The possibility of Mark Cavendish racing for Israel-Premier Tech is off the table - although not technically impossible - after Israel-Premier Tech completed their roster with the signing of Stevie Williams.
Williams, like Cavendish, had agreed to join the B&B Hotels team, a project that promised big things but has now resulted in total collapse.
Israel-Premier Tech appeared a logical destination for Cavendish, a team with enough cash to sign a rider of his stature, but also a team in need of a Tour de France invite after their relegation from the WorldTour.
The 34-time Tour stage winner is seeking to outright break the record he shares with Eddy Merckx in the final objective of his illustrious career. The move would, in theory, have guaranteed both parties access to the Tour - a mutually beneficial arrangement that seemed to make sense in the absence of other serious avenues for Cavendish.
However, the team issued a press release on Friday announcing that they had closed their roster on 28 riders, with the signing of Williams joined by the extension of Reto Hollenstein's contract.
There is still technically room for Cavendish, given the team are still two riders short of the UCI maximum squad size, which stands at 30 riders as long as a team has two neo-pros on board. However, the team would surely not have indicated the roster was complete if there were any potential negotiations ongoing.
Likewise, another door closed on Friday, albeit a far less plausible one. Euskaltel-Euskadi, who are fighting for a wildcard for a Tour de France that stars in their home region of the Basque Country, had been vaguely linked by the same logic, but they have now finalised their 20-rider roster for 2023.
As for Williams, the British youngster joins Israel-Premier Tech after spending his first four years at Bahrain Victorious. The Welshman was one of the brightest climbing prospects after his success on the U23 circuit in 2018 but the start of his pro career has been derailed by a serious and complicated knee injury.
He has returned to the swing of things in the past couple of years, showing glimpses of his talent with wins at the CRO Race in 2021 and a stage of this year's Tour de Suisse.
The 26-year-old joins the team on a one-year deal, not uncommon for riders who are picked up last-minute after the late collapse of another team.
"Stevie Williams was already a rider on our radar earlier this year so when he became available, we didn’t hesitate to bring Stevie to IPT to complete the 2023 roster," said team manager Kjell Carlström.
"We were impressed with his Tour de Suisse win this year and are sure this is just the beginning of a great career. Stevie is a punchy climber and will fit in perfectly as a rider who is capable of going for wins and also helping our most experienced team leaders. We were glad to welcome Stevie to the final days of our team camp this week before he hits the ground running in 2023."
Israel-Premier Tech also retained 37-year-old Swiss rider Reto Hollenstein for a fourth season on the team.
"Reto Hollenstein is one of our most valued teammates at IPT, always dedicating himself to the team leaders and working hard for the team so we are happy to see him stay for another year. Every team needs riders like Reto who will work selflessly for the team on all terrain," said Carlström.
