Cavendish

[lookkg386]

Not wrong to question at all.

Here are the answers:
1. He is 5-6 kg lighter, but his reckoning than last year.
2. He worked on his climbing and 100-200 km rides all winter instead of track, since he isnt trying to win the Olympics this year.
3. He studied and rode MSR finale with Zabel several times.
4. He is at a point in his career switching from track to road and age where one EXPECTS to see improvement.
5. He wasnt dropped on the hills in T-A. Thats just Boonen talking. Here's what CAv said in Velonews:
Absolutely, I knew what they were saying after Tirreno. Tom Boonen said I was getting dropped on all the climbs. If you count the times I got dropped in Tirreno, it was one time, no other times. I knew I had to play it easy in Tireno, because I knew I had good form and a good team. One of the sweetest things today was seeing Tom Boonen go past me backwards on the climbs.
6. He has a big engine. Was almost put on the team pursuit for the Olympics.

I think he is the real deal. And of course he has been doing amazing stuff all along. and is on arguably the cleanest team both by testing and the riders they have hired.

Good post and exactly what I would have said - don't underestimate what a full season in the pro peleton can do to a 22/23 year old with his type of talent.

 

[Belokki]

"He's using a new kind of doping product the testers can't detect yet"...easy as that

Deja vu

 

[Henri Desgrange]

Not wrong to question at all.

Here are the answers:
1. He is 5-6 kg lighter, but his reckoning than last year.
2. He worked on his climbing and 100-200 km rides all winter instead of track, since he isnt trying to win the Olympics this year.
3. He studied and rode MSR finale with Zabel several times.
4. He is at a point in his career switching from track to road and age where one EXPECTS to see improvement.
5. He wasnt dropped on the hills in T-A. Thats just Boonen talking. Here's what CAv said in Velonews:
Absolutely, I knew what they were saying after Tirreno. Tom Boonen said I was getting dropped on all the climbs. If you count the times I got dropped in Tirreno, it was one time, no other times. I knew I had to play it easy in Tireno, because I knew I had good form and a good team. One of the sweetest things today was seeing Tom Boonen go past me backwards on the climbs.
6. He has a big engine. Was almost put on the team pursuit for the Olympics.

I think he is the real deal. And of course he has been doing amazing stuff all along. and is on arguably the cleanest team both by testing and the riders they have hired.

Good answer, as I've said I don't know if Cavendish is doping or not, and indeed i hope he isn't. Just making the point that his improvement is a big one over the space of six months, and that by employing Sciandri British Cycling is hardly whiter than white, and neither are Columbia by employing Zabel. (Even though he was a fantastic rider, and one who despite his doping I admire greatly)

 

[Mellow Velo]

"He's using a new kind of doping product the testers can't detect yet"...easy as that

Deja vu

Of course, 2003.
We all know the only clean rider in the peloton is your idol, Mr Armstrong.
Why is it that your average novice fanboy will always be the first in line to point the figure at someone else?
Anybody else, for that matter.

By-product of the uber-doping years is every outstanding performance is treated with a certain amount of scepticism and a large amount of finger crossing.


Frodo?......ummm......now where have I heard that nickname, before?

 

[LugHugger]

I don't think so.

You can't deny both races have very different characteristics. MSR counts 7 not so steep, long(er) hills with beautiful asphalt. RVV counts 15 steep hills (up to 20%, with 9 of them being cobbled) and a total of 25km of cobblestones. Where MSR hardly has man-to-man battles, the Ronde and PR have plenty of them. I also belief experience and knowledge of the parcours (anticipating the change of direction of the wind, the positioning on the small roads before each climb) are more important in the Ronde than it is in MSR.

If you compare the list of winners of MSR & RVV you'll notice it's not easy to find a rider that won both over the last 20 years (Tchmil & Bugno).

Many sprinters tried to be succesful in the Ronde: Nelissen, Steels, Cipollini, Zabel, Freire, Petacchi, Benatti but none of them really was. Zabel managed to get 3 top 10 spots which quite good, but even being the best allrounder among the sprinters he was never able to make or "animate" the finale.

I think on a good day Cavendish might end up in the top 10 but given the fact that the Ronde never ends with a big bunch sprint, i very much doubt he'll ever get the chance to sprint for the victory. In the Ronde you can't hide and wait, you need to race proactive and that's something Cavendish still has to learn. But besides that, i know who i'll put my money on for the next Gent-Wevelgem.

A very interesting response. Thank you and it's good to read a lucid, educated, local perspective. I did use the word potential in my post intentionally!

 

[Henri Desgrange]

Of course, 2003.
We all know the only clean rider in the peloton is your idol, Mr Armstrong.
Why is it that your average novice fanboy will always be the first in line to point the figure at someone else?
Anybody else, for that matter.

By-product of the uber-doping years is every outstanding performance is treated with a certain amount of scepticism and a large amount of finger crossing.


Frodo?......ummm......now where have I heard that nickname, before?

Heh, it is one of the missus' better ones, you're right of course though it's the actions of riders like Armstrong, who goes from being a good one day rider to a multiple GT winner, that make any unexpected performances be questioned. As big an improvement that Frodo has made in getting over the hills, it's nowhere near as strange as getting a life-threatening disease and becoming a multiple champion of a race that you couldn't finish before you became ill....

 

[Animal]

Yup, but that's still San Remo. It's one thing, but unlike Boonen, he will almost certainly never win Tour of Flanders or Paris Roubaix...
If that would happen, I would say hell froze over.

Heh. He's got great talent and he's a chippy git. That's just the kind of attitude he needs to hear to get himself up for it, and win them.

 

[Notso Swift]

Never is a big call, he will be around for 12-15 more years...

 

[Angliru]

his attitude may prevent him from becoming as big and popular as Cipollini if more people feel like I do.

He will for sure win alot of races but becoming a star involves more than just results.

Winning alot of races generally will do it in the star making category. Now how big of a star is dependant upon one's personality. Cipo was and is an original, the one and only. Cavendish will not reach the heights of glam and notoriety that Cipo did because Cipo was excellent at marketing himself and he focused athletically on what he did best and that is sprinting. He didn't try to become a classics rider and win Roubaix or Flanders. He simply trained himself to be the best sprinter he could be. I believe there is the general assumption that he wasn't hardworking as others due to his flamboyant demeanor.

Cipo was popular because he had the substance to back up the flash.

 

[El Loto]

To add to the idea of Cipo marketing himself was the countless photo opportunities he'd use to pretend he was goofing around when behind the scenes he was working harder than anyone else. It was just humiliating for the other sprinters at the time when this womanising, partying, disco-hooved playboy was up all night and then turning up the next day and beating them into oblivion.

 

[TRDean]

I feel I must comment here...

Let me first say that I am not a Cavendish fan. I did not want him to win MSR. As another poster stated, it has to do with his attitude. Call it cocky, arrogant, whatever he does seem like a spoiled brat. Now that you know my feelings regarding the man...I have to say that I don't think he was cheating to get this win. For me, Cavendish is a winner!! I don't like him, but he is a winner. One thing for me that is getting old is this whole Cavendish vs. Boonen crap. If I recall back to this years TA I believe there were numerous riders and directors who commented that Cav was not handling the climbs well. I think it was a common fact. Whether he was holding back or not is not the issue...but he did not fare well on the climbs. Why when he wins MSR does he have to make a point to single out Boonen and his happyness to see Boonen moving backwards? This is why I don't like Cav. He has no class. My guess is that if Boonen won or Hausler, Bennatti (sp), or any other rider they would not have said a darn thing about their competitors. That is where he comes off as a real jerk. Be happy with the win and act like an adult.

Do I ever think he will win PR or RVV? Never is a long time and Cav is showing he has talent...but for reasons that were stated earlier I don't think he will win one of those. But then again, I was surprised this weekend.

Back to my original thoughts, I really just wish Cav would grow up a little and show some respect to himself and his opponents.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Jarvis]

Back to my original thoughts, I really just wish Cav would grow up a little and show some respect to himself and his opponents.

I don't understand this. He always shows respect to his team, he rarely belittles other riders and in fact generally suggests that he has a lot of respect for riders, loves Bennati & McEwen. All he ever does is state that he is the best at what he does and so far there is a lot of evidence to support that.

Perhaps he was happy to see Boonen going backwards because he knew it would be hard for Boonen to be a contender if he had bad legs? Also, if it is bad for Cav to make a small show of beating Boonen, then is it not bad form for Boonen to suggest that Cavendish isn't good enough to get over the hills? DS's aren't his competitors, if any of the other riders have said the same as Boonen then I'd love to have a link to the quote.

I wouldn't suggest Boonen has a huge amount of class. Coke problems aren't classy.

 

[Snake8]

I beleive Cav was reacting to comments Boonen made about Cav's inability to get over the hills prior to MSR. Personal rivalries make racing more interesting to me.

If you want to judge a rider by his personality, Boonen has to be considered a class A bore. Cav actually seems like a pretty decent kid to me. You have to have a certain amount of swagger to do what he does, but he always makes sure to give his team credit and I understand he is well liked in the peleton (except perhaps by the whiny grump Boonen.)

 

[TRDean]

You understand he is liked in the peleton...

maybe, but you are making a comment you have no clue about. Wanna substantiate that? Are you riding in the peleton with him? I never said he didn't show respect to his teamates...so don't put words in my mouth. Boonen is a class A bore...why? What should he do to make you happy? He does not ride with style? Tell me what you think Boonen should do to not be a bore? I guess Cancellara, Ballan, and the like are boring too.

Let me say that Boonen is NOT my favorite rider...far from it...but I do think he has a point. For instance, the press can't seem to get enough of Cav. Case in point...Qatar...Cav won two stages and that was the big news. How fast Cav was. Heck, Boonen won a stage and the overall, but if you read the press Cav had the better of Boonen. If I was Boonen I would be sick of it too. When has Boonen whined? Cav was not getting over the climbs in TA. I also believe that Boonen stated that he didn't think Cav would win this year because of his age and the climbs. He never said that Cav was never going to win. No disrepect there. I didn't read a single rider who counted Cav as a favorite. I believe a lot of riders said the same thing...INCLUDING CAV (which is to his credit).

I'm sick of the Cavendish ball washing.

Oh yea, did I say Boonen had huge amounts of class...? No, just respect.

 

[Snake8]

Easy Dean-o! I did not quote you so pull your panties back out of the bunch.

The facts here are that Boonen made a comment that Cav was being dropped as soon as the road went uphill. Cavendish proved him wrong and had the balls to call him out on it.

Oh and btw, Cancellara is one of the most exciting riders in the pro peleton, I'd rather watch one of his 1km fliers any day than a Boonen boorefest sprint.

 

[Stani Kléber]

Both Boonen and Cavendish are two of the most exciting riders in the bunch, capable of livening up races all year round, from the classics to the Tours. A little bit of rivalry is good.

Who knows what the future brings for Cavendish? Remember that Boonen showed great promise but the wealth, status and pressure - worse in Belgium than Britain - weighed too much on Tommeke.

 

[Anonymous]

ive got a feeling we havnt seen the end of cavendish in the classsics this year...

im struggling to find any odds online for gent wevelgem though.. :/

 

[Aeroslave]

Cav is in the process of becoming a complete rider. He has so many upside that at his young age..he can still add weapons to his already forminable arsenal. Everyone says he can't climb eh? He is obviously not the strongest climber but when you focus on sprinting on your training then it also affects everything else.

Watchout! He has a great team to support him, has a great coach that knows a thing or two about EPO and he is still brimming with potential at 23. If I were Boonen I would just keep my mouth shut. The Manx Man is using his "can't climb" comments as inspiration to beat him!

Next thing we know Cav is an all rounder!

 

[mr. tibbs]

Remember that Boonen showed great promise but the wealth, status and pressure - worse in Belgium than Britain - weighed too much on Tommeke.

Lol wut?

I don't think I even need to list Boonen's palmares here. Suffice it to say I think he's done alright.

 

[Jarvis]

Oh yea, did I say Boonen had huge amounts of class...? No, just respect.

You said that as Cavendish called out Boonen, he has no class and that if Boonen (or others) won, then they woldn't have said anything about their competitors. Effectively you are saying that Boonen (and others) have class because they wouldn't call out opponents.

This is why I don't like Cav. He has no class. My guess is that if Boonen won or Hausler, Bennatti (sp), or any other rider they would not have said a darn thing about their competitors.

Oh and btw, Cancellara is one of the most exciting riders in the pro peleton, I'd rather watch one of his 1km fliers any day than a Boonen boorefest sprint.

Although at his current rate no-one will hear about him ever again.

 

[jaylew]

Have to admit I was pretty surprised Cav won. He's definitely not a rider I'm a fan of but he's a tremendous talent. As for Roubaix and Flanders, I don't know. Maybe Roubaix someday, if he decides to set it as a goal at some point. I have my doubts about Flanders, but who knows how he'll develop?

Gent, on the other hand, is absolutely his at some point, maybe this year.