Mark Cavendish has spent his entire tenure at Astana Qazaqstan to date in different dress to his teammates, courtesy of his standing as British road race champion, but after recently foregoing the opportunity to fight to retain that title, he will trade in his stripes. As a result, when the Tour de France kicks off on Saturday in Bilbao, he will accompany the rest of his Astana team in wearing the recently revealed 'veins of mineral stones' kit.
Despite this, thanks to his bike sponsor Wilier, it will still be easy to spot him in the peloton as the Italian manufacturer has today unveiled a custom commemorative paint scheme for the Manxman.
Applied to the Filante SLR, Wilier's best aero bike, the new design will follow a similar blueprint to the rest of the team's sky blue bikes, but in a blend of white, black and gold. The ice-like finish to the top tube will remain, and the golden Wilier Triestina logo adds a regal touch to the otherwise matte black downtube. Cavendish's personal brand name 'CVNDSH' is printed onto each fork leg too.
The limited livery is described as a tribute to Cavendish's career, to commemorate and celebrate the achievements to date, but of course, it's hard to ignore the lingering opportunity that hangs over the Astana team and their star man. In 2021, while riding for Deceuninck-QuickStep, Cavendish equalled Eddy Merckx's record of 34 Tour de France stage wins. He will be desperate to take that 35th win to make the record his own, and this year's Tour marks his final chance after announcing he will retire at the end of the season.
"We strive to honour the remarkable achievements of Mark Cavendish, who dedicated himself to becoming the top sprinter in cycling," Wilier said in a press release, later describing the Briton as a "legend in the field."
Regardless of whether he breaks the record, the simple fact that it remains a possibility is a testament to his remarkable return to form over the past four years. He was written off by many following his seasons-long battle with the Epstein-Barr virus and a dry spell that saw him claim just two victories in four years.
If you want to replicate the limited edition paint job on your own Wilier, it will set you back an additional 800 Euros on top of the price of your frame or bike as part of the brand's customisation program. It will be only available for a limited time.
Meanwhile, the British champion's stripes will be passed on to Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious) after he beat out Soudal-QuickStep's James Knox and Israel Premier-Tech's Stevie Williams on the hilly Saltburn Bank circuit. Wright claimed an emotional victory which he quickly dedicated to his late teammate Gino Mader, who tragically died in a crash at the recent Tour de Suisse.
