Mark Cavendish Discussion Thread

[SHAD0W93]

Ellingworth says Bahrain McLaren negotiations with Cavendish 'continuing'

Team manager confident veteran sprinter will continue racing in 2021

www.google.com

Interview was from yesterday.

 

[PremierAndrew]

He's also meant to be riding scheldeprijs on Wednesday

I do hope to see him ride one last big race and get the send off he deserves, but if not, a glittering career nonetheless

 

[Breezy1985]

He's also meant to be riding scheldeprijs on Wednesday

I do hope to see him ride one last big race and get the send off he deserves, but if not, a glittering career nonetheless

Would be good to see him do a final race even if its just to get in a break and give a wave to the fans. He deserves a good send off and its a pity there was no London-Surrey or Tour Of Britain to do it in

 

[HelloDolly]

I wonder how much crying Cavendish did when Tom Veelers was forced to retire at 32 due to crash injuries

Or any of the other riders who suffered from depression after training for years and had to retire early due to injury without any next egg ?

many great riders have had to retire . Ending comes to all

Cavendish was a great sprinter but its over .Prolonging the demise is doing him no favours . Learning to accept the ending is what he needs to do so he can move on
Pain comes from not accepting things the way they are

 

[HelloDolly]

On the other hand this kid has class

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1315264002696638466

View: https://twitter.com/EvenepoelRemco/status/1315264002696638466?s=20

 

[Ricco']

He's also meant to be riding scheldeprijs on Wednesday

I do hope to see him ride one last big race and get the send off he deserves, but if not, a glittering career nonetheless

If he ends his career this year it would be nice if he does it after Scheldeprijs, the race where he got his first pro win back in 2007.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Mark Cavendish confirmed to race Scheldeprijs

Manxman's career continues at least to Wednesday

www.google.com

At least one more race. Then this came up after the retirement rumors but it wasn't directly mentioned in his tweet. So I don't know if it's in regards to that.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1315013606245838848

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/MarkCavendish/status/1315013606245838848

 

[Tonton]

Never a fan of his, mostly due to the "chasing 34" talks and yahoos mentioning him and Merckx in the same sentence. Much better with Renshaw than without Renshaw. Too one-dimensional for me. But credit when credit is due, Cav' will be remembered as authentic and for sure the fastest sprinter of his generation. And a crazy dude. For once I will cheer for him to win where he started and leave on top.

 

[md1975]

On the other hand this kid has class

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1315264002696638466

View: https://twitter.com/EvenepoelRemco/status/1315264002696638466?s=20

Class

While I don't agree with Wiggins saying that he should have an automatic contact until he doesn't want one. He should be allowed to ride a big race 1 last time. Be it a GT or just a very special race as a send off. Guess you don't replace a guy in a GT team with a sprinter on the tail end of his career. Maybe Israel would ink him to the ISN team with Froome next year. To great riders that are looking for a last good race.

 

[TMP402]

He's been runner-up in the Six Days of London in three of the last four editions - winning that would be a fitting send-off... if it hadn't been cancelled for this year.

 

[danielovichdk2]

He should hang it up. Huge carreer and a very impressive palmares.

Have nothing but respect for the guy.

 

[pastronef]

he´s on Flanders and DePanne starlists

 

[Danskebjerge]

I wouldn't mind if he continued a year or two on a slightly lower level than he used to. Why are we so afraid of seeing people getting older and less competitive? I would still respect him.

 

[Amazinmets87]

Probably a silly question, but any chance he can switch his focus to another niche? Possibly flat classics such as Roubaix? There he wouldn't need a world class sprint as long as he has the engine to get to the finish

 

[Red Rick]

Probably a silly question, but any chance he can switch his focus to another niche? Possibly flat classics such as Roubaix? There he wouldn't need a world class sprint as long as he has the engine to get to the finish

Roubaix requires a huge engine which pure sprinters like Cavendish don't have. Pure sprinters tend to have no niche to fall back on once they decline apart from lead out men. He could go to a lower level but he's not done any sprints for real this season so it's probably an even sadder end to a career.

 

[SafeBet]

I wouldn't mind if he continued a year or two on a slightly lower level than he used to. Why are we so afraid of seeing people getting older and less competitive? I would still respect him.

Possibly because, especially in these times, he'd be taking the spot of some younger, stronger rider with like a hundredth of Cav's career earnings.

I have nothing against him and I understand cycling is a business (so a team might want him in the roster just for the publicity) but he hasn't looked like a WT rider for 2 entire years. Why does he deserve a pro contract more than, say, Alex Dowsett?

 

[Amazinmets87]

Roubaix requires a huge engine which pure sprinters like Cavendish don't have. Pure sprinters tend to have no niche to fall back on once they decline apart from lead out men. He could go to a lower level but he's not done any sprints for real this season so it's probably an even sadder end to a career.

Makes sense. I was thinking of a rider such as Museeuw who was initially a not quite fast enough sprinter who remade himself into an elite classics rider. Obviously, that transformation was quite rare and the rider in question was roughly a decade younger than Cavendish when he made it.

 

[VO2 Max]

Makes sense. I was thinking of a rider such as Museeuw who was initially a not quite fast enough sprinter who remade himself into an elite classics rider. Obviously, that transformation was quite rare and the rider in question was roughly a decade younger than Cavendish when he made it.

Cipollini got a top-10 in the Ronde (albeit in one of his best years all round). These things aren't impossible but very rare and Cavendish is certainly not at the peak of his powers anymore.

In fairness he obviously has a lot of experience and in the right setting could be a useful road captain supporting a much younger classics hopeful. He's probably streetwise enough to make it through the first few selections at Roubaix even if he hasn't got a hope of coming out of Carrefour de l'Abre with the big hitters.

 

[pastronef]

Eurosport saying he´s contacting teams to ride 2021 for free

 

[Danskebjerge]

Possibly because, especially in these times, he'd be taking the spot of some younger, stronger rider with like a hundredth of Cav's career earnings.

I have nothing against him and I understand cycling is a business (so a team might want him in the roster just for the publicity) but he hasn't looked like a WT rider for 2 entire years. Why does he deserve a pro contract more than, say, Alex Dowsett?

Well, sure, the big teams should mainly pick the strongest, but maybe he could join one of the smaller teams? I don't think it's going to happen, but I think it would be cool to see him around. I heard that Eddy Merckx remained in the pro field for a couple of seasons after he had lost his top level. He just wanted to race, - while others urged him to stop.

 

[Amazinmets87]

Cipollini got a top-10 in the Ronde (albeit in one of his best years all round). These things aren't impossible but very rare and Cavendish is certainly not at the peak of his powers anymore.

In fairness he obviously has a lot of experience and in the right setting could be a useful road captain supporting a much younger classics hopeful. He's probably streetwise enough to make it through the first few selections at Roubaix even if he hasn't got a hope of coming out of Carrefour de l'Abre with the big hitters.

Yup. Funny, Cipollini had arguably his best season at Cavendish's current age.

FWIW, if Cavendish can provide any value to a WT team, no matter what role I think he should absolutely ride. Furthermore, you never know, he may have a resurgence. Greipel is several years older and still plugging along.

 

[Red Rick]

Yup. Funny, Cipollini had arguably his best season at Cavendish's current age.

FWIW, if Cavendish can provide any value to a WT team, no matter what role I think he should absolutely ride. Furthermore, you never know, he may have a resurgence. Greipel is several years older and still plugging along.

IMO it entirely depends on if he's simply past it which would be aggrivated by mono, or if there's psychological issues that make him underperform.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Yup. Funny, Cipollini had arguably his best season at Cavendish's current age.

FWIW, if Cavendish can provide any value to a WT team, no matter what role I think he should absolutely ride. Furthermore, you never know, he may have a resurgence. Greipel is several years older and still plugging along.

Greipel also didn't miss 3 years from mono and injury.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Eurosport saying he´s contacting teams to ride 2021 for free

Sporza was also reporting that on wednesday.

There was some discussion on Vive le Vélo whether it would be interesting to heave him on a team, for other things than his sprint like his experience that he could pass on to younger riders, or maybe ease him into the role of a DS etc.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Eurosport saying he´s contacting teams to ride 2021 for free

I'm afraid that amounts to "Give me a place on the team although I'm not worth one". No doubt he can afford a year or two (or the rest of his life) without a salary, but that level of desperation to continue does not seem to me (admittedly as a distant observer) to indicate a healthy mindset.

Hope someone can help him find a healthy way to let go of his racing career.