Tyler Farrar, who has just started his 14th season in the professional peloton, has told Velonews that he is reade to be part of the lead-out for Mark Cavendish, his former rival. This winter, the British rider move to Dimension Data. Even if his fastest days are behind him, Farrar wants to help his teammate be the king of the sprints.

He is ready for his new role "It was an interesting transition. I’ve been around for awhile now. I am 31, but this is also my 14th year as a pro. We have so much young talent, and it’s been so much fun to be part of it. These guys are going to be successful if I am here or not telling them to do that or do this, but I am happy to have the opportunity to share a bit of knowledge. I remember how much that meant to me when I was 23 or 24, to have some of the older guys on the team who were willing to lay out a plan, and not just do their own thing. It’s coming full circle, and now I can help those young guys on their progression."

Farrar explained also that there is not any trepidation about riding with Cavendish. "We were down at Cape Town, and Cav and I now get along quite well. I thought, if we were teammates when we were 24-25, we would have been really good friends. It’s different when you’re sprinting against someone. You both want to win, but we’ve both grown up a lot since then. Cav is a cool guy, and I am really looking forward to this year", he told. "I think it’s fantastic. This is a team that has a lot of fast guys on it, but we never had anyone who was a true, consistent closer for the big sprints. You cannot ask for much more with a guy like Cavendish, who is arguably the best sprinters of all time. 

His team will be really competitive in classics and stage races. "I want our team to win a classic. That was the big objective that we missed in 2015. Last year was tough, losing Edvald [Boasson Hagen] with a broken collarbone at Gent-Wevelgem. He is our main guy for the classics, so we’ll see. If we put a Dimension Data on a podium, we’d call that a success. Also, having the world championships in Qatar is a pretty big deal for sprinters. This could be the last chance for a guy like me to chase a result in the worlds. The upcoming courses look quite challenging. The worlds will be a big goal, and it’s a big honor to race for your country, so that will be important for me to make that team, and ride well. On this team, I try to slot in and do well when they needme. Whether that’s the Tour or the Vuelta, we’ll wait to see."