Cavendish "Giro is the hardest GT there is"

[Dekker_Tifosi]

“They say what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, but I think this Giro has pretty much killed me. I am dead. I am on my hands and knees,” Cavendish said. “The Giro is the hardest grand tour in the world. The Tour is different; it’s the racing that makes it hard. Here the mountains are diabolical. It kills you.”

taken from
http://velonews.competitor.com/2012...s-killed-him-phinneys-unplanned-detour_221493

Discuss

 

[Catwhoorg]

Let him finish the Vuelta and comment first.

Something like the Angrilu last year may change his mind.

 

[The Hitch]

Yep.

Big Chapeau to cav for completing it too.

 

[The Hitch]

Let him finish the Vuelta and comment first.

Something like the Angrilu last year may change his mind.

Don't be ridiculous.1 mtf can't compete with a proper giro multiple mountain stage.

Same way a Zoncolan (which is harder than Angliru) only stage was not as hard as the Gardeccia stage the next day.

 

[Unkown]

Let him finish the Vuelta and comment first.

Something like the Angrilu last year may change his mind.

I wouldn't start that argument, Angrilu is only 1 mountain, Zonc is harder plus the riding at the Giro is more intense (well maybe not this year)

 

[hrotha]

Not much to discuss. Pretty much every pro rider in the history of ever agrees the Giro is the hardest GT on paper.

 

[The Hitch]

What a ledge.

“Well, that’s life on the bike,” Cavendish said. “In a way, I am happy for Rodríguez, because it was tough for him to lose the pink jersey on the last day. At least he can stand on the podium with the red jersey.”

 

[hfer07]

“The Giro is the hardest grand tour in the world. The Tour is different]Here the mountains are diabolical. It kills you[/B].”

Thanks Mark for your sincerity ......
(well-at least that part-the pulls/pushes in the mountains version isn't truth & there are videos to confirm it)

 

[Boardslide]

Let him finish the Vuelta and comment first.

Something like the Angrilu last year may change his mind.

He already did in 2010 winning the points jersey on the way.

 

[Afrank]

He proved Contador wrong.

 

[Parrot23]

Cav deserves credit here on both counts:

1) wouldn't want to be a sprinter and riding up this, then the Stelvio in one day (pic shows 20% grade on part of Mortirolo--look at the angle of the curb/wall).... Phinney on his part says he spent 14 hours on the bike in two days and burned 16,000 calories. Ouch.

2) being thoroughly gracious and magnanimous vis Rodriguez.

Congrats Cav!

 

[Fetisoff]

Well, as I've said before, I've been considered somewhat of a Cav-hater before (even though I don't really hate any cyclist, not even Scarponi), but the way he rode and finished this Giro wearing world champion stripes really made me respect him A LOT.
Just hope he wins a few "**** small races" here and there too now

 

[ElChingon]

Cav says its the hardest so it must be, I mean it took him how much longer to finish it than the leaders, that makes it pretty hard. I also think the fact that they no longer let him hang on to the team car added to that (after what happened last year).

So if Cav the sprinter and 145th placed rider at -4:46:19 says its the hardest GT where does it place the Tour? (Vuelta as another poster stated till he finishes one)

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Let him finish the Vuelta and comment first.

Something like the Angrilu last year may change his mind.

no. Giro has a huge selection of tough terrain. It's unmatched.

Agree with the praise to cav. Gotta respect the guy for going all the way and being gracious in defeat.

 

[User Guide]

Cav says its the hardest so it must be, I mean it took him how much longer to finish it than the leaders, that makes it pretty hard. I also think the fact that they no longer let him hang on to the team car added to that (after what happened last year).

So if Cav the sprinter and 145th placed rider at -4:46:19 says its the hardest GT where does it place the Tour? (Vuelta as another poster stated till he finishes one)

And as another poster pointed out he has winning points jersey too boot.Im not cavs biggest fan, but hes earnt my respect for his efforts in this giro(for what thats worth lol)

 

[The Hitch]

steve Bauer goes further

“I put them equal, winning a Giro, winning a Tour,"


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor... RSS/Atom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2444896

 

[ultimobici]

I also think the fact that they no longer let him hang on to the team car added to that (after what happened last year).

No proof from last year despite Ventoso's allegations. This year a couple of clips posted on youtube by people who, in one vase at least, were blatantly trying to set riders up (Phinney too).

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Yep. Hats off to Cav all the way.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Yes. Finally. I was getting sick of this "Tour is far above all" attitude.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Okay. Cav says the Giro is harder than the Tour. Brad says Vuelta is harder than the Tour. Giro > Vuelta > Tour?

 

[Archibald]

he should have stuck about last year and the year before and completed those editions of the Giro!

good on him for finishing it off this year,
and while I'm not a fan of his, I feel for him in losing the magila rossa

 

[Four Winds]

He deserves a lot of credit for sticking with it. I'd be hacked off losing the points jersey after being fetched off twice in sprint finishes, especially as it would have completed the set of 3.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

I thought this was pretty obvious no?

Parcour Difficulty:
Giro > Vuelta > Tour

Most difficult to win/ hardest racing:
Tour > Giro > Vuelta

Actually, this year the Vuelta may be above the Giro in terms of racing....

Cav deserves some respect though for finishing this Giro! If we're going to have a pure sprinter for WC, I'm glad it's Cav!

Also respect for Phinney: going up the Mortirolo is probably hell anyway, but even more so when you're >80kg

 

[l.Harm]

Has to be considered this years Giro wasn't as hard as in previous years.

 

[rickshaw]

I don't understand......

157 riders finished the Giro, including a number of sprinters, and "The Cavster" somehow deserves special congrats... for riding over the same mountains the other 156 did? Or are you saying, Cav is such a crappy weakling he gets special praise for making it at all? (mostly whining and blaming somebody else for all his failures?) To me calling it "the hardest race" is just another way of making excuses for his sub-par performance.

Bravo to the other 156 riders who finished too!