Spring (autumn) classics *spoilers*

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  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,391
    bobmcstuff said:

    https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mark-cavendish-hints-at-early-retirement-after-gent-wevelgem/



    Wah?!? 😲😲😲
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,938
    For some context he tweeted this yesterday

    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,470
    edited October 2020
    I'm amazed the Cavendish comments haven't got more response. He was the rider that got me rushing to see results and really got me interested in Pro racing around 2008. He was the trailblazer for British cycling trackies on the road. Without him I doubt we'd have seen the success that Wiggins enjoyed and all that came after.

    I've missed him the past few years. I really don't care what happens in the sprints anymore.

    It's a shame he hasn't been able to go out on a real high. But if today is his last ride, he showed himself and did himself proud.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    I don't think it's a completely done deal.

    It was good to see him in the break (just to see him really).
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    If Cavendish is retiring I hope he has one race where people know about it and can show their respect. At his best he made it look so easy that I think it was taken for granted. The sport owes him a proper send off as one of the greats.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,812
    TheBigBean said:

    They are both relatively young and working out how to win. No one is going to tow WvA to the finish, so he needs another plan such as looking at how Sagan won his monuments when faced with the same problems.

    I thought Trentin played it really well and saved his legs, but ultimately didn't have enough.

    WvA not at all happy with MVP.

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/wout-van-aert-van-der-poel-would-rather-that-i-lost-than-he-won-472303
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,540
    blazing_saddles said:

    TheBigBean said:

    They are both relatively young and working out how to win. No one is going to tow WvA to the finish, so he needs another plan such as looking at how Sagan won his monuments when faced with the same problems.

    I thought Trentin played it really well and saved his legs, but ultimately didn't have enough.

    WvA not at all happy with MVP.

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/wout-van-aert-van-der-poel-would-rather-that-i-lost-than-he-won-472303
    I'm not sure that's fair. On the two occasions WVA attacked everyone left it to MvdP to close the gap. The second time in particular he seemed to try to leave it for others but no-one would help out. By time the winning move went he probably didn't have enough left to do it again. I suspect WVA was also too knackered following his own attacks.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,470
    blazing_saddles said:

    TheBigBean said:

    They are both relatively young and working out how to win. No one is going to tow WvA to the finish, so he needs another plan such as looking at how Sagan won his monuments when faced with the same problems.

    I thought Trentin played it really well and saved his legs, but ultimately didn't have enough.

    WvA not at all happy with MVP.

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/wout-van-aert-van-der-poel-would-rather-that-i-lost-than-he-won-472303
    Wout van Aert in whining to the media shocker!
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,744
    tailwindhome said:

    For some context he tweeted this yesterday

    I wasn't sure what article he was referring to here. I'm a Cav fan and sympathetic to anyone who has suffered mental health problems too (well I think I am this comment may persuade some I'm not) but if it was the Cycling News bit on his contract negotiations I couldn't really see what the journalist had done wrong.

    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,619
    blazing_saddles said:

    TheBigBean said:

    They are both relatively young and working out how to win. No one is going to tow WvA to the finish, so he needs another plan such as looking at how Sagan won his monuments when faced with the same problems.

    I thought Trentin played it really well and saved his legs, but ultimately didn't have enough.

    WvA not at all happy with MVP.

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/wout-van-aert-van-der-poel-would-rather-that-i-lost-than-he-won-472303
    In commentary, Adam Blythe was talking about racing smart and making one big attack which would stick rather than chasing down every break. WvA needs to do that and get a gap, there is no point being a lead out rider ten times over.

    It does make him sound like a sore loser.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,860
    Cav is a racer . He loves it. Hard for him I guess
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,153
    TheBigBean said:



    In commentary, Adam Blythe was talking about racing smart and making one big attack which would stick rather than chasing down every break. WvA needs to do that and get a gap, there is no point being a lead out rider ten times over.

    It does make him sound like a sore loser.


    Easier said than done.

    I think Pedersen may be benefitting about from the hype and rivalry surrounding the two vans. He'll probably have a few monuments before people acknowledge him as their equal and perhaps better.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,598
    DeVlaeminck said:

    tailwindhome said:

    For some context he tweeted this yesterday

    I wasn't sure what article he was referring to here. I'm a Cav fan and sympathetic to anyone who has suffered mental health problems too (well I think I am this comment may persuade some I'm not) but if it was the Cycling News bit on his contract negotiations I couldn't really see what the journalist had done wrong.

    It just opens up an opportunity for people to comment 'Hes finished' 'Hes crap' yada yada.
    He acknowledged it was just what they 'do' , but even so, it highlights them opening the door to the sewer.
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    Just watching this now in the background - glad to see degenkolb still in the hunt at 11km to go.
    _
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,744
    carbonclem said:

    DeVlaeminck said:

    tailwindhome said:

    For some context he tweeted this yesterday

    I wasn't sure what article he was referring to here. I'm a Cav fan and sympathetic to anyone who has suffered mental health problems too (well I think I am this comment may persuade some I'm not) but if it was the Cycling News bit on his contract negotiations I couldn't really see what the journalist had done wrong.

    It just opens up an opportunity for people to comment 'Hes finished' 'Hes censored ' yada yada.
    He acknowledged it was just what they 'do' , but even so, it highlights them opening the door to the sewer.
    I think it's harsh to call the comments section of Cycling News a sewer and looking at the comments on that article you'd have to read them very selectively to take real offence over the whole.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    Cav will forever be immortalised on here for his "who said that, internet forum people?" response in an interview.

    Can't top that for BR folk.
    _
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,326
    Mads might not have been the strongest rider in the group, but you need brains as well as brawn. If cycling wasn't like that then they might as well do it on a turbo trainer and compare numbers. It's why cycling is worth watching. Van Aert and MVDP are maybe too used to being able to demolish the opposition with raw power to have got to grips with the tactical nuances.

    That said, when Mads jumped to the front three he closed them like a rocket.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,619
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    Mads might not have been the strongest rider in the group, but you need brains as well as brawn. If cycling wasn't like that then they might as well do it on a turbo trainer and compare numbers. It's why cycling is worth watching. Van Aert and MVDP are maybe too used to being able to demolish the opposition with raw power to have got to grips with the tactical nuances.

    That said, when Mads jumped to the front three he closed them like a rocket.

    That's the key point. He managed to win even though he missed the initial move. He realised he had to bridge the gap, so went. It means all the others in the second group actually missed out twice.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    TheBigBean said:

    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    Mads might not have been the strongest rider in the group, but you need brains as well as brawn. If cycling wasn't like that then they might as well do it on a turbo trainer and compare numbers. It's why cycling is worth watching. Van Aert and MVDP are maybe too used to being able to demolish the opposition with raw power to have got to grips with the tactical nuances.

    That said, when Mads jumped to the front three he closed them like a rocket.

    That's the key point. He managed to win even though he missed the initial move. He realised he had to bridge the gap, so went. It means all the others in the second group actually missed out twice.
    If WvA or MvdP had gone the group would have been on their wheel.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    Pross said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    TheBigBean said:

    They are both relatively young and working out how to win. No one is going to tow WvA to the finish, so he needs another plan such as looking at how Sagan won his monuments when faced with the same problems.

    I thought Trentin played it really well and saved his legs, but ultimately didn't have enough.

    WvA not at all happy with MVP.

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/wout-van-aert-van-der-poel-would-rather-that-i-lost-than-he-won-472303
    I'm not sure that's fair. On the two occasions WVA attacked everyone left it to MvdP to close the gap. The second time in particular he seemed to try to leave it for others but no-one would help out. By time the winning move went he probably didn't have enough left to do it again. I suspect WVA was also too knackered following his own attacks.
    The final chase after Mads had gone to the front 3, WvA put in a massive effort, MvdP was on his wheel and after another big effort, WvA moved over to let MvdP take over and MvdP kept his legs still.

    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    Anyway, best race this year, by far.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    Dynamic of the finale would have been really different if MvdP's teammate didn't stack too.

    But it was great, 70km out the big names kicked it off and it didn't stop.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    You do wonder on that final Kemmelberg, if someone like Mads would be able to keep up with MvdP and WvA on the Kemmel if they started at the same time.

    The effort those two lads made to catch up to the front group was gigantic. Only really Bettiol was close.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    In case it's not obvious, it's always more fun when the big riders have no teammates in the finale ;)
    _
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,326
    DK TV (Brian Holm i think) pointed out the chasers backed off a bit just before the last Kemmelberg so they could surge up to the lead group there while dropping some hangers-on. Then Mads actually blocked WVA as they neared the top. Smart riding. Neutralised their biggest asset (raw power) at the moment they could use it best. I think he'd struggle to stay with them if they went toe to toe from the bottom, but I reckon almost everyone would.

    Of course, if MvdP and WvA got away together then they probably would have dicked around and got caught anyway, and if only one had escaped then same.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    DK TV (Brian Holm i think) pointed out the chasers backed off a bit just before the last Kemmelberg so they could surge up to the lead group there while dropping some hangers-on. Then Mads actually blocked WVA as they neared the top. Smart riding. Neutralised their biggest asset (raw power) at the moment they could use it best. I think he'd struggle to stay with them if they went toe to toe from the bottom, but I reckon almost everyone would.

    Of course, if MvdP and WvA got away together then they probably would have dicked around and got caught anyway, and if only one had escaped then same.

    Yeah agreed.

    Mads did not stick his nose in the wind for the entire final sequence of moves till he went with the winning break too, let's not forget.
    _
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,540
    rick_chasey said:

    In case it's not obvious, it's always more fun when the big riders have no teammates in the finale ;)

    Unless you're Rowe and find yourself, having just closed a gap, suddenly behind the team mates who have sat up. I felt he was really unlucky there.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,690
    yeah bad day for kwiat.
    _
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,326
    edited October 2020
    Yeah, he (Mads) took a pull at around 3.5km, when Kung, WvA, senechal and Bettiol were getting away, but forced MvdP and Trentin to work straight after. He'd been otherwise following wheels since about 6 km, though that entire stretch was attack & counter attack. Before that, until 15 km there were teams with multiple riders (QS, Jumbo, EF, Lotto) so he could surf a little and let them control the race.
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  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,598
    DeVlaeminck said:

    carbonclem said:

    DeVlaeminck said:

    tailwindhome said:

    For some context he tweeted this yesterday

    I wasn't sure what article he was referring to here. I'm a Cav fan and sympathetic to anyone who has suffered mental health problems too (well I think I am this comment may persuade some I'm not) but if it was the Cycling News bit on his contract negotiations I couldn't really see what the journalist had done wrong.

    It just opens up an opportunity for people to comment 'Hes finished' 'Hes censored ' yada yada.
    He acknowledged it was just what they 'do' , but even so, it highlights them opening the door to the sewer.
    I think it's harsh to call the comments section of Cycling News a sewer and looking at the comments on that article you'd have to read them very selectively to take real offence over the whole.
    I was reffering to Twitter. Obvs its not entirely sewer, but , y'know ...
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner

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