Is Cavendish's move to Sky a good choice?

Cycling’s worst kept secret has finally been revealed, with Mark Cavendish confirming he is heading to Team Sky; but is the Manx missile making the right choice?

There have long been rumours that Cav was heading to the British-based team, but his hand was forced when HTC decided to pull out of cycling. The newly crowned World Road Champion will be joining some of the men who helped him take the title in Copenhagen. Including this year’s Vuelta successes, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, and Welshman Geraint Thomas. Other Grand Tour are Edvald Boasson-Hagen and, for the first time, another Manxman Peter Kennaugh. So, do Sky have the mother of all teams or the mother of all nightmares?

World Champs: Mark Cavendish takes the Rainbow Jersey Ahead of Matt Goss

Mark Cavendish becomes the first male British Road Cycling World Champion, since Tom Simpson did it in 1965, after a tense sprint to the line.

Cavendish already has two Madison World Championship titles and came in to this year’s event as one of the clear favourites. There were some tense moments as his lead out men Geraint Thomas and Ian Stannard looked frantically around for the Manxman. Thomas has to drop down the field, as they were heading around the final corner, to find him, but the Welshman delivered him to the front on time.

The Manx express then had to do the work for himself, with none of his teammates around; he clung to the back wheels of his rivals. He finally launched his attack with around 200 metres to go and beat his, soon to be former, trade team teammate Matt Goss, by half a bike length. With the demise of HTC Goss will be moving to Green Edge and is looking to make his mark on the sprinting world. The Aussie got a good lead out from, his German-born, teammate Heinrich Haussler, but he couldn’t quite manage to stay ahead of Cav.

World Champs: Elite Men's Road Race 2011 Start List

1 Thor Hushovd NORWAY
2 Kurt Asle Arvesen
3 Edvald Boasson Hagen
4 Gabriel Rasch

5 Carlos Barredo Llamazeles SPAIN
6 Imanol Erviti Ollo
7 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni
8 Oscar Freire Gomez
9 Juan Manuel Garate Cepa
10 Pablo Lastras Garcia
11 Vicente Raynes Mimo
12 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil
13 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil

VaE: Chris Sutton Surprises the Bunch to take Stage 2

Chris Sutton caused an upset in the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana, as he beat the favourites, in the sprint to the line.

Sutton’s victory made it two for sky in one day, with Edvald Boasson Hagen taking the sprint in the Vettenfall Cyclassics. The small increase in the gradient, going in to Playas de Orihuela, caught a few people off guard, but Sutton had the legs on the bunch. The Aussie jumped on to the back wheel of Vicente Reynes, before leaping out of the group for his first solo Grand Tour victory.

TdF: Mark Cavendish wins on the Champs-Elysees and claims Green

Mark Cavendish took his third consecutive victory on the Champs-Elysees, to become the first British rider to win the fabled green jersey.

Cavendish launched himself from the wheel of, his lead-out man Mark Renshaw, and never looked in doubt of the victory. Edvald Boasson Hagen tried to take a third victory, but the young Norwegian just didn’t have the speed to pass the Manx missile. Boasson Hagen started to reel in the green jersey, but Cavendish gave a second kick and beat him by over a bike’s length. Cav now has six victories in the 2011 tour and 20 tour victories overall.

Video: 2011 Tour de France - Stage 17 - Edvald Boasson Hagen interview

TdF: Boasson Hagen doubles his money as Voeckler loses time on Stage 17

Edvald Boasson Hagen doubled his victory tally, to make it four for Norway this year, as Thomas Voeckler escaped two scares, to cling on to his yellow jersey.

Boasson Hagen came back from the disappointment of yesterday, after being pipped to the line by Thor Hushovd, to blow the rest of the field away. The young Norwegian left his breakaway companions, with 11km of the stage still to go, before pulling out an impressive 40 seconds. Norway have enjoyed a rich vein of form in the 2011 tour, with Boasson Hagen taking stages 6 and 17 and Hushovd winning on stages 13 and 16.

Video: 2011 Tour de France - Stage 16 Finale + Interviews with Hushovd and Voeckler

TdF: Hushovd beats Boasson Hagen in to Gap on stage 16

Thor Hushovd made it a brace of victories, after beating compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen in the Sprint to Gap on stage 16.

Hushovd enjoyed the benefit of a lead-out man, in Ryder Hesjedal, with the Canadian the only remaining member of the original breakaway. Boasson Hagen looked to go to the left, of his more experience compatriot, but changed his mind. It seems the change in mind lost him the chance to take his second stage, of 2011.

The Norwegian pair set out to catch Hesjedal, who was out front with Mikhail Ignatyev, and used their impressive descending skills to catch the Garmin-Cervelo rider. Hushovd hasn’t had much to brag about in his usual hunting ground of the sprint, but a second victory in the rainbow jersey will prove a good enough replacement.

Video: 2011 Tour de France - Stage 6

TdF: Edaval Boasson Hagen times it right to beat Goss and Hushovd in Stage 6

Edvald Boasson Hagen finally made it stick, as he went from 200 metres out, to win a rain soaked stage 6.

Boasson Hagen had to hold off charges from experienced sprinters Matt Goss and, yellow jersey holder and compatriot, Thor Hushovd. Despite controlling the bunch several times, over the last few stages, this is Team Sky’s first victory of the 2011 Tour. The Norwegian took his opportunity, as the bunch was recovering from a series of attacks. He stayed behind his teammate and white jersey wearer, Geraint Thomas, until just the right moment to slingshot him to the line.

TdF: Mark Cavendish wins in crash filled Stage 5

Mark Cavendish has briefly silenced his critics after winning a hard fought final sprint on Stage 5 of the Tour de France.

Cavendish has been out of contention in the sprints so far, but he powered around the outside of the bunch to beat Philip Gilbert to the line. The gradient favoured Gilbert, who won on similar terrain a few days before, but the Manxman went the long way around to edge him out.