News of Mark Cavendish signing for OPQS breaks the tedium of continued doping stories

It became clear as the season went on that Cav was looking away. Photograph: Sirotti

Thank you Omega Pharma Quick Step. Thank you Mark Cavendish. Just when the fallout from the 'Lance Armstrong was a big-fat really-fit cheat' was beginning to get a little tedious what with non-stop stories about the history of doping in cycling going round and round and round, you guys go out and give us something different ... a new piece of news ... something that can make us debate what it means for racing in 2013 from a racing perspective.

With this move the shackles of Sky are now off the ankles of Cavendish and he can once again be the main man with a lead-out train built around him. Sky were right to pour their efforts into Bradley Wiggins once it became clear he was capable of winning the Tour de France, and it proved to be the right move. Winning the Yellow jersey is more important than the Green, and infinitely more important than winning stages, and I think even Cavendish would accept that, but it was clear he had to move on to pastures new because of it.

At OPQS, stage wins and a Green jersey at the Tour will be one of the major goals, along with results in the spring classics. With Tom Boonen set up nicely to win the later, signing Cavendish is the perfect coup for the former. People will talk about how they'll work Boonen v Cavendish, but I don't see it being a problem because of the races each will target. Boonen isn't the pure sprinter he once might have been -- if he was ever a pure sprinter -- and if he does ride in the Tour, I reckon he'll be more than glad to play the roll of leadout man. Boonen has become the all-rounder in recent years as seen by his results earlier this season, and that shouldn't change in 2013 with Cavendish now on board.