Giro Stage 4 *spoiler*

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Comments

  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    Why does he struggle so much to stay towards the front of the bunch in the last 5 - 10km? Today he told how the team had taken him "back up to the sprinters", yesterday Adam Hansen commented on working at the front in the run-in, looking behind and noticing Cav had slipped back, (and when he did appear, he went to the front) and in the Classics Hammond had to drag him up twice in the finale. Lack of experience or nerves?

    A winter in a Japanese Keirin school for you, young man!
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • drenkrom
    drenkrom Posts: 1,062
    Cav has trouble staying up front in the twists of the more hairy finales. Stage 3 had a nasty, twisting finale and he lost a lot of places in there. From helicopter shots, you can usually spot him on the back wheel of the other HR guys going into the corner, and 5-10 meters back going out of it. His lines are also not smooth at all compared to the other guys. He's also awful to watch going downhill, and the skills are definitely related. Give him a nice straight line for a few K's before the line and you'd be daft not to bet on him. Kind of like Cipo.

    Too many steady, banked, wooden curves is my verdict.
  • Arkibal
    Arkibal Posts: 850
    This kid is a huge talent, no doubt about it. Tuning down the volume on his comments, and showing respect for other riders makes him one of my favourite riders now.
    I was afraid he'd turn out to be the new Ricco, good to see that won't likely happen! :)
  • forearms Van Petegem
    forearms Van Petegem Posts: 151
    LangerDan wrote:
    Why does he struggle so much to stay towards the front of the bunch in the last 5 - 10km? Today he told how the team had taken him "back up to the sprinters", yesterday Adam Hansen commented on working at the front in the run-in, looking behind and noticing Cav had slipped back, (and when he did appear, he went to the front) and in the Classics Hammond had to drag him up twice in the finale. Lack of experience or nerves?

    A winter in a Japanese Keirin school for you, young man!


    Lack of miles in his leg, lack of strength.

    The only sprinter that has come in and had the same impact that Cav has is Cipollini. Zabel was about 24 I think.

    If Ciolek was on a different team to Cav, he might have eclipsed him, because Ciolek does have the strength. I think Ciolek is 18 months younger.

    If you look at Cav's tt qualities, and he has always been a good tter in the jnrs back in UK, his pursuiting, and team pursuiting ability, that suggests he has a threshold wattage to do more than just sprint. Remember, he is 22, he could have contested the u23 worlds last year.

    I still think you cannot win a doyenne clean, so Cav would need to up it to a heavy duty medical program.

    I think it is a problem Ciolek and Cavendish are on the same team. I would like to see them go mano a mano in the future.

    I think Cav could develop the strength to win San Remo, and ride into the top few in the cobbled classics. He will win Gent without a doubt.

    Ciolek finished 5th at HEW Cyclassics, or Hamburg, I am not sure what it was called, back in 2006. Amazing performance from a 19/20 yo. He was on Weisenhof then so not great support either.

    Cav will get better positioning himself. It is one part skill, one part strength, one part reputation. His reputation allowed him in, when Bettini gave up a wheel for him today. Bettini would never give up his wheel to a nobody. Ofcourse, on a dead straight finish, if you have a strong team, they can string it Indian file, and you never have to fight for a wheel, like Petacchi. Petacchi was a hopeless sprinter before he hit 30, because he could not position himself. Winning kicks taught him that, but most of his wins came from the leadout. He grew confidence, his reputation earnt him the right to not have to elbow and shoulder competitors for a wheel if he was without his train. He always had the strength and the ability and the speed. Just did nothing til he hit 30.

    The biggest question on Cav is will he get slower, stay the same, or get faster, if he grows more strength, as he does mile after mile over the seasons. Should be good to watch this unfold.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    and the team will have to get stronger, too. They are having to work so hard to tow him back to the peloton, every time the road goes up. No wonder they have trouble keeping him at the front in the final few ks.
    Nice little palmare for the old cv, though.
    Don't think he'll ever be to everyone's taste. Same reason as many dislike Lance. So driven. Comes across as a bit of a moaner, when it's probably just a burning desire to win.
    Someone elsewhere said, all he's got to be able to do is climb the Poggio.
    Thereby hangs the rub.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    LangerDan wrote:
    Why does he struggle so much to stay towards the front of the bunch in the last 5 - 10km? Today he told how the team had taken him "back up to the sprinters",

    Although he does seem to struggle with his position, looking at the cyclingnews website it appears that he dropped back on the climb and this was why he said he had to be brought back to the front

    "I spoke to the team before the stage and said I need everybody with me before the climb," he said. "They did a perfect job to keep me at the front before the climb and then went full gas to get me back to the front."
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    After reading a lot of posts here, I'm amazed he ever manages to win any races! And they say Cav's a moaner...???
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • Arkibal
    Arkibal Posts: 850
    Pozzato does not like Cav(and Ricco)....
    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Cav ... 56185.html
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    I agree - Cav is prolific so he can't struggle with position that much - and a bit of a personality - don't see him as a moaner - perhaps he doesn't respect reputations but so what I'm sure we could all name things that Cippolini, Boonen, McEwen have done in races that were out of order.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Arkibal wrote:
    Pozzato does not like Cav(and Ricco)....
    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Cav ... 56185.html

    Is he suffering from memory loss?

    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Cav ... 82272.html
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    iainf72 wrote:
    Arkibal wrote:
    Pozzato does not like Cav(and Ricco)....
    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Cav ... 56185.html

    Is he suffering from memory loss?

    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Cav ... 82272.html

    He didn't hang onto the team car though did he? He just drafted it...........
    I like bikes...

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  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    redddraggon wrote:
    iainf72 wrote:
    Arkibal wrote:
    Pozzato does not like Cav(and Ricco)....
    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Cav ... 56185.html

    Is he suffering from memory loss?

    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Cav ... 82272.html

    He didn't hang onto the team car though did he? He just drafted it...........

    Also he was coming back from a crash rather than getting dropped on a climb. Drafting sometimes seems to be tolerated in these circumstances.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Depends on the circumstances of course, but sometimes you need to draft just to get back thru the cars ?

    Pozzato is a bit mouthy isnt he ? Why diss all these riders - you dont know if next year you will be on the same team.
  • Philip S
    Philip S Posts: 398
    Quality - sat down to watch those highlights recorded on V+ last night and, due to some ropey rallying preview that appeared in the Eurosport schedule from out of nowhere, the recording stopped with a couple of k to go. Magic. Naturally it's a day a brit wins. Ah well, time to trawl the internet for highlights...

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