Teams & Riders Mark Cavendish Discussion Thread

[Gloin22]

I guess it depends how the points classifcation goes.

If he is within a shout of winning it - he'll try to stay

If he is not - he'll leave after Stage 13

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Shame, Giro is ripe pickings for sprinters this year.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Is Cavendish now definately past his prime? The way Viviani and Guardini outsprinted him today... ouch

 

[ILovecycling]

Is Cavendish now definately past his prime? The way Viviani and Guardini outsprinted him today... ouch

imo he was in front a bit early today,but I believe the main problem is (was) his illness,it was a real deal and he lost few kilos probably.

 

[Gloin22]

Is Cavendish now definately past his prime? The way Viviani and Guardini outsprinted him today... ouch

Yes he is. Age caught up with him after years of domination. This will be his last Tour with a chance of few wins.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Past his prime? Sure. But don't read too much in being outsprinted: this happened during his best years 2009-2012 too...
He clearly is not on his top form yet. I am very curious for the tour.

 

[Netserk]

Got a great lead-out, jumped with 200m to go, yet got outsprinted by two 2nd rate Italian sprinters

 

[Pricey_sky]

Judge him in the Tour, remember this is his first race back after a serious illness. Is Nibali past his best because he is struggling to pull away from 2nd Tier climbers in Romandie? No he isn't.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Cav is still a great sprinter, about as good as before but the competition is much better these days. There are only a few easy wins these days.

 

[qwerty16]

Past his prime? Sure. But don't reed too much in being outsprinted: this happened during his best years 2009-2012 too...
He clearly is not on his top form yet. I am very curious for the tour.

Was about to say the same. To get 3 wins here is pretty decent for him. He used to get outsprinted in ZLM Tour kind of races before racking up the wins in the Grand Tours.

Competition isn't much better these days either, apart from Kittel.

 

[Akuryo]

Got a great lead-out, jumped with 200m to go, yet got outsprinted by two 2nd rate Italian sprinters

Because they have to be in form for the Giro, Cavendish not ...

 

[Jspear]

Was about to say the same. To get 3 wins here is pretty decent for him. He used to get outsprinted in ZLM Tour kind of races before racking up the wins in the Grand Tours.

Competition isn't much better these days either, apart from Kittel.

Competition is better these days. An inform Kittel and Griepel are more competition than he had in his old days. Also teams sprint trains have gotten better. If you look at the 2009 Tour, the only team that really had a train was HTC. Other teams tried, but weren't really that successful (comparatively speaking.) Now you have Giant and Lotto both with very good trains, and a sprinter at the end of the line to finish the job. I still think Cav is great, other teams have simply upped their game.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Greipel 2014 isn't any better than Freire or Hushovd in 2010.

Kittel is indeed more competition.

 

[Jspear]

Greipel 2014 isn't any better than Freire or Hushovd in 2010.

Kittel is indeed more competition.

Haven't seen a ton of competition from him this year....but he also hasn't gone up against Cav to many times this year....it's also hard to say because he is recovering from an injury. The new and harder competition I'm talking about really started last year, and in 2013 Griepel contributed to that tougher competition.

 

[webbie146]

Is Cavendish now definately past his prime? The way Viviani and Guardini outsprinted him today... ouch

Not directed at u personally but people are always very very fast to write a rider of. Just look at last year Contador is past it, he should retire. Few months later he kicks everyone *** again after a bad season and people are saying he's back to his 2011 awesome form

Cav won 4 stages, the green jersey, not a bad week huh

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Cav won 4 stages, the green jersey, not a bad week huh

Well, to be fair, given this was one of the races he described as "s*** small races" to discredit Greipel a few years ago, he should be winning a bunch of stages here, no?

I know, the field's better than it was four or five years ago, but still. Kinda funny to see him there.

 

[webbie146]

Well, to be fair, given this was one of the races he described as "s*** small races" to discredit Greipel a few years ago, he should be winning a bunch of stages here, no?

I know, the field's better than it was four or five years ago, but still. Kinda funny to see him there.

He should, and he did. He's just getting back after being sick. It's a good strategy picking up wins at turkey, Cali, and TDS instead of doing the giro and not being good enough. TDF will make or break his season.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Well, to be fair, given this was one of the races he described as "s*** small races" to discredit Greipel a few years ago, he should be winning a bunch of stages here, no?

I know, the field's better than it was four or five years ago, but still. Kinda funny to see him there.

He's been ill.

Love the past it comments. 28 year old who won more grand tour stages than anyone else last year despite getting ill before his major season goal.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

He's been ill.

Love the past it comments. 28 year old who won more grand tour stages than anyone else last year despite getting ill before his major season goal.

I was meaning the field of the Tour of Turkey, not opposition in relation to Cav. When he called it a "s*** small race" Greipel was racking up the wins against Mattia Gavazzi, Fran Ventoso (with CarmioOro's backing, not Movistar's), Paco Pacheco, Michele Merlo, Kenny van Hummel, Angelo Furlan and a then-21-year-old Elia Viviani.

This year the sprinting field is much stronger than that, so winning multiple stages of it is less like shooting fish in a barrel than it was for Greipel with a full HTC train back in 2010.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I was meaning the field of the Tour of Turkey, not opposition in relation to Cav. When he called it a "s*** small race" Greipel was racking up the wins against Mattia Gavazzi, Fran Ventoso (with CarmioOro's backing, not Movistar's), Paco Pacheco, Michele Merlo, Kenny van Hummel, Angelo Furlan and a then-21-year-old Elia Viviani.

This year the sprinting field is much stronger than that, so winning multiple stages of it is less like shooting fish in a barrel than it was for Greipel with a full HTC train back in 2010.

My 2nd sentence wasn't for your benefit - I know that whilst you have no interest in his exploits, you're not daft enough to believe anyone could do them.

 

[MartinGT]

This gives pretty depressing reading

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/07/news/mark-cavendishs-future-uncertain-disabling-crash_334682

 

[Pricey_sky]

I've not studied the Vuelta route yet but there haven't been a great deal of flat stages there the last 2 years, It's a bad loss for his season already and if he's out for over 6 weeks it doesn't give him many options.

 

[Netserk]

I've not studied the Vuelta route yet but there haven't been a great deal of flat stages there the last 2 years, It's a bad loss for his season already and if he's out for over 6 weeks it doesn't give him many options.

There's a grand total of 4 stages for Cav there...

 

[Pricey_sky]

There's a grand total of 4 stages for Cav there...

Yeah I didn't think there would be many more than that. Slim pickings for him now.

 

[MatParker117]

There's a grand total of 4 stages for Cav there...

Six actually.