Mark Cavendish posted the first image of himself in his Detuning Quickstep team kit. The British rider became an official team rider on January 1 after just one season with Bahrain McLaren.

The 35-year-old spent three full seasons with Patrick Lefebvre's team from 2013 to 2015, enjoying brilliant success with the team before moving to Dimension Data in 2016.

The former road world champion endured a difficult 2020 and has not won a race since the start of 2018. He has overcome a career-threatening virus in recent years but has struggled to regain his best form. Last season he teamed up with Rod Ellingworth at Bahrain McLaren, where the team hoped he could revive his career.

However, COVID-19 limited his race time and he was unable to make the Tour de France team. He competed in many one-day races towards the end of the season, but just when it looked like the 30-time Tour de France stage winner would be forced to retire, Lefebvre offered him a contract.

"My heart said yes, my brain said no. It's a risk, but he brings a lot to the team. He's still very well known and I've had nothing but positive reactions on Twitter. Everyone is happy for him and I'm glad he's taking this chance. I don't think he deserves to quit cycling the way he did his last race," Lefevere told Cycling News in December. [Mark and I have always had a good relationship. But when he was at Dimension Data and when he was in Bahrain, he told me he wanted to come back. But this year, what I saw happened. Mark Cavendish, who entered the breakaway at the 0km mark in the Tour de Flanders, broke down in tears after Ghent-Wevelgem.

"He has a long and sad story about Epstein-Barr and his various misadventures. He now has an opportunity that no one was willing to give him. We buy his experience, but to be clear, he is not a trainer. He is not a performance manager or a directeur sportif.

"He is the best sprinter of his generation, so he can give tips to youngsters like Alvaro Hodeg, Fabio Jacobson (who was almost the best sprinter in the world) and Sam Bennett. Mark can be useful in these situations, and if he can win another race, that would be great."

It is unclear where Cavendish will begin his race campaign, but he and his new team will hold a training camp in Spain in late January.