Will Cav Win A Stage ?

13

Comments

  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,979
    edited July 2023
    It could be called Manx Missile United.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,878

    Ineos need to start Project 35 for next year. Big budget, all in, get a last season out of Cav and get him that win.
    Mørkøv is available for leadout, Renshaw as DS/consultent....

    Might as well, to be honest
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    Surely he'll be in with a shout at IPT?
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,317
    me-109 said:

    Surely he'll be in with a shout at IPT?

    Too young
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,227
    Just watched S8 on the catch up. Pants, that's so sad. Bad way to exit.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,246
    The Big Four of British cycling's golden age have not been afforded the big Tour send off.

    Wiggins: Won but never returned
    Froome: A career altering crash in his prime. Last appearance cut short by Covid
    Cavendish: Crashed out of his finale
    Thomas: Maybe he got his bad luck out of the way early.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,102
    How is Eddy Merckx taking the bad news?


    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,317
    davidof said:

    How is Eddy Merckx taking the bad news?


    Last seen a few km southwest of Limoges carrying a drum of ACME oil laughing manically.
  • bonk_king
    bonk_king Posts: 277
    I expect that gear failure will haunt him for a while now. He had that stage won, I was out of my seat, and then a mechanical disaster.

    On a plus side though, and I suspect not many have thought if it this way, he will now forever be mentioned in the same breath as the greatest cyclist of all time regarding TDF stage wins. Cavendish and Merckx.

    If he's looking for slithers of comfort out if all this then that isn't a bad crumb of comfort to take away.

    Though obviously he won't look at it like that.

  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,979
    Eddy Merckx is like Elon Musk levels of greatness so it's not really comparable. It just seems such a shame because he might have been up for another biggy, "sports personality of the year" award.
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,979
    edited July 2023
    G=EM2
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,497

    Eddy Merckx is like Elon Musk levels of greatness so it's not really comparable. It just seems such a shame because he might have been up for another biggy, "sports personality of the year" award.

    Eddy Merckx is the greatest male racing cyclist that ever lived. Elon Musk is a weapons grade idiot who, because he got lucky once or twice, thinks he's some kind of business genius.

    The two are not comparable.
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,852
    bonk_king said:

    On a plus side though, and I suspect not many have thought if it this way, he will now forever be mentioned in the same breath as the greatest cyclist of all time regarding TDF stage wins. Cavendish and Merckx.

    If he's looking for slithers of comfort out if all this then that isn't a bad crumb of comfort to take away.

    Though obviously he won't look at it like that.

    That's exactly what I was thinking. It adds context and in my mind elevates the achievement above if it had been held individually.
    Half man, Half bike
  • secretsqirrel
    secretsqirrel Posts: 2,060
    Well you never know. Vino wants him back next year if he changes his mind. Wonder if he’ll buy in a sprint train if its all agreed in the transfer window.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,317
    andyp said:

    Eddy Merckx is like Elon Musk levels of greatness so it's not really comparable. It just seems such a shame because he might have been up for another biggy, "sports personality of the year" award.

    Eddy Merckx is the greatest male racing cyclist that ever lived. Elon Musk is a weapons grade idiot who, because he got lucky once or twice, thinks he's some kind of business genius.

    The two are not comparable.
    That’s you added to FZ’s hit list with most of the inhabitants of Cake Stop
  • gweeds
    gweeds Posts: 2,608
    Imagine thinking Musk is a genius.
    Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.
  • JimD666
    JimD666 Posts: 2,293
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/66147017

    Astana prepared to offer him another year. Possibly at least
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    I wondered if someone would take a chance and whether Cav was fired up enough to suffer a little longer.
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,102
    Merckx hears Cav has a contract for the 2024 Tour

    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
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  • roscoe
    roscoe Posts: 505

    Ineos need to start Project 35 for next year. Big budget, all in, get a last season out of Cav and get him that win.
    Mørkøv is available for leadout, Renshaw as DS/consultent....

    Might as well, to be honest
    Ellingworth masterminded the 2011 worlds, Project Rainbow becomes Project 35.

    Perfect. We need a campaign to make this happen.

    Anyone got Ratcliffe’s number?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Cav shouldn’t have put it all on the line in Yorkshire 9 years ago. He’d have won many more that tour had he not gone sh!t or bust on day one.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,327
    edited July 2023

    Cav shouldn’t have put it all on the line in Yorkshire 9 years ago. He’d have won many more that tour had he not gone sh!t or bust on day one.

    Sure, but the same attitude arguably won him the Worlds and MSR (plus who knows how many others?). The surprise is probably that it didn't end up costing him more often, rather than the comparatively few times it did.

    Edit: for the avoidance of doubt, I agree that it wasn't the percentage play. But that's the deal of being Cav, I think.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,054
    Yes when you look at that Tour plus his illness plus non selection last year with better luck he could have put the record out of sight.

    On the other hand wasn't his selection for the record equalling Tour a late call ? Might be wrong on that but I suppose luck goes both ways.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • crescent
    crescent Posts: 1,201
    edited July 2023
    Gutted that he crashed out yesterday. I was out of my seat, shouting at the TV on Friday, I really thought he was going to do it.
    Lots of nice tributes from his peers on the ITV4 highlights show last night. One in particular from Rolf Aldag, "Would a 35th stage win have made him the greatest cyclist ever? Probably not. Would it have made him the greatest sprinter ever? It doesn't matter because he already is." Christian Prudhomme also seemed genuinely emotional about the nature of his exit. He seems to have the genuine respect of so many, and rightly so.
    Bianchi ImpulsoBMC Teammachine SLR02 01Trek Domane AL3“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. “ ~H.G. Wells Edit - "Unless it's a BMX"
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,906

    Yes when you look at that Tour plus his illness plus non selection last year with better luck he could have put the record out of sight.

    On the other hand wasn't his selection for the record equalling Tour a late call ? Might be wrong on that but I suppose luck goes both ways.

    Yep, was meant to be Bennett who had a 'dodgy' knee, so Cav got the call.

    Such a shame he didn't get to go last year.

    IF he does consider delaying retirement, I think it would need to be with a team who can give him a decent leadout.
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  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,776
    The security of a committed set up and team a year ahead must be tempting?
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,662
    I suspect he will stay retired. I think crashes were a part of the original reason for retiring, so I doubt after a bit of thought, another crash will persuade him to continue.
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807

    The security of a committed set up and team a year ahead must be tempting?

    I would think so. They have near enough 12 months to prepare and test a dedicated sprinters team. IMO this year felt a bit rushed.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,878
    It's as simple as poaching MvdP and Morkov then.