Getting disappointed with Sky's lack of support for Cav

rick_chasey

Yeah, assuming he's recovered from his Poland injury.

rozzer32

Ms Tree wrote:

rozzer32 wrote:

I bet Cav is regretting not moving to Omega Quickstep. They have no real GC contenders so could have built a team with a decent lead out train for Cav. He would have stayed on Specialized instead of the awful Pina's. HTC riders and staff went to Quickstep so he would have already knew the guys and how they work etc. To be honest I think Sky wanted a British world champion on a British team and to win the Olympics in Britain and they offered him so much money he couldn't turn it down.

Excuse me but they have Peter Velits. He has come 3rd in the Vuelta and is oing loads better than Leipheimer and IMHO should have had the team support this year.

Ahhh yes who is currently in 23rd on the GC 27:37 down. A team manger, DS, sponsor would swap that for 4/5 stage victories without a second thought.

RichN95.

Gazzetta67 wrote:

Anyone else get the feeling that this is gonna go pear shape for Cavendish this summer - Boonen must start as the favourite for the RR. I reckon the belgians will try and blow the race apart and distance cavendish. or someone like Luis Leon Sanchez sneak a win.

The problem with blowing the race apart is that after Box Hill there's still 60km of flat to go and, with small teams, no-one's likely to take charge. GB, though, will work as a unit with four really big engines. They'll able to pull back some fairly decent gaps and may get help from the Germans.

rick_chasey

RichN95 wrote:

Gazzetta67 wrote:

Anyone else get the feeling that this is gonna go pear shape for Cavendish this summer - Boonen must start as the favourite for the RR. I reckon the belgians will try and blow the race apart and distance cavendish. or someone like Luis Leon Sanchez sneak a win.

The problem with blowing the race apart is that after Box Hill there's still 60km of flat to go and, with small teams, no-one's likely to take charge. GB, though, will work as a unit with four really big engines. They'll able to pull back some fairly decent gaps and may get help from the Germans.

It depends how selective box hill is.

If it's not too selective then you might get a good mix of people who have a good incentive to push on and make sure the sprinters don't make it back.

RichN95.

Rick Chasey wrote:

It depends how selective box hill is.

If it's not too selective then you might get a good mix of people who have a good incentive to push on and make sure the sprinters don't make it back.

It's the small teams though. No-one wants to be the first to burn their matches - either making the first half dozen laps hard or driving the front group in the run in - and leave themselves short handed. And that's before your consider that some teams may not have an undisputed leader.

Turfle

Now they have two GT contenders to make headlines with, I do wonder if given a do-over, whether Sky would still feel it necessary to sign Cav.

I've no doubt over the course of his contract he'll win plenty of big stages/races, but he does seem a bit of a 3rd wheel at this point, not only in the Tour, but in races likes MSR too.

frenchfighter

If you look back through his tweets he says something there about being excited about Wiggins in yellow and how he wants to be there at the end to savour it.

He also has so many wins in the Tour maybe he isn't motivated. I would be very surprised not to see him contest the finish in London. He has 3 of the best tt riders who will be able to ride 55km/h swapping turns to bring back those in front. Don't forget that two of these can ride faster than Fabian Locomotive Cancellara himself.

Dave B originally didn't want to take Eisel. Cav said he wouldn't ride either so Dave had to change his mind. Without Eisel, I doubt Cav would get through half any GT he has ever ridden. In fact see his latest tweet about Eisel.

thamacdaddy

Standard "Cav isn't winning everything so time to write him off thread".

No doubt he will show you he still has it sooner or later and this thread was worthless, as were all the previous ones (see the start of the tdf or giro for the last few years).

Boonen et al might start favourites but given Cav thinks he can do box hill 9 times and how strong the GB line-up will be I wouldn't say that's an easy call either. We will know in a fortnight or so anyways.

phreak

If Cav wanted a train, what would be to stop him sitting on the wheel of Goss or Greipel?

TheBigBean

I don't understand the talk of the GB team being devoted to Cav at the Olympics. Of the five on the team, two will have just finished 1-2 in a 3 week GT and both will fancy a medal in the TT. Can't see them putting that much effort in.

Yellow Peril

Rick Chasey wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Gazzetta67 wrote:

Anyone else get the feeling that this is gonna go pear shape for Cavendish this summer - Boonen must start as the favourite for the RR. I reckon the belgians will try and blow the race apart and distance cavendish. or someone like Luis Leon Sanchez sneak a win.

The problem with blowing the race apart is that after Box Hill there's still 60km of flat to go and, with small teams, no-one's likely to take charge. GB, though, will work as a unit with four really big engines. They'll able to pull back some fairly decent gaps and may get help from the Germans.

It depends how selective box hill is.

If it's not too selective then you might get a good mix of people who have a good incentive to push on and make sure the sprinters don't make it back.

The Belgian government are going to offer to cobble set the whole of the last 60km of the road race route as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations...hmmm...

frenchfighter

“The last few weeks I’ve seen an unhappy Cav,” - Holm

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/12462 ... z21IC9U6I0

I think he is fine.

disgruntledgoat

Presents for Wiggins, couple of lead outs, glowing tweets about the team... Cav being miserable seems to be the same amount of guff as Wiggins and Froome being at each others throats.

the_cyclist_of_catan

However Sky have ridden the last three weeks, Friday showed that Cav is still *blisteringly* fast, and tomorrow Sky need only to ensure Wiggins is still upright with 3km to go and can cross the line under his own steam (and I imagine that we're something awful to happen, Wiggins would drag himself across the line by his finger nails if he had to).

So hopefully (if Sky have anything left in their legs) tomorrow should see them working for Cav, who is obviously as fresh as a daisy having barely extended himself over the past three weeks. Sky won't be as polished at the job as Lotto (or the old HTC crew) but with a little luck it should not matter. As long as Cav doesn't hit the Tarmac again.

Looking forward to it.

Jez mon

Cav responds to rumours he may leave before the end of his contract.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... b06957.101

I think it depends on his career aims, if post Olympics, he just wants as many green jerseys as possible, then he's going to be best off leaving Sky. If he wants to say, win some classics, (no laughing at the back there) then I think his best bet is to stay with the team with possibly the best sports science knowledge in the pro peleton.

morstar

Stanley222 wrote:

Jez mon wrote:

I think it depends on his career aims, if post Olympics, he just wants as many green jerseys as possible, then he's going to be best off leaving Sky. If he wants to say, win some classics, (no laughing at the back there) then I think his best bet is to stay with the team with possibly the best sports science knowledge in the pro peloton.

+1

+2 And surely this is a big part of why he chose Sky in the first place. Sky have now achieved their #1 objective and have a system for gt's that works. I think the whole team will now be devoting a lot of time to mastering the classics. "within 5 years".

Yellow Peril

Today I thinjk he is going to have as much support as Sky can muster. They will want to sign this one off in style. I hope their lead out will be good enough in a straight head to head with Greenedge and Lotto

fungus_the_muffin_man

Expect to see wiggo leading the train through the last corner on to the champs ellysee (*sp)

brookter

Jez mon wrote:

Cav responds to rumours he may leave before the end of his contract.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... b06957.101

I think it depends on his career aims, if post Olympics, he just wants as many green jerseys as possible, then he's going to be best off leaving Sky. If he wants to say, win some classics, (no laughing at the back there) then I think his best bet is to stay with the team with possibly the best sports science knowledge in the pro peloton.

Some fine journalistic neutrality in that article:

Asked to comment on his predicament, Cavendish would only say: I've still got three years of my contract left with Sky."

Note how the 'would only say' turns a comment which may (or may not) have been intended as a firm rebuttal ('I've still got three years.... [of course I'm not thinking of leaving]" into nod-and-a-wink teasing [but if a better offer comes along...]. Still, I suppose it's better than out and out making things up....