Why we dislike Cav

bompington

Paul 8v wrote:

What did Bolt actually have to say on the matter? Twitter seems to be full of people who like to get offended on behalf of others. I'd hazard a guess he wasn't bothered one bit and took it how it was intended, as a joke.

Assuming you're talking about the de Generes pic - what really gets me is that she looked at Bolt and what she saw was a very fast person. The complainers looked at him and saw a black person. Which way of you looking at things is actually racist?

deejay

optrexeyedrops wrote:

Says it all. Regardles of his wins, Cav will never be the fans favourite because he's just an inarticulate, unintelligible and egotistical bloke from the Isle of Man.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/olympics ... ailsignout

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/olympics ... ailsignout

I think optrexeyes (the OP guy) should have gone to SpecSavers instead of reading the Mirror and the Telegraph before checking the cycling forums about "WE".
He should have gained a little cycle race knowledge before the troll post but not with the media pundits who get most things wrong.

Cavendish causing a crash :- did he ? :- I don't agree.
Many years ago I rode track racing and points racing which as you saw is similar to "Madison racing".
So Cav swung up the banking after a blast and after the top he is coming down to the bunch, there no need to look because "Experienced" riders seeing this would go above and around a rider just completing his turn and instead of sleeping.(or Inexperienced riding)
The other rider caused that crash.

I was not a wholehearted Cavendish Fan and in the same vein as Sagan in their youth I put down to youthful exuberance.
I am a complete Mark Cavendish fan (and Sagan) after what he did last month and somewhere in the doom and gloom on this forum I ventured to suggest he would be happy to win one stage, which was unbelevable with the way this forum's feelings were at the time.
Wow what a show he put on.
My feelings now are that he stayed in France too Long and if he had gone to Rio a week earlier he would have had a better chance of Gold.
However he did get a medal, outstanding. Now who for the World Championship. Viviani or Cav ??

ddraver

i think Cav couldve ridden more Omniums over the last 2 years which would ve helped, but then he wouldnt have won 3 TdF stages...

The eternal Olympic Enigma of Cav...

FocusZing

^

takethehighroad

I love how in 4 pages of posts, not one person has backed up the OP in the slightest.

Mark Cavendish is my hero. There. I said it...

tailwindhome

mr_poll wrote:

Paul 8v wrote:

What did Bolt actually have to say on the matter? Twitter seems to be full of people who like to get offended on behalf of others. I'd hazard a guess he wasn't bothered one bit and took it how it was intended, as a joke.

He retweeted it so guessing he saw the funny side.

This would have been my first reaction too. However reading some of the posts on Twitter there does seem to be a historical context to similar photos.

kleinstroker

Pross

Maybe he'll end up on Strictly when he retires!

FocusZing

The OP was just jive talkin.

BelgianBeerGeek

Or perhaps he don't like Cav. It's not like you have to.

Pross

BelgianBeerGeek wrote:

Or perhaps he don't like Cav. It's not like you have to.

But he appeared to think he was the spokesman for a collective (or is a member of royalty).

FocusZing

BelgianBeerGeek wrote:

Or perhaps he don't like Cav. It's not like you have to.

Hang on! He just waltzed into pro race, attacks! Then quick steps it out.

cruff

Hold tight, isn't op the plumskin who started a row with, basically, himself on the RideLondon thread? Know when you're being trolled folks...

bobmcstuff

zebulebu wrote:

Hold tight, isn't op the plumskin who started a row with, basically, himself on the RideLondon thread? Know when you're being trolled folks...

Pretty sure everyone knows he's trolling though, no?

cruff

Ah - maybe. Teach me to read the whole thread rather than a couple of posts!

mfin

BelgianBeerGeek wrote:

Or perhaps he don't like Cav. It's not like you have to.

The OP pointed out two pretty poor links, one where Cavendish had been misinterpreted and was trying to have a joke (his comedy timing isn't good though, hence why some idiots picked up on it). The other link is just sensational rubbish. The OP also used "we" in the title to get a response, which worked, because a few people are simply a bit daft and thought he was being serious.

I agree with you, you don't have to like Cavendish. I don't.

I've mentioned it a few times and people get on their high horses defending him. I don't particularly like his riding or his personality, although I get why people like him, in many cases they just like the results.

He does provide entertainment for all though, people who like him can enjoy his wins, and people who don't can enjoy his losses.

I was in a bar in Huddersfield with a friend a couple of hours after he'd fallen in the stage when the TDF kicked off in Yorkshire. A few cyclists were talking in a group about what had happened after seeing it on TV and one was saying they were absolutely gutted and another one was saying they were nearly in tears as they were so upset. We couldn't control ourselves for laughing, it made our day. (Not at the fact he crashed I might add, just at these people's pathetic response to it).

Anyway, it's not compulsory to like Cavendish and I can quite honestly say that of all my riding buddies, half seem to like him, and half can't stand him. It's no big deal if anyone likes him or not.

jimnm

Why judge him? He's a top bike rider and deserves respect for his accomplishments.
Who are you to judge?

mfin

Jimnm wrote:

Why judge him? He's a top bike rider and deserves respect for his accomplishments.
Who are you to judge?

Deserves respect? ...don't be soft, what sportsman deserves respect?

It's not judging, it's simply having an opinion. Your opinion is that he "deserves respect for his accomplishments", that's nothing more than an opinion too (either that or I can say that in your terms you are judging him too but you just prefer your conclusions to mine).

bobmcstuff

mfin wrote:

Deserves respect? ...don't be soft, what sportsman deserves respect?

Anyone who puts that much dedication into something like that deserves respect (and yes, that is an opinion). Don't have to like them personally, but I certainly respect the skill, dedication and commitment - if only because I know it's something I can never do.

Same for virtuoso pianists, Oscar winning actors, Nobel prizewinners etc....

The idea that anyone wouldn't respect a monumental achievement is a bit weird to be honest.

bompington

True. It's entirely obvious that someone who works their backside off for years to reach the pinnacle of sporting achievement is no more worthy of respect than your run of the mill misanthropic keyboard warrior.

mfin

bobmcstuff wrote:

mfin wrote:

Deserves respect? ...don't be soft, what sportsman deserves respect?

Anyone who puts that much dedication into something like that deserves respect (and yes, that is an opinion). Don't have to like them personally, but I certainly respect the skill, dedication and commitment - if only because I know it's something I can never do.

Same for virtuoso pianists, Oscar winning actors, Nobel prizewinners etc....

The idea that anyone wouldn't respect a monumental achievement is a bit weird to be honest.

No, I accept he has put in a load of hard work to become a professional and successful cyclist, just like 100s of other professional successful cyclists there have been.

That's not respect in the sense of the word I am referring to, bit of a language difference.

I don't think his achievements and the way he's achieved them are especially admirable, and I don't like him from what I have seen. Like I said, it's an opinion.

Perhaps I am wrong and the sun shines out of his ass and everybody should think it does.

bobmcstuff

mfin wrote:

bobmcstuff wrote:

mfin wrote:

Deserves respect? ...don't be soft, what sportsman deserves respect?

Anyone who puts that much dedication into something like that deserves respect (and yes, that is an opinion). Don't have to like them personally, but I certainly respect the skill, dedication and commitment - if only because I know it's something I can never do.

Same for virtuoso pianists, Oscar winning actors, Nobel prizewinners etc....

The idea that anyone wouldn't respect a monumental achievement is a bit weird to be honest.

No, I accept he has put in a load of hard work to become a professional and successful cyclist, just like 100s of other professional successful cyclists there have been.

That's not respect in the sense of the word I am referring to, bit of a language difference.

I don't think his achievements and the way he's achieved them are especially admirable, and I don't like him from what I have seen. Like I said, it's an opinion.

Perhaps I am wrong and the sun shines out of his ass and everybody should think it does.

I'm not saying the sun shines out his ass - not a huge fan of his personality myself as he says some things I think are stupid and/or ill advised quite often - just that I respect his achievements as a cyclist. That's a perfectly acceptable use of the term respect in common usage and in dictionary definition. I would have thought 30 tour stage wins was pretty remarkable myself, but apparently you have a higher threshold...

Personally I think you're just being difficult for the sake of it, but then that's just my opinion

pinno

Personally, I think he's a bit uncomfortable in front of the camera. At least he isn't drilled by the PR bunch that makes every sports person sound like any other sports person (especially American sports men/women).
Who would you have a pint with: Cav or Wiggo? I think it would be Cav for me. He has been a bit of a plonker especially the tour where Hushovd won the green jersey. I am almost certain the peloton deliberately let Thor go on that wet and very rolling stage that no green jersey wearer would have normally been out front* simply to let him win ahead of Cav. However, he is a character, he's achieved a hell of a lot and the media love a headline (even when it is totally unjustified and blown out of proportion). In this interview (refreshingly unscripted and not contrived), he displays humility and a down to earth manner that is contrary to the cr4p in the links the OP posted:

*aside from Sagan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XnPCuFkrVU

mfin

bobmcstuff wrote:

...

No, I'm not being difficult for the sake of it.

I genuinely am simply not in awe of him and don't like him. Now, if you wonder how anyone can not be in awe of him (not saying you do) then some people simply aren't I am one of them, they exist. This is based on the way he rides and his achievements which I don't see as amazing once you go past face value of the stats. The modern sprinters art in flat stages of grand tours he is pretty good at of course, but I don't see that ability having an absolute correlation to his wins as many he was going to win by default (sole team aim etc).

I think it's fair to say personality-wise people can think of him what they want, and he is a bit marmite to say the least. That said, some people will like anyone, and it is easy to think he has some kind of personality for people who are beige themselves (obviously not meaning you there).

Anyway, I'm not out to win an argument. It's just opinion.

No_Ta_Doctor

Well I completely support the idea that Cav might not be to everyone's tastes, ad yes, he clearly winds some people up, quite a lot.

I think it's churlish to not respect his results though. He's not the first rider to have a team built specifically to deliver him stage wins and he won't be the last. And with four wins in this tour he's shown he can do it without the huge train. He is ludicrously ahead of any other sprinter in TdF stages, has taken the points jersey in all three tours, has been world champion and has a monument.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... _Cavendish

Personally I like him not in spite but because of his flaws. His OCD compulsive behaviour, his impulsiveness, his borderline (?) ADHD... I think he might also be on the high functioning part of the autistic spectrum, or maybe Aspergers for his attention to detail, obsession and photographic memory. All of this makes him the rider and person he is, all would normally be considered weaknesses but are harnessed by him in the pursuit of winning.

above_the_cows

Well, I admit to being one of those people who gets a little teary when something bad or good happens to people I like in sport, or something extraordinary happens. I cried when Yusra Mardini won her heat for example. Apparently according to some that makes me worthy of derision. Personally I think it makes me human.

joelsim

No tA Doctor wrote:

Well I completely support the idea that Cav might not be to everyone's tastes, ad yes, he clearly winds some people up, quite a lot.

I think it's churlish to not respect his results though. He's not the first rider to have a team built specifically to deliver him stage wins and he won't be the last. And with four wins in this tour he's shown he can do it without the huge train. He is ludicrously ahead of any other sprinter in TdF stages, has taken the points jersey in all three tours, has been world champion and has a monument.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... _Cavendish

Personally I like him not in spite but because of his flaws. His OCD compulsive behaviour, his impulsiveness, his borderline (?) ADHD... I think he might also be on the high functioning part of the autistic spectrum, or maybe Aspergers for his attention to detail, obsession and photographic memory. All of this makes him the rider and person he is, all would normally be considered weaknesses but are harnessed by him in the pursuit of winning.

You may well be right.

ugo.santalucia

I didn't like Cav when he was dominant, but I like him now that he is no longer dominant... but that is true for every cyclist you are not a fan of... I might even get to like Froome one day, just as I got to like Contador...

pinno

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I didn't like Cav when he was dominant, but I like him now that he is no longer dominant... but that is true for every cyclist you are not a fan of... I might even get to like Froome one day, just as I got to like Contador...

I must admit similar patterns in my own perceptions.
Is that because when the dominance ends, they seemingly exhibit human frailties and we somehow connect with that?

bobmcstuff

Pinno wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I didn't like Cav when he was dominant, but I like him now that he is no longer dominant... but that is true for every cyclist you are not a fan of... I might even get to like Froome one day, just as I got to like Contador...

I must admit similar patterns in my own perceptions.
Is that because when the dominance ends, they seemingly exhibit human frailties and we somehow connect with that?

Could be cos they move to underdog status to an extent and everyone loves an underdog.