Mark Cavendish’s fine early-season form has been put into perspective by his team manager at the Etixx-Quick-Step squad, Patrick Lefevere, who has said that the Manx sprinter will be judged on his performances in major events coming up soon such as Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo and Gent-Wevelgem.
Cavendish already has five victories to his name, including the Spanish one-day race the Clásica de Almería, but, with the Manxman’s contract up for renewal later this year, Lefevere appeared keen to play these early wins down. “He’s been winning a lot this year but things really start with Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo and Gent-Wevelgem,” the Belgian told the website cyclingnews.com. “After that we’ll maybe start speaking but we can’t hide the fact that the Tour de France is also really important.”
Cavendish moved from Team Sky to Quickstep on a three-year contract at the end of 2012 and he has said publicly that he is keen to remain with the Belgian squad, who this year hired the lead-out specialist Mark Renshaw to support him along with other members of his train. But Lefevere added that how Cavendish matches up to the German Marcel Kittel – who has won eight stages in the past two Tours de France to Cavendish’s one – may also have an impact on negotiations.
“If Mark is beaten five times by Kittel then we’ll have another discussion,” Lefevere told cyclingnews. Cavendish won 25 Tour stages between 2008 and 2013 but crashed out on stage one last year. “He’s a really popular rider, he’s a star, but if you don’t win then your star starts to fade. We’re professionals, I’m a professional, he’s a professional and we have to sit down as grown-ups and speak. But it’s too early to speak about this.”
To add to the pressure on their Manx sprinter, Etixx-Quick-Step are looking closely at the Colombian Fernando Gaviria, who beat Cavendish twice in bunch sprints at Argentina’s Tour de San Luis in January. The 20-year-old, who was riding the omnium at the track world championships in Paris on Friday and Saturday, is to visit the Etixx academy in Belgium for tests next week.
