The future of Mark Cavendish's career remains unknown officially, but the 34-time Tour de France stage winner dropped a teaser on social media at the weekend.
Cavendish made his final appearance of the season at the Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen last weekend and acknowledged it was his final bow for QuickStep-AlphaVinyl.
After reviving his career in the past two years and drawing level with Eddy Merckx's record of 34 Tour de France stage wins, he has voiced his desire to continue racing for two more years.
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However, despite the transfer window opening on August 1, there has been no news of his 2023 destination.
That remains the case. But Cavendish has now indicated that everything is set and in place for next season.
"It's the off-season, I've finished racing," Cavendish said in an Instagram video from Ibiza.
"But I don't want to put the bike away too quickly because I've got a big year next year."
The most likely future home for Cavendish would appear to be B&B Hotels-KTM, the second-division French team run by Jérôme Pineau. Reports in France have linked the team with a wave of sponsorship investment, including supermarket giant Carrefour and the city of Paris.
As yet, the team's future plans have not been confirmed but Cyclingnews understands they will hold a presentation event in Paris on October 26, the day before the route for the 2023 Tour de France is unveiled in the French capital.
Cavendish will be in Paris for the route reveal ahead of a trip to Asia to ride the ASO-organised Tour criteriums in Singapore and Japan.
B&B Hotels-KTM would be confident of a wildcard invite to the Tour de France in 2023 but new sponsorship and the signing of Cavendish would make it a dead cert. The team have had a disappointing season but have major ambitions, with Cavendish among a number of WorldTour names linked to the squad, though without any official signings as yet.
At this stage, rosters are filling up on WorldTour teams, especially for riders of Cavendish's stature. The 37-year-old hired a new agent this year in order to find the best possible deal for what will likely be the final contract and final two years of his career.
