Cavendish and the classics?

[Ferminal]

The only time I have seen Cav work himself over is in India this year. He failed against Millar, Davis, Sutton and Roulston - hardly Cancellara, Boonen and Hushovd.

I'm not saying that it's beyond him, but it will take a couple of seasons to change his focus from being a sprinter to a sprinting all-rounder. If his goal is still to win 12 GT stages a year then he's got no chance of winning P-R or RvV.

 

[boardhanger]

Well if O'Grady, Frédéric Guesdon, and Servais Knaven have won it consider sprinters develope later in their carreers Kelly or JaJa etc ( not speacializing) its not out of the question. What happens if a group comes into the velodrome containg 4 or 5 riders including Cav in the future, which isn't unrealistic in ParisRoubaix finishes anyways.

 

[lanternrouge]

Did either of you actually read the article?

What a ridiculous statement TSF! Since when do the haters let something like the facts get in the way? The fact is if Cav announced he was donating the rest of his careers earnings to charity we would have some buffoon coming on here slagging him up hill and down dale!

Love the comment he ONLY has MSR! Yeah what a **** little race that is!

 

[El Pistolero]

What a ridiculous statement TSF! Since when do the haters let something like the facts get in the way? The fact is if Cav announced he was donating the rest of his careers earnings to charity we would have some buffoon coming on here slagging him up hill and down dale!

Love the comment he ONLY has MSR! Yeah what a **** little race that is!

Compared to the other Monuments it is.

 

[ingsve]

When I think of Cavendish I think of a pure sprinter that will have a sprinters palmares. Think Cipollini, Blijlevens, McEwen, Kirsipuu or Zabel in the 90s before he started working more on his climbing. Not like Boonen, Hushovd, O'Grady, Moncassin who are more power sprinters, who can translate the power they have into also doing well in classics, rather than speedy sprinters like the other ones mentioned.

Perhaps Cav has more power than he usually shows or perhaps he can develop in that direction but he would have to specifically set out to train for it to have a shot at RVV and P-R I think it won't be enough to do more of the same and then just show up a few times.

 

[laura.weislo]

Did anybody see Greipel get on the front in the Giro mountains? He only stuck it out for 200m or so at the bottom, but that's the kind of thing I assume Cav is talking about. Petacchi led the péloton to the bottom of one Tour climb. Cav has never had to do this, probably never been asked or maybe even instructed not to. It's part of the ethos of his team. Cav must not be asked to do that work - but it's ok if Peter Velits, 3rd overall in the Vuelta, puts in a big turn on the front in the leadout train.

Actually, in the press conference Velits recounted a story of Cavendish coming to the front to hand off a jersey load of bottles for the GC guys in the Vuelta. I imagine he does his share of the work but doesn't get recognized for it because in the mountain stages where he's not being protected he's gone well before the cameras turn on.

 

[boardhanger]

Farrar would like to have an opinion on this too.........

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Actually, in the press conference Velits recounted a story of Cavendish coming to the front to hand off a jersey load of bottles for the GC guys in the Vuelta. I imagine he does his share of the work but doesn't get recognized for it because in the mountain stages where he's not being protected he's gone well before the cameras turn on.

That still doesn't excuse the DS asking Velits to do a turn in the sprint train.

That kind of thing should see the team banned from Grand Tours.

Then I might be able to watch the Tour.

 

[ingsve]

That still doesn't excuse the DS asking Velits to do a turn in the sprint train.

That kind of thing should see the team banned from Grand Tours.

Then I might be able to watch the Tour.

And that's also the type of behavior that has made lots of riders leave HTC the past two years. Then again they always seem to be able to recruit and get their wins either way.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Oh, no doubt they're a brilliant team, with an almost flawless recruitment program, everybody seems to step up with them. If anybody's going to find people who can pull RVV back to the first bunch sprint in decades it's them.

They're just about as much fun as punching yourself in the face.

 

[Eric8-A]

I don't know, but for some reason I feel Cavendish if finally feeling the pressure of competition. I remember in an interview at the Tour last year, he was asked who he felt was his most feared rival in the sprints. or something amongst that line and he said he didn't fear anybody. I read an article on Velonews today where he actually said he was naming Petacchi as his main rival. Also, he didn't trash Garmin on another article.

He's probably seeing that he's not the best anymore and probably wants to give something else a try.

 

[boardhanger]

I don't know, but for some reason I feel Cavendish if finally feeling the pressure of competition. I remember in an interview at the Tour last year, he was asked who he felt was his most feared rival in the sprints. or something amongst that line and he said he didn't fear anybody. I read an article on Velonews today where he actually said he was naming Petacchi as his main rival. Also, he didn't trash Garmin on another article.

He's probably seeing that he's not the best anymore and probably wants to give something else a try.

No, I think he wants to re-negotinate his contract because he's getting better offers and feels he deserves more money from Stapelton. So Cav is playing poltics right now.

 

[palmerq]

I dont think he'll ever be able to win paris roubaix or races like that... I think he is too far behind the other guys in this area and it would take too much to change this.. He was dropped in the commonwealth games :S he didnt have a team but the race was dead flat and it was the commonwealth games... he also didnt finish the world championships.. I think if these races were too tough for him paris roubaix will be too.

 

[Kwibus]

Oh, no doubt they're a brilliant team, with an almost flawless recruitment program, everybody seems to step up with them. If anybody's going to find people who can pull RVV back to the first bunch sprint in decades it's them.

They're just about as much fun as punching yourself in the face.

Haha I love your anti-HTC posts, but I have to agree with you. They do not make racing more interesting since they always try to end the stage in a bunchsprint. I do think they are aware they won't be able to end RVV and P-R in a bunchsprint

 

[bicing]

I don't know, but for some reason I feel Cavendish if finally feeling the pressure of competition. I remember in an interview at the Tour last year, he was asked who he felt was his most feared rival in the sprints. or something amongst that line and he said he didn't fear anybody. I read an article on Velonews today where he actually said he was naming Petacchi as his main rival. Also, he didn't trash Garmin on another article.

He's probably seeing that he's not the best anymore and probably wants to give something else a try.

We thought that Cav was past it earlier in the year when he had teething problems (literally), but to win with such ease like he did at the Tour and Vuelta, I can't believe he is feeling pressure from competition. This guy can only get pressure and fear is from not achieving the milestone goals he is trying to set for himself.

Definitely what others said about him playing politics for a new bigger contract is a key factor to this kind of stuff.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

We thought that Cav was past it earlier in the year when he had teething problems (literally), but to win with such ease like he did at the Tour and Vuelta, I can't believe he is feeling pressure from competition. This guy can only get pressure and fear is from not achieving the milestone goals he is trying to set for himself.

I never thought he was 'past it'. We all knew he was only a big win or two away from re-establishing his former dominance.

Cav is still the fastest sprinter out there, and if he's on form he will win 9 times out of 10. But this year, for the first time, he had to deal with a sustained period of being out of form, and he's had to learn some tough lessons from that. Last year he could conveniently forget Ale-Jet springing a surprise on him at the Giro because every other sprint he bothered with, he won. This year, he's had troubles at many races, and it's made him re-appraise things.

Last year in the off-season, he stated that he wanted to win RvV by the time he's 28, and said 'every other goal I've set out to do, I've achieved'. True, but arrogant. A year where he's struggled, struggled some more and found redemption on the biggest stage of all has made him re-appraise things, because for the first time in his cycling career, the pressure has been on him and he has been unable to deliver. As a result, he still points out that the classics are something he would LOVE to be able to achieve, but he's more realistic and less forceful in the way he says he will go about it.

This is actually one of the most reasonable, sensible Cav comments - "I have a goal, but it's not one in my comfort zone. I'd love to achieve it, but I appreciate that it's a massive step compared to the goals I've set and achieved for myself so far".

 

[Captain_Cavman]

Cavendish's contract is up this year I believe. I wonder whether a lot of this talk of being more than just the guy who takes the glory at the end of a great leadout, is to reassure potential future teams and team mates.

To back up these notions I'd point you in the direction of Cavendish's 'I'm not getting paid enough' outburst recently and Wiggins's comments that he would be surprised to see Cavendish at Sky because the team goals would conflict with Cavendish's leadout requirements. And I imagine most of the other teams would have the same attitude as Sky.

Just a thought...

 

[Boardslide]

Sometmes I wonder about some of the posters on here who are always complaining that Cav is a one trick pony, then when he finally says he'd like to get back to nitty gritty racing and do the classics as a challenge and future goal he's scoffed at.

You must remember that before 2009 his races were all won without a train although as with the 2008 tour the team was structured around Kim Kirchen with only Bernie Eisel asigned to Cav for the mountain stages but even so other riders who had finished their stints would still put in extra to help him get his 4 wins.

I think It's great that he has dreams, goals & challenges for himself if not for this year but in the future instead of just settling for what some armchair pundits think he's only good for. He may fail in these goals but at least he'd have tried.

 

[palmerq]

he can try if he wants i dont mind if he does. I'm not laughing at him for wanting to try I just think he has no chance of winning paris roubaix or the tour of flanders and races like that..

I think he's better off doing what he's doing now but if he wants to make a serious effort to win these then he should go for it.

 

[Eric8-A]

Giving it a go might be a good thing for him. Change of diet and change of training program. I don't know about you people, but sprints have gotten boring for me because of this man.

 

[boardhanger]

Giving it a go might be a good thing for him. Change of diet and change of training program. I don't know about you people, but sprints have gotten boring for me because of this man.

I wouldn't say boring. Just predictable.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I wouldn't say boring.

I would...

 

[boardhanger]

I would...

He's a boring, predictable sprinter. And?. Then he fancys the classics and gets destroyed for saying that........I find his rivals boring and predictable too...

 

[simo1733]

He's a boring, predictable sprinter. And?. Then he fancys the classics and gets destroyed for saying that........I find his rivals boring and predictable too...

Good point

 

[LugHugger]

I don't know, but for some reason I feel Cavendish if finally feeling the pressure of competition. I remember in an interview at the Tour last year, he was asked who he felt was his most feared rival in the sprints. or something amongst that line and he said he didn't fear anybody. I read an article on Velonews today where he actually said he was naming Petacchi as his main rival. Also, he didn't trash Garmin on another article.

He's probably seeing that he's not the best anymore and probably wants to give something else a try.

roflmao. good one