Matt Brammeier and close friend Mark Cavendish riding for HTC-Highroad in 2011. They are now reunited with the nucleus of that team the Irish man rode so well with.
Having spoken in glowing terms about his season with HTC-Highroad when he first moved into the big time, Matt Brammeier is to be reunited with his key team mates from that period.
His close friend Mark Cavendish has just signed for Brammeier’s current team MTN-Qhubeka, to be known next year as Team Dimension Data when it will have a new backer.
Mark Renshaw and Bernhard Eisel, who were part of Cavendish’s lead-out team along with Brammeier at HTC-Highroad, have also joined the new squad.
Renshaw and Cavendish both sign from Etixx-QuickStep while Eisel comes from Team Sky.
The move is very good news for Brammeier as it re-establishes a strong group of riders who will work to help secure major wins for Cavendish, of which the Irish international should be one.
Advertisement
If the plan works, it would bring added security to Brammeier’s career as he can be central to positioning and leading out Cavendish.
And it should also bolster Brammeier’s chances of riding Grand Tours, with the composition of the line-up for those races likely to revolve around Cavendish’s sprinting hopes.
Brammeier is currently recovering from a horror crash at the Tour of Utah last month but still has another season to run with the team.
The four-time Irish road champion moved from An Post-Sean Kelly to HTC-Highroad for 2011.
Related News
He fitted in very well at the top level, with Cavendish gathering the big wins that kept morale so high.
However, just days after being offered an extended contract on better terms, it emerged the team was unable to find a new sponsor to replace their departing backers and it folded.
Brammeier has since spent seasons with Etixx-QuickStep, Champion System and David McQuaid’s Synergy Baku before signing for MTN-Qhubeka last winter for 2015 and 2016.
Cavendish said he was “super excited” to sign for the African outfit.
“It is a team that I have watched closely as it has grown, especially over this season and been really impressed with the spirit, strength and dynamics of the group,” he said.
“It’s fair to say that most of the peloton has seen how incredible the team raced this year.
“To join it with the target of helping to win even more races with other strong, experienced household cycling names like Mark Renshaw, Edvald Boasson-Hagen, Tyler Farrar, Daniel Teklehaimanot, Steve Cummings and of course Bernie Eisel is going to be real special.
“I’m really looking forward to having a successful year on the road alongside the other guys.”
Topics
