Cavendish and Quick-Step separation "hurts me a lot", says Patrick Lefevere

Mark Cavendish will be leaving Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team at the end of 2022, and the manager of the team Patrick Lefevere reveals that he did not expect the collaboration to come to an end the way it is.

Signed on a one-year deal in 2021, Cavendish returned to the peloton and the Tour de France where he won four stages and the points classification. It was a perfect comeback story, but then a new one began... “It hurts me a lot. I really thought he would stop at the end of 2021 until he suddenly changed his mind in August," Lefevere said in a recent interview with VeloNews. "‘You’re putting me in the shit,’ I said. I still went around with my cap".

Despite suffering heavy injuries during a track event over the winter, Cavendish had his contract renewed for another year with the Belgian team. The Tour de France was never a likelihood, however emotions were very high in the days leading up to the announcement, as many hoped he would be in the race despite the presence of Fabio Jakobsen as the team's sprinter - who ended up taking a stage win.

“From a sporting point of view, he was happy that Jakobsen would ride the Tour, but he also turned his back on that at the beginning of this year," Lefevere said. "He also felt that he was not being paid enough. Just before the start of the Tour, we had a good conversation". Discontent was clear from the British sprinter who was aiming for a new record of stage wins at the Tour. He has since raced the Tour de Pologne but with no result to show for in the many bunch sprints of the race, and abandoned early to prepare for the Commonwealth Games - where he also did not finish the race.

‘I’ll be ready if you need me,’ he said. But at some point, I had to tell him it’s going to stop. Of course, he is not happy,” Lefevere said. Cavendish was set to race the Tour of Denmark this week but was a last-minute absence, and does not have a comeback scheduled.

“I really hope he ends up well," Lefevere concluded. Cavendish has been heavily rumoured to be joining B&B Hotels-KTM for the coming season as the French team sees an increase in budget.