Mark Cavendish

I met him last month in London, really nice bloke.

World class superstar!

If anyone knows nothing abour Cav, go to youtube and watch his Milan-San Remo win last year.

Amazing rider.

It does my missus too. Its pretty straightforward.

[cite]Posted By: ValleyGary[/cite]i realise the guy is an exceptional talent but the Tour de France confuses the life out of me.

What bit confuses you?

[cite]Posted By: ValleyGary[/cite]all the stages, the jerseys, the teams, the times.

The drugs, the cheating ?

Not even the best sprinter in the race - didnt get the green jersey.

You can't compare like that Hushovd is more of a rider that goes for intermediaries and carefully picks the harder stages like the cobbles. Petacchi is an awesome sprinter, someone who wins 9 sprints in one Giro is just the fastest in his generation.

Ah we always get one SHG.... If Frank Lampard was a cyclist he'd be under a huge cloud of suspicion, no one improves that much without something significant changing. If it is just down to training hardly says much for him and Redknapp, playing in one of the most offensive minded teams he managed at most 7 goals in a season. Petacchi's career is very questionable, but no more questionable than Nadal's or many of the top La Liga teams/players. Plenty of La Liga footballers identified in operation Puerto and not one investigated hmmmmmmm.

I wonder why England players play so well in the heat of summer/autumn, but are truly whacked out for England? Yet Italian and Spanish players keep on ticking for the same ammount of matches? Of course the biggest money making sports teams avoid all performance enhancers, and get tested the least compared to other big sports. Still the Juve organised drug cheating happened in the 80's, they'd never be doing it now would they?

[cite]Posted By: ColinTat[/cite]You can't compare like that Hushovd is more of a rider that goes for intermediaries and carefully picks the harder stages like the cobbles. Petacchi is an awesome sprinter, someone who wins 9 sprints in one Giro is just the fastest in his generation.

Ah we always get one SHG.... If Frank Lampard was a cyclist he'd be under a huge cloud of suspicion, no one improves that much without something significant changing. If it is just down to training hardly says much for him and Redknapp, playing in one of the most offensive minded teams he managed at most 7 goals in a season. Petacchi's career is very questionable, but no more questionable than Nadal's or many of the top La Liga teams/players. Plenty of La Liga footballers identified in operation Puerto and not one investigated hmmmmmmm.

I wonder why England players play so well in the heat of summer/autumn, but are truly whacked out for England? Yet Italian and Spanish players keep on ticking for the same ammount of matches? Of course the biggest money making sports teams avoid all performance enhancers, and get tested the least compared to other big sports. Still the Juve organised drug cheating happened in the 80's, they'd never be doing it now would they?

I do love a conspiracy theory. Thing is..........Hardly a year goes by without cycling providing either a drugs or cheating scandal or team shenanagens. As for performance enhanced footballers or athletes. No doubt there is. I for one have thought for years that someone is slipping drugs to the Charlton players. Mogadon is my best guess.

Just read that Cav's in the Vuelta can't wait for it.

Mark Cavendish was the best sprinter in the Tour this year - unfortunately he screwed up on Stage 4 when he went a bit too wide and got out of position for the run-in and basically gave up. In the meantime Petacci and Hushovd hoovered up the points for the minor placings and that was enough.

Bear in mind that Mark Renshaw, Cavendish's lead-out man, was suspended for several of the sprint stages and his team consequently didn't give him much support. Watching Cavendish win on Sunday was amazing, with no team support he picked his line carefully, ensuring he didn't get boxed in and kept his main rivals in sight and yet didn't go too early, at the death he timed his finish to perfection and won in the style of Usain Bolt, that is celebrating as he crossed the line with Petacci etc in his slipstream.

He should be going to the World Championships this year which will be held on a tough course in Australia, if Renshaw can act as his minder we could have the first British world road race champion since Tommy Simpson. in 1965.

Just saw this thread, and ColinTat beat me to it!

Love the Tour, and unfortunate that we get precious little cycling on TV over here. Cavendish is an absolute beast, and his performance on the culminating stage on the Champs Elysees was a truly remarkable sight. You don't have to do much cycling to know how hard it is to do what everyone in the peleton does.

Talk about the cheating is quite done by this point imo, although there do appear to be clouds on the horizon yet. No argument...it is cheating, but sport is full of cheating...nothing unique about cycling in this regard, save the means.

Phew, great to see... thought it would be bad news or retirement seeing this thread

It's not Ewan he needs to match - it's Bennett. Bennett now is what Cav and Kittel were in their pomp - head and shoulders above the rest, with the best leadout. Sadly for Cav, he's on the same team - so unless Lefevere (not exactly known for being sentimental - though Specialized might offer him a bit of cash for the story value...) wants to take him as backup for Bennett, or to freelance, he's not going to the tour. The Vuelta is a possibility though, if he can hold his form - and it's more of a traditional Vuelta this year, with flat stages early in and only one bastard of a stage (s3) for the sprinters to get through before a few sprint stages. 

You also have to remember - it's the tour of Turkey. The only other sprinter of note is Phillipsen, and he's not in the Bennwtt/Ewan league.

Still, massively encouraging signs - and two completely different wins - both instinctive (yesterday's to wait until the last second to shinny round Greipel and win it on the throw, today's to know that Greipel was parking up and go round him earlier then hold it to the line). Literally just like the old Cav.