'Strong hand' of Astana boss Vinokourov is what Cavendish 'needs'

Mark Cavendish’s friend and former DS believes high-profile move to Astana-Qazaqstan can work if Manxman and team change philosophy

- By Tom Thewlis

Brian Holm, former Deceuninck-Quick Step sports director, believes that the "strong hand" of the Astana-Qazaqstan boss Alexandre Vinokourov is just what his long-time friend Mark Cavendish needs in the twilight of his career.

Last week, the long-running saga of which team Cavendish would ride for in 2023 was concluded with the state-backed Kazakh team signing the Manxman, something which had been widely anticipated for some time.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Holm explained that while the traditionally GC-leaning team isn't the perfect set-up for a sprinter, Astana-Qazaqstan can still work for Cavendish as he guns for a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win this July.

"I think if anyone can handle Cav then it's probably Vino," Holm said. "I think Cav is somebody who needs what we call a strong hand.

"We have to be honest and say that it's not the perfect sprinters' team that they have. They're definitely used to GC riders," Holm added. "So it's going to be a new experience for everybody. Although they have Stefano [Zanini, Astana DS] who is a great guy and can help solve that problem."