British cyclist MARK CAVENDISH, a key component in Team Sky, announced that he "wishes to leave Britain's premier cycling team less than a year after he signed for the squad," according to Alasdair Fotheringham of the London INDEPENDENT. It means the world's No. 1 sprinter "is no longer willing to play second fiddle to this year's Tour de France winner, BRADLEY WIGGINS." Cavendish said, "We had this idea that we could have this British super team that could win stages and dominate. DAVE [BRAILSFORD, general manager of Team Sky] sold me the idea last year but for some reason it hasn't worked out like that. It's difficult to do." Cavendish still has two years to run on his contract (INDEPENDENT, 9/9). In London, Townsend & Birnie reported that several teams "have been linked with signing Cavendish," who was paid more than £2M ($3.2M) a year when he signed with Team Sky last October. However, Omega Pharma Quickstep, Katusha and BMC "are the only teams with the financial clout to add him to their rosters." The issue is complicated by the fact that "if Cavendish moves to another team, a release fee of up to" £1M ($1.6M) could be involved. Cavendish said, “It’s like a long-distance relationship. If you’re with a girl, everything’s great, but you live apart and then it can’t work out. But you want to be friends" (SUNDAY TIMES, 9/9).
