After months of speculation, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Mark Cavendish’s future team for 2023 has finally been confirmed, with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Astana Qazaqstan announcing that the Manxman has inked a deal with the Kazakh♐stani WorldTour team.

Cavendish will therefore be able to fight for a record-beating 35th 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France stage win this summer with a WorldTour squad t🦋hat has guaranteed participat🌼ion in cycling’s biggest stage race.

Astana's interest in signing Cavendish first became public in mid-December when team manager Alexandr Vinokourov acknowledged to Cyclingnews that he had called Cavendish after the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:B&B Hotels project collapsed.

The 37-year-old then travelled to Spain to visit the team at their training camp as a contract was formalised, but Christmas and New Year came and went withﷺout an announc🌱ement. 

On Tuesday afternoon, with Cavendish having joined the latest training camp in Spain, the team finally announced that the Manxman has joined oꦬn a one-year deal. 

"I am really excited for this adventure. I raced with Alexandr Vinokurov for many years, and now I’m racing with his two boys! I remember when they were children the same age as my own, dreaming to be𝔍 bike racers," Cavendish said.

"Astana Qazaqstan Team is going to be a great place to be successful, with a strong team led by Alexandr, a champion on the bike and a gentleman off the bike. I’ve enjoyed a long career already, but the joy of riding my bike and the hunger to continue winning are as bright as e𓂃ver. 

"So I’m looking forward to being part of a successful team, whether working with🅷 the team for wins, crossing the line first myself, or cheering on my teammates. As always, the objective will be for us to stand on the top podium."

Vinokourov added: "Well, Mark Cavendish doesn’t nee♛d any presentation. He is the best sprinter of all times, and I am happy to welcome Mark in Astana Qazaqstan Team.

"Mark still has a big desire to win and we are going to sup👍port this feeling with all our forces in all kind of races."

'The arrival of a top sprinter is a challenge for us'

Cavendish’s last-minute signing forꦉ Astana Qazaqstan will see him join a squad which has won all three Grand Tours but whose line-up currently has a glaring lack of stage racing leaders.

Already seriously depleted after 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vincenzo Nibali retired at the end of this season, the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:sacking of Miguel Angel López because of alleged connections to a doctor under investigation for doping, 🍌had left the Astana team bereft of experienced high-profile racers.

Cees Bol was also understood to have joined Astana Qazaqstan as part of the deal🐈, although there has been no official word from the team that the Dutch sprinter, who was also bound for B&B Hotels, is now part of the squad🌜.

"The arrival of a top sprinter in our team is kind of a challenge for🐭 us, but we are ready for it. We see new ways and new possibilities," Vinokourov said. 

"The goals however are still the same – victor༒✤ies in any kind of race: Classics, stages in different stage races and, of course, in the Grand Tours."

Cavendish will use a Wilier Triestina bike in 2023 after two seasons on a Specialized at QuickStep-AlphaVinyl. According to Italian newspaper , the Gastaldelli fꦛamily, the owners of Wilier Triestina, were instrumental in providing part of the extra funding needed to bring Cavendish to Astana.

Confirmation of Cavendish's move to Astana Qazaqstan follows months of speculation about his future after 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Soudal-QuickStep designated 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Fabio Jakobsen as their numb༒er-one spri💯nter for 2023 and also went on to sign Tim Merlier from Alpecin-Deceunink.

The French B&B Hotels project, potentially with several big-name sponsors on board and with Cavendish joining as team leader, had been announced on the last day of the 2022 Tour. But the sponsors were never confirmed and team manager Jérôme Pineau was forced to 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:admit the project would not happen in early December, leaving riders and ওstaff scram𒅌bling to find other teams.

Rumours thatꦑ Cavendish could sign for Ine𓆏os Grenadiers, Israel-Premier Tech or Human Powered Health all gained ground and then fizzled out, but finally Astana Qazaqstan have proved to be the Briton's option for the ninth professional team of his career.