What is Cav complaining about?

terongi

See this:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Cav ... 42639.html

Cavendish said.

“It was hard controlling the attacks with just five team mates. The British amateur teams have no respect for the professional riders and kept attacking us on the climbs. Daniel Lloyd was the first to attack and others followed him. It's not against the rules but it's not good racing etiquette and wrecked our chances of keeping the yellow jersey.”

What race etiquette is he talking about?

Why shouldn't riders attack on the hills?

iainf72

Having not seen it, I'm not sure.

But I suspect when the split happened T-Mobile got on the front and tried to chase the front group. If riders continually attack it has the effect of disrupting the chase.

Similar complaints were made about the local riders last year when the pro's protesting the dangerous conditions and they kept attacking.

andyp

It wouldn't be the ToB without the continental pros complaining about the tactics of the locals.

Someone ought to point out to young Mr Cavendish that it's a bike race! Other riders will try and attack in one of those.

Stwutter

Depends how you look at it. Cav probably looks at it as disruptive and disrepectful (hmmm...). The non-pro squads look at it as a rare chance to compete, and maybe beat, the riders that they aspire to be and in some cases admire.

Personally, I thought that the whole point was to attack the leader. It's a little like a Premiership side going a goal up in the cup at a lower league club, and then moaning when they try and equalise.

I'll give Cav the benefit tho' - seems like a nice bloke!

Monty Dog

But seasoned professionals see it in a very different light - they know from experience what kind of attacks work and that that don't - guys making foolhardy attempts to attack often just disrupts the rythym of the race and riders know that they'll just dangle off the font and will be off the back when caught. The pace of a week-long race is very different to a 1-day race - something few domestic riders have experienced - it just tires everyone out and makes the racing less eventful. I've seen it myself in races as people make foolhardy attempts to get 50 metres on a bunch to get their 5 minutes of glory, to finish up stuffed and a DNS for the next day.

iainf72

It's a bit daft attacking when a team are chasing down a big group. If you wanted to try something it would be better to get your team mates to help. And you'd make some friends in the pro world which isn't a bad thing.

Stwutter

Fair points both, but if the lesser riders attack at the wrong times, or in the wrong way, the Pro riders should simply let them do it and they'll have to learn from it.

moray_gub

andyp wrote:

It wouldn't be the ToB without the continental pros complaining about the tactics of the locals.

Someone ought to point out to young Mr Cavendish that it's a bike race! Other riders will try and attack in one of those.

Im with you on this one andy, riders are perfectly entitled to attack wherever they see fit and more crucially for whatever reason they want too. Just becuase you are a Pro Tour big shot doesnt leave you immune to attacks.


cheers
MG

terongi

Stwutter wrote:

Fair points both, but if the lesser riders attack at the wrong times, or in the wrong way, the Pro riders should simply let them do it and they'll have to learn from it.

I don't think Cav was criticising them because he thought they were wasting their own time and energy. I think he was saying that they should have stayed in the bunch to work together for the common good of chasing down the breakaway group. As it was presumably all the attacks off the front of the chasing group meant that no organised chase could get going.

I imagine it is probably bad tactics which he means rather than bad "etiquette".

moray_gub

Monty Dog wrote:

But seasoned professionals see it in a very different light - they know from experience what kind of attacks work and that that don't - guys making foolhardy attempts to attack often just disrupts the rythym of the race and riders know that they'll just dangle off the font and will be off the back when caught. The pace of a week-long race is very different to a 1-day race - something few domestic riders have experienced - it just tires everyone out and makes the racing less eventful. I've seen it myself in races as people make foolhardy attempts to get 50 metres on a bunch to get their 5 minutes of glory, to finish up stuffed and a DNS for the next day.

Some of the riders doing this new controversial attack thingy ARE seasoned professionals .

cheers
MG

Ratkilla

Cav. Complaining? Really? Whatever next?!
Not like him is it?
He's a bit whingey in the Eurosport article about the TOB too ... http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11092007/ ... ersey.html.
Poor sod.

andyp

Ratkilla wrote:

Cav. Complaining? Really? Whatever next?!
Not like him is it?
He's a bit whingey in the Eurosport article about the TOB too ... http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11092007/ ... ersey.html.
Poor sod.

Eh? How does this sound like a whinge;

Cavendish - winner of the prologue and first stage - dropped off the pace in the second climb of the brutal 105-mile stage from Yeovilton to Taunton and the T-Mobile rider eventually finished 34th, more than 10 minutes behind Trusov.

And the Isle of Man star admitted he had felt the pace over the Exmoor Hills.

"That was always going to be a really tough day and that's exactly the way it proved to be," Cavendish said. "The team did a great job for me again but unfortunately for me there are more than 30 riders here this week who are better climbers than me.

"Hopefully tomorrow will be a bunch sprint again and we can challenge for another stage. I was always realistic that I wouldn't hold on to the yellow jersey but it was nice while it lasted."

Sounds to me like a realistic assessment of the day.

campagchris

Isn't Sastre whinging on in the vuelta because Menchov got help from Piepoli.
Cavendish is a young rider with loads of raw aggression he will learn very quick as he's not making many friends at the minute.But give the lad some credit as its a very long time since we had a rider with his gallop.

mandie

I think as long as ther has been professional bike racing there have been riders whinging that the riders in other teams did not ride the way the whinging rider would have liked.
Nicole Cooke does it every now and then (except when she wins).
If Sastre is complaining about Menchov and Peipolli working together, then I suppose he has a just cause, lets face this is probably the first time in the history of any Grand Tour that a GC conteder has gifted the stage (and possibly some cash) to a cilmber in return for him working with him to ensure that he takes the leaders jersey :roll: :shock:

Ratkilla

andyp wrote:

Ratkilla wrote:

Cav. Complaining? Really? Whatever next?!
Not like him is it?
He's a bit whingey in the Eurosport article about the TOB too ... http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11092007/ ... ersey.html.
Poor sod.

Eh? How does this sound like a whinge;

Cavendish - winner of the prologue and first stage - dropped off the pace in the second climb of the brutal 105-mile stage from Yeovilton to Taunton and the T-Mobile rider eventually finished 34th, more than 10 minutes behind Trusov.

And the Isle of Man star admitted he had felt the pace over the Exmoor Hills.

"That was always going to be a really tough day and that's exactly the way it proved to be," Cavendish said. "The team did a great job for me again but unfortunately for me there are more than 30 riders here this week who are better climbers than me.

"Hopefully tomorrow will be a bunch sprint again and we can challenge for another stage. I was always realistic that I wouldn't hold on to the yellow jersey but it was nice while it lasted."

Sounds to me like a realistic assessment of the day.

See above.

ddraver

reading that article it seems to me he was whinging cos someone made a decisive move and he got it wrong - well sorry mate shit happens - don't do it again next time

Same thing happend to Moreau in the tour didnt it?

if you can't keep up, why do you expect a load of amateur riders to help you, they re probably paying to be in a race our being paid to do

get up off ur arse or be prepared not to win

oldwelshman

Cav is too fat to contend for the overall so you cant blame the others for attacking him on climbs. Is that not the best place to attack him?
He has been in T-Mob squad for one year and moans like he's been there for years
They must have attacked at the right time as 33 stayed away , not bad for a poor move?

terrongi, mail me your home address. I have something for you after my ride to Paris