• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Teams & Riders Mark Cavendish Discussion Thread

Page 59 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Aug 4, 2011
3,647
0
0
Visit site
I like Cav but his best days are behind him. He used to win with ease.
I have always had the opinion that when he joined Sky and Brailsford got him to lose the weight for the Olympics that messed up a winning formula, and for nothing. He has never been the same since.
 
ray j willings said:
I like Cav but his best days are behind him. He used to win with ease.
I have always had the opinion that when he joined Sky and Brailsford got him to lose the weight for the Olympics that messed up a winning formula, and for nothing. He has never been the same since.

I think he is facing a little bit of what Contador had in 2013. He's come back after his treatment at Sky - I will never forgive them for how they treated the world's best sprinter and world champion in the TDF - and suffered some accidents and a loss of form and missed having a super organised team behind him. Others have caught up with him, and he's become a little older, and probably faces more questions about whether he can reclaim any of his past glories. He's also had a kid, and seems to dote on her - honestly, I suspect that has possibly shifted his priorities (as it ought to) and maybe he was less hungry than previously. But I wouldn't write him off just yet. He was unfortunate in having crashed IN 2014, but he seems pretty hungry to re-establish himself as No. 1 and, like Contador, I think he's a guy to back in a corner. He's got that pugnacity and chIppiness which makes him fight hardest of all when he's being underestimate. 'Showing the world' probably fires him up more than money or yet another stage win. 2015 should be interesting. He's suddenly a man with stuff to prove, and I hope and anticipate he demonstrates that he is very much still a force to be reckoned with.

If he starts winning again, honestly, I think it could be a gold rush. I think he's one of those guys that as soon as he's quashed some of the insidious doubts, he could just dominate. I truly hope so. He interests me a lot more than Kittel. I like that terrier like spirit and his all too human outburst that he regrets as soon as he's cooled down. Very unrobotic. Always pleased me immensely that he got nothing from Sky's / Peter's Monkey Model.
 
Electress said:
I think he is facing a little bit of what Contador had in 2013. He's come back after his treatment at Sky - I will never forgive them for how they treated the world's best sprinter and world champion in the TDF - and suffered some accidents and a loss of form and missed having a super organised team behind him. Others have caught up with him, and he's become a little older, and probably faces more questions about whether he can reclaim any of his past glories. He's also had a kid, and seems to dote on her - honestly, I suspect that has possibly shifted his priorities (as it ought to) and maybe he was less hungry than previously. But I wouldn't write him off just yet. He was unfortunate in having crashed IN 2014, but he seems pretty hungry to re-establish himself as No. 1 and, like Contador, I think he's a guy to back in a corner. He's got that pugnacity and chIppiness which makes him fight hardest of all when he's being underestimate. 'Showing the world' probably fires him up more than money or yet another stage win. 2015 should be interesting. He's suddenly a man with stuff to prove, and I hope and anticipate he demonstrates that he is very much still a force to be reckoned with.

If he starts winning again, honestly, I think it could be a gold rush. I think he's one of those guys that as soon as he's quashed some of the insidious doubts, he could just dominate. I truly hope so. He interests me a lot more than Kittel. I like that terrier like spirit and his all too human outburst that he regrets as soon as he's cooled down. Very unrobotic. Always pleased me immensely that he got nothing from Sky's / Peter's Monkey Model.

+1, great post.

Cavendish can be mentally fragile, but I really like his attitude. I don't really care for the other sprinters.

Anyway, he'll probably win a stage, sprinters don't need great form to grab a flat stage against lousy competiition
 
Mar 9, 2013
1,996
0
0
Visit site
Will Cav beat Kittel in a H2H sprint this year? I think Cav is done as a challenger to Kittel just does not have it no more. How can you get beat by a neo pro with Cavs ability. The neo pro was Colombian aswell lol, we all know Colombians suck at sprinting
 
Mar 9, 2013
1,996
0
0
Visit site
Red Rick said:
Early conclusions itt.

Ask Ryo, Colombians can do everything

Just sucks as Kittel is going to make Cav look very silly but i suppose Cav did that to Farrar. I just hope a great sprinter is not shown up, Cav is still quite young. Have you ever seen a good Colombian sprinter?;).
 
Mar 14, 2009
3,436
0
0
Visit site
TANK91 said:
Just sucks as Kittel is going to make Cav look very silly but i suppose Cav did that to Farrar. I just hope a great sprinter is not shown up, Cav is still quite young. Have you ever seen a good Colombian sprinter?;).

While I'm not saying that Cav is done, he will be turning 30 this May therefore I would not call him "quite young" unless you are compering his age with those of Chris Horner etc
 
I think that the days of Cav winning 6 stages in one Tour are over. I think Kittel is the fastest, but after him there's now a nice group of sprinters who were top dogs before him or are waiting to break through. Not to mention that Kittel is the first sprinter to get dropped and sometimes gets dropped on the flat if he loses contact with his team or if there's echelons. Cav has better positioning skills and absolute winners mentality. He'll be fine.

Cav was never the rider to clean up 5 stages in sh*t small races btw.
 
He said he saw the 300 meter-sign and waited for the 200 to go but it never came. Then there was the line and it was too late. I don't know if he was telling the truth or if it was just a lame excuse for losing but I don't think that a win or loss in January means anything for July.
 
TANK91 said:
Will Cav beat Kittel in a H2H sprint this year? I think Cav is done as a challenger to Kittel just does not have it no more. How can you get beat by a neo pro with Cavs ability. The neo pro was Colombian aswell lol, we all know Colombians suck at sprinting

To answer your question, no I don't think Cav will beat Kittel this year.
 
Red Rick said:
I think that the days of Cav winning 6 stages in one Tour are over. I think Kittel is the fastest, but after him there's now a nice group of sprinters who were top dogs before him or are waiting to break through. Not to mention that Kittel is the first sprinter to get dropped and sometimes gets dropped on the flat if he loses contact with his team or if there's echelons. Cav has better positioning skills and absolute winners mentality. He'll be fine.

Cav was never the rider to clean up 5 stages in sh*t small races btw.

+1.

We appear to have a mutual thread appreciation society starting up here, Red Rick! At least on the subject of Cavendish! :D
 
TANK91 said:
Will Cav beat Kittel in a H2H sprint this year? I think Cav is done as a challenger to Kittel just does not have it no more. How can you get beat by a neo pro with Cavs ability. The neo pro was Colombian aswell lol, we all know Colombians suck at sprinting
:eek: Fabian Hernando Puerta Zapata
might not agree with you, my friend! :)
 
blackcat said:
the colombian won the omnium at the worlds track.

#fail perception
Fabian won the Keirin at the most recent
UCI Track World Cup and won the Overall
World Cup titles in both the Sprint and the
Keirin this season, after winning silver in
the Keirin at last year's UCI Track World
Championships, my friend. :)
 
Mar 13, 2009
16,854
1
0
Visit site
oldcrank said:
Fabian won the Keirin at the most recent
UCI Track World Cup and won the Overall
World Cup titles in both the Sprint and the
Keirin this season, after winning silver in
the Keirin at last year's UCI Track World
Championships, my friend. :)
ok, memory fails me.