Cav - quit harping!

NervexProf

Mark Cavendish has already won 20% of the TDF stages..yet, yet, there are still those who harp and criticise this talented young man.

For me he is a revalation, assured of his ability, but invariably paying tribute to his team as this link testifies:

http://tiny.cc/YXrxn

Can we on Bike Radar stop harping and carping now..and say, whether he quits before Paris, or not....

MARK.. well done...we salute you

top_bhoy

I think he'll quit - maybe after the 1st or 2nd stage of the Alps. He has the Olympics starting in Early August and he will need to rest and train for his change of discipline. First though, after experiencing the Pyrenees, he'll want a taste of what the Alps are about but not enough to tire him out.

There are plenty of years ahead to go full pelt in the TdF and this may well be his last Olympic attempt. In 4 years time I have no doubt he will be a star sprinter and well into his road career.

de_sisti

Do you think he could do with some media training? You know, how to come across well in
interviews

Kléber

He's only 22. Plenty of time to improve media skills but lessons in how to interview will just make him boring and ultra sanitised. Already he's on message, "my team is the best in the world" etc etc.

He's brilliant. Four out of four sprints, sometimes no lead out. In rain, in wind, in heat, in tricky finishes. He's just a class above everyone else. And lucky.

beatsystem

i still prefer riders who finish the "TOUR" not 200 metre sprinters who get to the stage finish each day thanks to strong teams. Maybe thats just me ,what do others think!!
Anyway,good for him and British cycling!

de_sisti

I just hope (for everyone's sake) that he's winning so comfortably without "preparation".
I mean, he's head and shoulders above everyone in the sprints isn't he!

Cunobelin

I though that it was always made obvious he was not going to finish, apparently there is a small commitment on his social calender called the Olympics!

jonginge

maander wrote:

I just hope (for everyone's sake) that he's winning so comfortably without "preparation".
I mean, he's head and shoulders above everyone in the sprints isn't he!

He is but: no Bennati, no Boonen, no Petacchi. McEwen's not in great form; Zabel's past it; Hushovd's sick and Steegmans, Chicchi, Feillu, Caspar are, frankly, second division.

SteveR_100Milers

How can you include Petacchi - hes been found guilty therefore his performance meaningless. Boonen doubtful as well for similar reasons....

andyp

Jesus wept. He can only beat those other riders who are actually in the race.

I with the OP. What a great race he's had, and a great season too, and here's too many more.

jonginge

I included him coz he's consistently been a sprint winner over the past few seasons.
You are right of course about the ban. The sentence was handed down but the judgement concluded he wasn't trying to cheat but them's the rules. I think the ban was harsh but fair but I don't consider him a cheat (yet), just careless. On a related note Piepoli got away with his non-nagative for salbutamol at the same Giro...

jonginge

andyp wrote:

Jesus wept. He can only beat those other riders who are actually in the race.

I with the OP. What a great race he's had, and a great season too, and here's too many more.

Don't get me wrong, I think he's been fantastic. Last season, this season, his performance in the Giro was majestic.

Eurostar

FFS, why would any of us want him to have media training??? Let him carry on speaking from the heart and saying interesting things instead of the PR hogwash that other people come out with.

The boy will go very, very far. The Reg Harris de nos jours.

fast as fupp

COME ON TIM!

RichN95.

fast as fupp wrote:

COME ON TIM!

I think this could be his year, you know.

Tony666

Put it this way, he is British, he is arguably the fastest cyclist in the world, he has done what no other British cyclist has done before by wining four stages of the TDF so of course he is going to be criticised - we moan when people loose we knock the when they win!!! It’s a British disease that we can’t celebrate success and love to knock winners. So I'm with NervewProf and think Cav is bloddy brilliant

Jez mon

RichN95 wrote:

fast as fupp wrote:

COME ON TIM!

I think this could be his year, you know.

He did make it to the final week of Wimbledon this year!

And Cav is obviously rubbish...some poeple who he couldn't beat: Eddy M, Lance A, Freddy M, Abdojaporov, Sean Kelly....

He's only winning because the current crop of sprinters are rubbish

Monty Dog

Boonen and Pettachi rely on a very fast 'train' but don't actually have a big 'jump' so I doubt they'd be able to put one over on Cav in his current form. Only a younger McEwan had any sort of jump, but as yesterday's stage proved, even though he jumped first, Cav have a good 3-4 bike lengths on him. Cav relies on incredible leg speed rather than power for his sprint - pharmaceutical assistance wouldn't help much

acorn_user

Boonen's test for cocaine is hardly a sign of a guy doing performance enhancing drugs, though I do not condone cocaine use. As for Petacchi, I remember thinking that was a bit harsh (assuming his story stacks up). I don't think you can call either of them notorious drug cheats based on what we currenly know about them. I would not have called Ullrich a cheat for taking E at a party, although I surely would for the other stuff....

ms_tree

I bet Cavendish doesn't even get a nomination for Sports Personality of the Year!

Mind you I stopped watching it a few years ago
1) They only concetnrate on sports that are on BBC
2) They had a young sports persons' catagory (category? no doubt someone will correct me) and it was between a couple of guys from non- shown sport and a footballer. One of the guys - I think he played table-tennis - had had to leave home to live abroad and train -on a pittance but they gave it to (I think) Theo Walcott on 50k a week!

treize vents

In this year's Tour a German (Italian, Spanish, American, Danish, French) sprinter who had promised much, but was still extremely young won four mass sprints against every good sprinter on earth, except those banned from the Tour or unfit for duty. The entire country hailed this young champ and welcomed the successor to their previous hero, Eric Zabel (Pettachi, etc). A very few assumed he must be using drugs. Most were delighted.

RichN95.

Ms Tree wrote:

I bet Cavendish doesn't even get a nomination for Sports Personality of the Year!

Mind you I stopped watching it a few years ago
1) They only concetnrate on sports that are on BBC
2) They had a young sports persons' catagory (category? no doubt someone will correct me) and it was between a couple of guys from non- shown sport and a footballer. One of the guys - I think he played table-tennis - had had to leave home to live abroad and train -on a pittance but they gave it to (I think) Theo Walcott on 50k a week!

On Betfair, he's currently third favourite. Four of the top eight are cyclists.

The BBC a few days ago had their latest list of likely contenders - three cyclists (including Cav, who'd won two stages by then)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/7499213.stm

afx237vi

Plus Nicole Cooke has been nominated for the past two years.

SteveR_100Milers

Monty Dog wrote:

Boonen and Pettachi rely on a very fast 'train' but don't actually have a big 'jump' so I doubt they'd be able to put one over on Cav in his current form. Only a younger McEwen had any sort of jump, but as yesterday's stage proved, even though he jumped first, Cav have a good 3-4 bike lengths on him. Cav relies on incredible leg speed rather than power for his sprint - pharmaceutical assistance wouldn't help much

Spot on.

Boonen's test for cocaine is hardly a sign of a guy doing performance enhancing drugs, though I do not condone cocaine use. As for Petacchi, I remember thinking that was a bit harsh (assuming his story stacks up). I don't think you can call either of them notorious drug cheats based on what we currenly know about them. I would not have called Ullrich a cheat for taking E at a party, although I surely would for the other stuff....

Biut they are not here. Because they cannot behave; and thus they are irrelevant, stop making excuses ffs.