Cav to ‘work like a neo-pro' upon Deceuninck return

Deceuninck DS Brian Holm pledges to help build the sprinter up again, writes James Shrubsall

- James Shrubsall

Mark Cavendish is set to go back to his roots at new team Deceuninck-Quick Step, playing the role of a new pro, before being let off the leash in the sprints again, said DS Brian Holm.

And while it is not strictly in the plan, Cavendish’s nature means he is also likely to become a mentor for younger riders such as Fabio Jakobsen and this year’s Tour de France green jersey winner Sam Bennett.

The Manxman signed from BahrainMcLaren at the 11th hour, after his year-long contract expired and it was beginning to look as though he may have been forced to retire, contractless.

Holm said the decision to sign Cavendish did not rest with him, but that when team boss Patrick Lefevere asked him what he thought of the idea, “of course, I said ‘give him a chance’.”

“When he asked me, ‘What are you going to do with him?’ I said I’d probably make him work a bit for the team from the start, a bit like a new professional,” Holm said. “And after three or four months maybe we make him try to sprint again. Build him up again and let him have his go.

“He could support young kids like [José] Hodeg, Fabio Jakobsen, coming back after his horrible crash, you know. I think even mentally he could support [Sam] Bennett, who won the green jersey,” Holm added.

It is a plan that seems in response to the diffiult years Cavendish has endured since 2016 with battling the Epstein-Barr virus, and the injury that saw Dimension Data overlook him for Tour de France selection in 2019; while a lack of racing in 2020 prior to the Tour saw even Cavendish himself admit he wasn’t ready to race the Grande Boucle.