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- Jan 27, 2012
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Yes, Cavendish the Giro is indeed the hardest GT in the world. It has finally been confimed.
In any case congratulation to the Manx Missile for completing the race because without him this year's version would have been almost to the scrapheap.
In any case congratulation to the Manx Missile for completing the race because without him this year's version would have been almost to the scrapheap.
- Mar 13, 2009
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Timmy-loves-Rabo said:
i remember on vacations on tuscany and lago di garda i did training rides that locals considered as 'flat' or at least as 'flat as possible' and it was still harder than a limburg training stage
So is Cav actually going all out this year for the TdF after making such a hard effort at the Giro? Or is Sky just biding their time to let everyone know they are going all in for Bradley?? I don't see how Cav can put so much into the Giro and then do his usual big TdF effort.. and then how will Sky support Bradley and Cav?? please someone inform me, I feel like I'm probably missing a few things here..
- Feb 17, 2012
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- Dec 30, 2011
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FabulousCandelabra said:
You are asking the million dollar question which is pretty hard to answer.
This seems pretty definitive yet it was before the Giro which he probably thought he wouldnt complete.FabulousCandelabra said:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-i-will-finish-the-tour-de-france
Especially as earlier on in the year he did entertain such thoughts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/mar/16/mark-cavendish-tour-de-france-olympics
Yet IMO Cav has a lot of pride and the Tour means an awful lot to him and to everyone back home so he may want to continue.
One thing is for certain and that is that if he is in the green jersey he will not abandon and therefore as i see him getting the green jersey relatively early on I doubt he would abandon.
This is as Cav has too much pride to abandon whilst wearing a jersey and it would also not be reflected positively in Britain.
I am pretty certain that Sky will continue with the dual partnership they have said they will do at the tour, yet they may favour Wiggins slightly due to his impressive form, the fact that he has been the basis of Sky's existence, because it is the primary goal of his season (as opposed to with Cav) and of course because a British rider winning the Tour is incomparable to anything Cav can ever hope to achieve. Sky will certainly not pull the plug on Cav's support at the tour as this will serve to make them look stupid and will cause massive discontent within the ranks. Sky have a plan and they will not back out of it now.
Well the question truly is how much did Cav really put into the Giro, in the past few years we have seen the climbers failing to combine Giro and Tours, yet I am unsure whether that relates to sprinters as well as they probably do not exert themselves to the extent the climbers do. Riding 21 days simultaneously over tough terrain is difficult yet I do believe that it is possible to do that and then carry on to the Tour as you generally find that sprinters are less fatigued than climbers and you have to remember that even if Cav is fatigued he will still be capable of sprinting at his top speeds, it will only be on the harder stuff where he will undoubtedly struggle.FabulousCandelabra said:
Supporting Wiggins and Cav will be difficult yet not impossible it has been done before with Zabel etc yet in most of those instances the sprinters werent properly supported. Cav has shown he can win races without a leadout train and he will certainly have at least 2 riders (eisel, ebh)with him in the finale to lead him out.
Though in all likelihood he will have a full leadout as Sky demostrated with Henao and Uran in the Giro that they are very into making everyone work in the leadout and tbh I dont think it is that harmful as it keeps your riders out of danger from splits (albeit in danger of crashes). In terms of working it may very well be that Wiggins will be in a strong GC position early on so it may suit Sky to work and even if that isnt the case Sky will most likely work with their domestiques for Cav asides for possibly Froome/Porte, other riders like Rogers who are not that essential in the mountains will surely be made to work.
Of course there are a lot of other variables as well primarily the other sprinter teams, logically they should leave all the work to Cav's team, as he is the fastest sprinter, yet they may be unsure of Sky's commitment to Cav and has been shown recently they seem to ignoring logic and chasing, effectively giving Cav a free ride. Sky have been very free with their use of their domestiques so far this season yet I have a feeling they will not be to displeased if other teams do the work for them, yet of course they will in most likelihood also do a Liquigas at the Giro and BMC last year where those 2 teams were constantly at the front in order to keep their leaders out of trouble, so they may very well be able to kill 2 birds with one stone in that regard and of course the scenario will vary greatly depending on which team has the yellow as a stronger team who has an interest in keeping it yet not much GC aspirations (greenedge etc) will contribute a lot to the chasing and ease the bruden of Sky's considerably.
Woo thanks for the great response Froom19! For some reason in my mind I pictured Cav riding all out at this Giro because he is ready to step aside this year and let Bradley be the center of attention, and then he could take the TdF easier than usual, and focus on a great result at WC and Olympics... Lets just hope all the favorites can stay upright and keep their bones intact for 21 days so we can witness the drama in all it's glory!
- Feb 25, 2010
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goggalor said:
Standard Cav - speak to him straight after a defeat and he comes across as a total (place insult of your choice here). Give him chance to think and he seems pretty decent.
- Jul 16, 2010
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zigzag wanderer said:
Except that most of his colleagues think he's a complete *** no matter if he wins or loses.
- Feb 25, 2010
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El Pistolero said:
I've no idea what the peloton thinks of him to be honest. Just commenting on his media quotes.
- Jul 16, 2010
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zigzag wanderer said:
I have more trust in his comments right after a race than some PR statement whispered into his ear by someone else. When multiple cyclists have already said "he's a great athlete, but that's where it ends." you know enough.
- Jul 16, 2010
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spalco said:
No, they're not. Only the *******s.
Why does anyone care what other people think of them? Don't know, but plenty of people do care including me and probably you.
- Apr 29, 2009
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Most strange. I thought his job was to win races but apparently it is far more important that he is liked by other riders, some of whom are regularly beaten in a sprint.
Some people really like to clutch at any straw to justify their hatred of someone they do not know at all.
You hate him. We get it. Next? Yawn.
Some people really like to clutch at any straw to justify their hatred of someone they do not know at all.
You hate him. We get it. Next? Yawn.
Can we please not accept Pistolero's characterisations of what other riders may or may not think about Cav as fact.
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