Cav on ITV tour coverage tonight (spoiler)

iainf72

He said he wasn't happy with certain individuals on the team and thought they had their own agenda.

Is he talking about Eisel?

Ummm, oh yes, Mark, mate, if you read this, you might want to lean not to say things like that to the press. Although, it's nice to see a bit of aggression.

andy_wrx

Toys flying out of pram time, I think.

Unfortunately for him, he looks rather like Wayne Rooney.
Now he's starting to act like him.

Bronzie

Watching the sprint in slow-mo, I noticed Boonen seemed to have a go at Steegmans as they crossed the line...........clearly not a happy bunny from the body language with Steegmans work in the run-in.

afx237vi

I didn't see it, but that sounds bad. Eisel has been leading him out all season!

iainf72

He basically said some individuals had their own agenda. Reporter bloke said "so the team hasn't been good enough" and he said "no, team fine just some individuals"

It was fairly ungracious.

He also said the teams for the sprinters in the Tour are stronger and better organised than what he's been used to for the other races.

Eurostar

He said 'Bernard [Eisel] worked well for me and most of the others did. A few have their own agenda and we'll have to discuss that'.

I think it's great for the viewers to get an insight into what it's like for him. But I suppose he'll be slapped down by the management and taught how to come out with the robotic PR-speak deemed to be 'professional'.

iainf72

Cheers Eurostar. I missed the mention of Eisel.

I wonder who he's refering to then....

afx237vi

Eurostar wrote:

I think it's great for the viewers to get an insight into what it's like for him. But I suppose he'll be slapped down by the management and taught how to come out with the robotic PR-speak deemed to be 'professional'.

Or taught that respect has to be earned and you don't get it by whining to the TV people when you've only been a pro for six months.

mspoke

I always thought it weird that T-Mbile had both Eisel and Cavendish up there for the sprints, a bit like Milram with Petacchi and Zabel, it just doesn't really work very well.

Mind you, if you get beaten by your lead-out man... :roll:

Stark.

I didn't hear him mention Eisel by name.

He's definitely foolish to criticise his fellow team members (even if he didn't name anyone specifically), but I suppoe after the heat of battle the brain cells don't always flip back into PR-thinking mode that quickly.

If dissension breaks out in the T-Mobile ranks, it could be an interesting few weeks as I don't think there are too many experienced riders on the roster to call the shots and help calm things down.

GroupOfOne

A few have their own agenda....what like Mick Rogers trying to do the GC??? :roll:

He has come across quite badly the last couple of days I thought, so hopefully Bob Stapleton will 'have a word' and the toys will go back into the pram.

calvjones

I would think he's referring to Marcus Burghurt (sp) who has been a lot more active/lucky in the latter kms than either Cav or Eisel

pat1cp

I think I heard him say on Monday night during an interview that "there are four more stages in this race". Which leads me to believe he'll probably chuck it on Saturday. He may fly up the Colombiere, but I doubt it.

iainf72

pat1cp wrote:

I think I heard him say on Monday night during an interview that "there are four more stages in this race". Which leads me to believe he'll probably chuck it on Saturday. He may fly up the Colombiere, but I doubt it.

He's confirmed to leave on Sunday.

carlstone

I don't watch cycle racing much but always try to catch the TDF so Mark Cavendish wasn't someone I'd really heard about before the tour. I heard Chris Boardman (I think it was Chris?) talking about him and saying he was overconfident (arrogant) but had calmed down recently and he hoped this wouldn't translate/reflect into his riding as he was a top sprinter.

Well from the above interview (I can't recall him mentioning any specific team member) and his performance so far in the tour it seems like he has not lost his arrogance but has lost some of his ability.

It looks to me like he is on a really steep learning curve and he would do well to take a leaf out of some other young British sportsmens books (Lewis Hamilton?) as the last thing he needs is to start airing the teams dirty laundry in public.

I agree that it is entertaining when sports people do drop the mask of professionalism (anyone remenber the Ron Dennis 'brain fade' comment when being interviewed about David Coulthard?) but he won't do himself any favours as even the most talented individual will not succeed in a team sport.

ajohn9

i sort of feel sorry for cav, but he just needs to calm down and get on with it.
But he did proper kick off on that first stage!, not only did he hit a spectator, the spectator nabbed his oakleys off the floor!

andyp

carlstone wrote:

I don't watch cycle racing much but always try to catch the TDF so Mark Cavendish wasn't someone I'd really heard about before the tour. I heard Chris Boardman (I think it was Chris?) talking about him and saying he was overconfident (arrogant) but had calmed down recently and he hoped this wouldn't translate/reflect into his riding as he was a top sprinter.

Well from the above interview (I can't recall him mentioning any specific team member) and his performance so far in the tour it seems like he has not lost his arrogance but has lost some of his ability.

It looks to me like he is on a really steep learning curve and he would do well to take a leaf out of some other young British sportsmens books (Lewis Hamilton?) as the last thing he needs is to start airing the teams dirty laundry in public.

I agree that it is entertaining when sports people do drop the mask of professionalism (anyone remenber the Ron Dennis 'brain fade' comment when being interviewed about David Coulthard?) but he won't do himself any favours as even the most talented individual will not succeed in a team sport.

One could argue that if he'd not been so successful, and he's one six races so far in his debut season, then he'd not be at the Tour. So he is a victim of his own success. And the desperation of T-Mobile's management.

But I don't see why he's being accused of throwing his toys out of the pram. So what if he's made comments in public about team tactics. The management of T-Mobile put him into the Tour team, presumably on the basis that he's their best chance of a stage win in the first ten days, so shouldn't they ensure that the rest of the team are doing their utmost to facilitate this?

skut

If he is talking about Burghardt then he should probably keep shtum. As far as I'm concerned Burghardt has earned the right to have a dig for a stage win.

I think this shows why TMobile should have had Rog Hammond on the team - would have kept Cav under control, and been willing to work for him in the sprints.

powenb

Definately thrown his toys out on a couple of occasions.
I agree he seems over confident and must have been thinking he could win a sprint or two, as he said in the interview, the sprinters aren't any better, its the teams working for him. So makes me believe he doesn't think Boonen, McEwin are any better than he is.
Dangerous talk I think. He's got a bit to learn.

Eurostar

Hang on, stop criticising him and accept him for what he is - a classic sprinter with a sprinter's ego. If he wasn't a prima donna he wouldn't be able to shoulder his way through the chaos of ten teams trying to get their man to the front at 60 kph. He just needs to be the only sprinter in his team, and I'm sure T-Mobile accept that friction is inevitable. Imagine McEwen or Super Mario having a rival sprinter in their own team! The boy's got what it takes, and the toys-out-of-pram stuff is actually one his assets. We don't want him to calm down or grow up - where would that sort of behaviour have got the Lion King? Can't we just celebrate that we've got a great sprinter whose career should entertain us for years? When was the last time we had one? Reg Harris?

iainf72

Obviously, someone has had a word.

From cyclingnews live

Mark Cavendish of T-Mobile said this morning that he is feeling much better physically, following his crash in stage two. He revealed that yesterday was the worst, which is "often the case, two days after a crash." But things are getting better and he was very happy with the team, who "gave one hundred percent." Cavendish loved Eisel's lead-out, but "we were just too far back."

ricadus

Too far back and on the wrong side of the road coming in to the final bend.

skut

Eurostar wrote:

Hang on, stop criticising him and accept him for what he is - a classic sprinter with a sprinter's ego. If he wasn't a prima donna he wouldn't be able to shoulder his way through the chaos of ten teams trying to get their man to the front at 60 kph. He just needs to be the only sprinter in his team, and I'm sure T-Mobile accept that friction is inevitable. Imagine McEwen or Super Mario having a rival sprinter in their own team! The boy's got what it takes, and the toys-out-of-pram stuff is actually one his assets. We don't want him to calm down or grow up - where would that sort of behaviour have got the Lion King? Can't we just celebrate that we've got a great sprinter whose career should entertain us for years? When was the last time we had one? Reg Harris?

Um.... Malcom Elliot

Eurostar

OK, fair point! But he never did much in the Tour did he? Yes, I know it's not the only race, and perhaps he had the talent but never the team to help him....but It seems to me that young Cav might turn out to be one of the green jersey favourites for the next few years...which is mindblowing! Like most people I find the contest between McEwen, Boonen and Hushovd to be one of the highlights of the Tour - and it's fantastic that we have a British youngster in a top team ready to jump straight in there and put some stick about. It seems to me he's got the potential to get more stage wins than Boardman, Miller, Millar and Barry Hoban put together! I can't understand why we have so many jeremiahs in here wanting to take him down a peg. Perhaps it's the British way? The lad's going to make history!

squired

Don't forget that T-Mobile also have Ciolek, who I understand is a very highly rated young(er) sprinter. It will be interesting to see how things work out with both of them in the same team should they stay put and progress the way people are expecting.