Cavendish angry

[Winterfold]

My view is Cav doesn't need to find his 'inner chimp' or soft lighting, he needs a team that are prepared to get him to the front with 200m to go and he will do the rest.

Before I read the Kimmage interview I would agree. If the train and Renshaw are there then noone else has a chance. His wins at MSR and on the Champs Elysses were simply amazing.

This year, there is a LOT of difficult stuff going on in his life. Bellis, his brother, women in no particular order. The bit in the interview where Kimmage bouhgt up Samson and Delilah was particularly telling. Brilliant insight by Kimmage, who is really the UK's outstanding sports journalist.

I can see why people dont like what he did, and he has to think globally, but in the UK a young man flicking the Vs is cool; Jonny Rotten, Oasis etc etc

PS if Cav went to Sky, I am sure they would find a way to make the Green jersey and multiple stage wins seem every bit as successful as yellow. Maybe it wont wash with us hardcore cycling fans, but Sky seem to have a really big agenda and would spin it to the masses as such. I find myself liking the Murdochs more as a result, which is a wierd feeling

 

[Bagster]

Hmm, yes & no.

Greipels criticism was at the team management - Cavs criticism was at Greipel, Greipel felt his form justified inclusion in MSR, Cavs response was that an out of form Cav is better that an inform Griepel. But the team management let things escalate.

Also - it was me who brought in the Sky angle - I will admit, it was more a hypothetical.
I agree to a point on the Murdochs - although if its 'wins' they are looking for then, so far, woops.... Sky (the Corporation) can spin any story to their favour - but presently Cav does not fit their image or their stated goals, ie a Tour win within 5 years.

As for the Cav and the mental side- I took the opposite view, I remember he commented that he went to British Cycling and they did a test and his numbers were 'average', and it was suggested to him to start thinking of a life outside of cycling.

My view is Cav doesn't need to find his 'inner chimp' or soft lighting, he needs a team that are prepared to get him to the front with 200m to go and he will do the rest.

Also, with exception of Wiggo he's the only decent rider the Poms have so they should be nicer to him

 

[bobbins]

It's amazing how little media coverage his teams withdrawal is getting. It seems that Eurosport are scared of mentioning it and the press have largely ignored it.

Can't see Cav riding for HTC next season. They are undervaluing him as far as offering him a decent salary for next season and then don't back him in this.

Would like to see him and Renshaw going to Quickstep or Katusha next season.

 

[tgsgirl]

Would like to see him and Renshaw going to Quickstep or Katusha next season.

One of the few combo's that are less likely than Cav and Greipel for another year has got to be Cav and Tombo.

 

[bobbins]

Not sure about that. Boonen for the classics, Cav for grand tour stages. Wouldn't rule it out if Quick Step don't sign Contador.

 

[tgsgirl]

They hate each other, Cav is used to having everything revolve around him and Boonen is insanely important for QuickStep. In Belgium, QuickStep IS Boonen. I see them signing a top sprinter (Lefèvre recently said it's what they were lacking), but not Cav.

 

[Jonathan]

Lotto, Milram, Katusha...

 

[Bagster]

wait, wait..

did robbie at 37 EVER mouthed his age like armstrong to explain his lack of wins ? please confirm.

did other 37-38 year olds in the peloton EVER mouthed their age as often as armstrong in his tweets ?

jens is as old as texas and yet he dropped a bunch of riders this year (almost half his age) to accrue some remarkable victories !

vino is 37 and kicking. not a peep about being old.

why is that the old age whining is acceptable for the only rider who never seemed to whine before ?

Amazing how you guys manage to bring LA into every conversation even when the thread has nothing to do with him lol.
Also I have to laugh at the hypocrisy on here given the copious amounts of vitriolic garbage that flows from the regulars...then they have the audacity to castigate the runty pom for saying stuff far milder

 

[cycledp]

Who cares?

Cavendish = YAWN!

 

[Andrichuk]

Amazing how you guys manage to bring LA into every conversation even when the thread has nothing to do with him lol.
Also I have to laugh at the hypocrisy on here given the copious amounts of vitriolic garbage that flows from the regulars...then they have the audacity to castigate the runty pom for saying stuff far milder

Then let it get buried, stop bringing it back up.

 

[Fred Thistle]

...YAWN!

your yawning gets me hot!

 

[BroDeal]

Good interview with Greipel. What a marked difference to Cav's douchebaggery.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/05/news/andre-greipel-‘i-deserve-to-start-tour’_114384

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I like the way they've titled the article so if you post a link to it the first thing people will see is "I deserve to ride Tour de France" and think Greipel's having a whine. Then again most Cav fans have made their decision. It seems that throughout this Greipel's appealing to common sense and being honest about some plans that he knows are incompatible with the current situation, and Cav is ****zing out at it.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Soooooo, can Griepel follow wheels?


*retires to safe distance*

 

[Four Winds]

Very true tho WS. Mat Goss spent about the last 2 k shouting and nodding at Greipel to get on his back wheel then looked to get fed up and went himself.

Perhaps we'll give the big man the benefit of the doubt and say he was having a bad day

 

[D Avoid]

I no longer care what Chav'n'Squish has to say or do, to get his idle mind to poo!!

 

[D Avoid]

Ha Ha.I was at university in Ireland from 1966-69 and saw the Dubliners a few times. That was a good example of of their songs, thanks.

The Publiners were great, only two left now, if you saw the guy with the shock of red hair, Luke Kelly, then you saw the greatest modern Irish singer ever to down a song.

 

[ferryman]

Very true tho WS. Mat Goss spent about the last 2 k shouting and nodding at Greipel to get on his back wheel then looked to get fed up and went himself.

Perhaps we'll give the big man the benefit of the doubt and say he was having a bad day

I saw that as well but didn't realise until your post it was Goss who was doing the encouraging! Greipel couldn't follow today simple. Mad stage.

 

[Oldman]

I saw that as well but didn't realise until your post it was Goss who was doing the encouraging! Greipel couldn't follow today simple. Mad stage.

More important was the redhead was as cool as he was as a junior sprinter. Farrar followed the flow and didn't take his final cue from his lead out; he just went. More of this will follow if he's got his team and head into it.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

More impressive work from Awesome Andrei.

Cav must be shaking in his boots about next year when Andrei jumps ship and competes head to head.

 

[pedaling squares]

More impressive work from Awesome Andrei.

Cav must be shaking in his boots about next year when Andrei jumps ship and competes head to head.

Ha. Yeah, yesterday he made Cav look spot on by losing his wheel in the turn. Didn't see today's finish, hard to believe he didn't wipe up that small group - what went wrong?

 

[offbyone]

More impressive work from Awesome Andrei.

Cav must be shaking in his boots about next year when Andrei jumps ship and competes head to head.

I was just going to make a comment about this. Greipel needs to start backing up his talk.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I was just going to make a comment about this. Greipel needs to start backing up his talk.

To be fair to Greipel, he's simply trying to compete with someone miles out of his league, and inviting unflattering comparison.

It's very difficult to find examples of sprinters reaching the automatic win status a fit Cav has on a flat stage regardless of the competition in the past, he's picked up enough grand tour stage wins to hit all time great status for that type of rider already. Obviously when Andrei turns up and ******s it up as often as he wins (more often in this race so far) he's going to look a chump, but you have to remember there are plenty of great sprinters who never hit that automatic level, just look at Zabel, 6 green jerseys, only 12 stages.

 

[Winterfold]

Dropped by his leadout man again, and mugged by Weylandt

 

[Franklin]

It's very difficult to find examples of sprinters reaching the automatic win status a fit Cav has on a flat stage regardless of the competition in the past, he's picked up enough grand tour stage wins to hit all time great status for that type of rider already.

FWIW, similar dominance has been done by other sprinters as well, so I wouldn't call it dificult to find other examples. if a sprinter is a lot better than the competition winning several TdF stages is actually "expected".

A few "recent" examples of sprinters winning 3+ stages in the TdF in one season (some more than once): Tom Steels, Van Poppel, Petacchi, Cipolini and McEwen. And these guys won tons of stages in other GT's as well, so it doesn't stop there.

I definitely conceed he is the all time great British sprinter. On a world stage, his 6 shooter definitely ranks him out as very special, but if he doesn't repeat it or crown it with a points jersey of a GT it's hard to rank him as one of the all time great.

I'm sure he will make it though, enough talent. Only hope he keeps his head on his shoulders.