"Sometimes you have to stop" - Lefevere explains decision not to renew with Mark Cavendish

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team are bringing in Tim Merlier to replace Mark Cavendish for 2023, and the questions regarding the decision not to keep the British sprinter keep being asked, to which Patrick Lefevere answered in a recent interview.

Explaining why he didn't offer another contract year for Cavendish, Lefere explained: “And then another year, then another year… Sometimes you have to stop, even if it's a heartbreaking decision. For me it was, but that's also why I'm the boss. When you are in charge, you are alone at the top and there is no one to help you.”

“The last time I spoke to him was two days before the Tour," he admitted. Although there was no public spat, the disappointment in the decision from the Manxman was very evident in several interviews despite the very low chances of his presence at the race due to Fabio Jakobsen's leadership.

Cavendish took time off and began preparing for the final part of the season. He has in the meantime revealed the new British national champion stripes, and Lefevere confirmed his next race: "I know he's going to the Tour de Pologne now, but that's all I know. I don't read much in the newspaper. I only hear the rumors from Radio Peloton".