Cycling: Dubai favourite Mark Cavendish moves back to Deceuninck-Quick Step

Dubai: Mark Cavendish, one of the greatest road sprinters of all time, will rejoin the Deceuninck-Quick Step team for the next season.

Currently with the Bahrain-McLaren team, Cavendish’s new Quick Step outfit took to social media to make the latest announcement.

Cavendish — who won the 2015 Dubai Tour — he is also known for his aggressive riding style. In the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours, he landed an MBE “for services to British Cycling”.

Cavendish also won the 2011 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award with nearly half of the votes going to him out of a field of 10 nominations.

“World Champion Milano-Sanremo, 48 Grand Tour stages, Points jersey in all three Grand Tours, we could go on forever with his Palmeres. But, we will stick to the main news. For 2021, @MarkCavendish is back in the pack,” the Quick Step team tweeted.

One of the most decorated riders in history, Mark Cavendish is returning to Quick Step after five years. Part of the team between 2013 and 2015, when he contributed to the squad’s extraordinary legacy with 44 victories in one season, eight of which came in Grand Tour stages, the ‘Manx Missile’ has agreed to sport the new kit of the team, which will be revealed in a couple of days, throughout the 2021 season.

A professional since 2007, Cavendish has left a truly indelible mark on cycling in the past 15 years, winning close to 150 races on the road while in the pro ranks. Of these, 48 were achieved in the Grand Tours, where the 35-year-old has managed to become one of the few riders in history to win all three points jerseys.

The 2011 World Championships, 2009 Milano-Sanremo, and two wins in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne are some of the many other dazzling highlights of a remarkable career that the Brit will continue together with the Wolfpack.

“I can’t explain how delighted I am to be joining Deceuninck–Quick Step. I have never hidden my affection for my time with the team and to me, this genuinely feels like I am coming home. As well as the incredible group of riders, I can’t wait to start working again with the staff, most of which were here during my first spell and were part of one of the most successful periods of my career, an era that I am immensely proud of,” Cavendish said.

“Even with an extremely difficult and disrupted season this year, they have shown how strong and unified they are and I am hoping to add to even more. I can’t wait to be back in the Wolfpack.”

Patrick Lefevere, CEO, Deceuninck–Quick Step was delighted to have the former World Champion back in the fold for the next season. “We share many beautiful memories with Mark, and have a history that goes a long way back. During his three-year spell with the team, he didn’t just claim dozens of victories for the team, he also showed amazing panache and what an incredibly dedicated team player he is,” Lefevere said.

“We are happy to have him return to our family, as he is a leader and brings across a wealth of experience that he can share with our young riders. But, at the same time we are confident that he still has something to give to the team,” he added.

In late October 2019, Cavendish had signed with the Bahrain-McLaren team for the 2020 season alongside Mikel Landa, Wout Poels and Dylan Teuns.