2010 – 11 2011 – 12 2012 – 15 2013 – 19 2014 – 11 2015 – 14
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Cavendish told reporters: “To be fair it has got to the point that even if it’s in synchronised swimming…an Olympic medal is the only thing I’m missing.
“I’m 30 years old. I want these challenges. The last few years I’ve been doing the same stuff.”
Cavendish will be fighting Ed Clancy for the single omnium spot at the Rio Games and hopes the rejigged format, which places a far greater emphasis on the final points race, will play into his hands.
“Look, if it was the old omnium, as it was at the last Olympics, Ed would be going, 100 per cent,” he added..
“The reason I’m even going for Rio is because of the points race. It really suits me.”
