Cavendish set for a breakaway fromteam Sky

MARK CAVENDISH, a key part of Team Sky’s Tour de France triumph with Bradley Wiggins, is to quit the British outfit after just one year.

Cavendish, the current world road race champion and the 2011 Tour green jersey winner, will hold talks with Sky’s general manager, Dave Brailsford, next week to extricate himself from the remaining two-and-a-half years of his £1.5million-a-year contract.

Sky will not oppose the breakaway by the 27-yearold. Sky’s dream was to have Wiggins and Cavendish sharing the spotlight but, despite the Manxman winning another three Tour stages last month — to become the fourth-highest stage winner on 23 — both he and Sky realise that sharing team efforts in an attempt to win yellow and green jerseys has proved impossible.

The experience has left Cavendish frustrated and he yearns to return to a team who throw all their energies behind him.

Sky’s first aim next year will be another Tour de France win, either through Wiggins or runner-up Chris Froome, who is team leader at the Vuelta a Espana, which started yesterday.

Heading the queue for Cavendish’s signature are BMC, who helped Cadel Evans win the Tour in 2011.

After managing only seventh this year, the Australian appears to be on his way out. BMC are keen to team Cavendish with the Belgian, Philippe Gilbert.

Although Liquigas, Rabobank and Lampre have also made inquiries, BMC’s main competition for Cavendish will come from Katusha, the Russian team with oligarch millions behind them, and Omega Pharma Quickstep.

Brailsford, meanwhile, has revealed his wish to turn Sky into one of the biggest global sporting names. He said: ‘I want to build one of the best sports teams in the world, if not the best, and I’m talking all sports.’