Manx Missile Heading to Adelaide

Race Director Mike Turtur today confirmed Cavendish will head to Adelaide with his HTC-Highroad team for the Santos Tour Down Under, and the race will see him go head-to-head in a WorldTour race for the first time against former teammate and sprint rival Andre Greipel.

“It’s great for our race and for Australian cycling to welcome Mark Cavendish to Adelaide to participate in the Santos Tour Down Under for the first time,” says Mike Turtur.

“Cavendish in undoubtedly one of, if not the best sprinter in the world and our race routes in 2011 will give him plenty of opportunities to show his stuff and gain valuable points at the beginning of the season.

“It’s going to be great to watch Cavendish and Greipel go head-to-head in Adelaide. They are superb sprinters and it will be fascinating to see who will come out on top”.

The Isle of Man sprinter, known as the Manx Missile, has won 15 stages of the Tour de France, 5 stages at the Giro d’Italia, and at the 2010 Vuelta a Espana he won four stages and the overall points jersey. Cavendish also won the prestigious Milan-San Remo in 2009.

“It’s great that I’ll be starting my season at the Santos Tour Down Under,” says Mark Cavendish.

“I have been to Australia six or seven times and I love going there. After spending time again there recently at World Championships, I’m eager to get back there for some more racing.”

"Santos Tour Down Under is obviously a very important race in our calendar,” says HTC-Highroad Team Manager, Rolf Aldag.

“As a team we enjoy the chance to prove that the hard work during the winter has paid off. The motivation from early wins at Santos Tour Down Under gives the whole team a big boost for the first part of the season.

“We will start with a very strong roster and we want to target GC and stage wins. We have proven that this is possible and everybody knows of the importance of the race.

The organization is perfect, with big support from the local crowd and we are looking forward to start our racing there."