Cavendish will now sprint for a living

Twenty-one year-old Mark Cavendish was today announced as a Stagiaire for the T-Mobile Pro-Tour cycling Team following a fine showing at the recent Tour de Berlin. Cavendish, a World Champion on the track and the pick of Britain’s new crop of emerging cycling talent, will compete for the T-Mobile Team at the Tour of Britain later this month as well as three other European pro-cycling events.

Cavendish has been part of T-Mobile’s Development Programme since 2005, and will now be given the chance to make his mark during this test period with the Pro Team. The Tour of Britain will provide the perfect stage for Cavendish to make an impression on home turf in one of his first races for the T-Mobile Team and as the first British rider to ever wear the famous T-Mobile magenta jersey. The Manx-born rider has a growing reputation as a fearless sprinter who can also hold his own when the road goes up, which should make him well-suited to the Tour of Britain’s gruelling 2006 route.

Toby Hester, Head of Sponsorship and Events for T-Mobile UK, said,

“T-Mobile’s cycling Development Programme supports talented young riders with their training and development, with a long-term goal to integrate them into a Pro Team. We are delighted that our own UK rider Mark Cavendish is an early beneficiary of this scheme, and that The Tour of Britain will be one of his first challenges with the T-Mobile Team. We look forward to seeing him make the most of this great opportunity”.

The 6-day Tour of Britain kicks off on 29 August from Glasgow, passing down through some of Britain¹s toughest cycling routes to finish outside Buckingham Palace in London on 3 September.