• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. 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 100 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
42x16ss said:
Screecher said:
This is the end. There's no way DD will give him a contract for next year.
They can't. The only thing he's done since 2013 is have a good TDF in 2016. They're best off going after someone like Jakobsen, Philipsen, Hodeg, or even Sam Bennett and using the change from Cav's salary to get a talented neo pro.

Jakobsen and Hodeg both extended for 2 years already earlier this season...
 
Re:

Scarponi said:
I feel like Cali is a little over hyped about his bad performances. Some absolute monster length stages and legit elevation gains. Would have been better doing four days of dunkirk or other races without such a massive route

Nah, if he wants to ride the Tour he needs that kind of effort in his legs now, both physically and mentally. Was always going to be hard but I'm pretty sure his only real goal was getting through those big stages.
 
Re: Re:

King Boonen said:
Scarponi said:
I feel like Cali is a little over hyped about his bad performances. Some absolute monster length stages and legit elevation gains. Would have been better doing four days of dunkirk or other races without such a massive route

Nah, if he wants to ride the Tour he needs that kind of effort in his legs now, both physically and mentally. Was always going to be hard but I'm pretty sure his only real goal was getting through those big stages.
100% agree if he has tour in mind, just feel like it was an overly long and hard Cali. He would have finished a lot of other races. He should do Veulta this year and one more tour next year if he is truly clear of the disease
 
Re:

Scarponi said:
I feel like Cali is a little over hyped about his bad performances. Some absolute monster length stages and legit elevation gains. Would have been better doing four days of dunkirk or other races without such a massive route
Stage 1 was 140 dead flat kms, and he finished nowhere. The tough climbing in the remaining stages may stand to him in the rest of the season, but it would be an act of pure optimism for DD to bring him to the Tour unless they know something we don’t.
 
Re: Re:

Scarponi said:
King Boonen said:
Scarponi said:
I feel like Cali is a little over hyped about his bad performances. Some absolute monster length stages and legit elevation gains. Would have been better doing four days of dunkirk or other races without such a massive route

Nah, if he wants to ride the Tour he needs that kind of effort in his legs now, both physically and mentally. Was always going to be hard but I'm pretty sure his only real goal was getting through those big stages.
100% agree if he has tour in mind, just feel like it was an overly long and hard Cali. He would have finished a lot of other races. He should do Veulta this year and one more tour next year if he is truly clear of the disease

What's his contract situation? Maybe this is his last year to have a crack at the Tour? I get the feeling that he doesn't need the boost from finishing races, he knows what's needed and wanted the big climbs. Maybe I'm wrong but hopefully it has worked for him. I know when I've had time off the bike a ride where I completely crack gets me back on the way to being in shape better than rides where I finish.
 
Re: Re:

Leinster said:
Scarponi said:
I feel like Cali is a little over hyped about his bad performances. Some absolute monster length stages and legit elevation gains. Would have been better doing four days of dunkirk or other races without such a massive route
Stage 1 was 140 dead flat kms, and he finished nowhere. The tough climbing in the remaining stages may stand to him in the rest of the season, but it would be an act of pure optimism for DD to bring him to the Tour unless they know something we don’t.

It's Cavendish. Him being at the Tour puts Dimension Data in the press more than any other rider. Even if he doesn't make it, there will be column inches written about him. From a purely sporting perspective you're probably right. From a business point of view, I think they'll take him if he has even a slight chance of being involve in the bunch sprints.
 
Re:

luckyboy said:
Even from a sporting perspective, it doesn't seem like Cavendish taking a spot will negatively affect their chances of doing something much. This isn't Ineos or Quick Step we're talking about.
It would hurt close to every other team than Di Data, Im sure. Dont have to be a big team not to select current Cav. But Di Data will probably be the worst team in the peloton, so sure, why not?
 
Re:

perico said:
I wouldn't go that far to being the worst. With Meintjes and Roman, you have a better than avg shot at finishing in the lower rungs of the Top 10 on GC, and Boessen Hagen is always a threat to win a stage.
Weaker than Cofidis, Arkea and possibly Wanty and Direct Energy.

I would leave Cav for the Vuelta and take a team based around stage hunting with EBH, Valgren and Gasparotto while try to get Meintjes and Kreuziger in the top 10. They almost need to approach this like a PCT team.
 
They can’t get Meintjes AND Kreuziger in the top 10, they have to sacrifice one for the sake of the other. They can send Kreuziger up the road in breaks and if he loses his chance at the stage he can recover for a bit and then help Meintjes out for a stretch on his way back to the grupetto.
 
Re:

Leinster said:
They can’t get Meintjes AND Kreuziger in the top 10, they have to sacrifice one for the sake of the other. They can send Kreuziger up the road in breaks and if he loses his chance at the stage he can recover for a bit and then help Meintjes out for a stretch on his way back to the grupetto.
Sorry, Meintjes or Kreuziger top 10.

What is becoming clearer is that they can't send Cav. 10 minutes back on a sprint won by Ackermann less than 3 weeks from the Grand Depart is nothing but red flag.

Gibbons or EBH will have to sprint.
 
Re:

SHAD0W93 said:
He did say that he was using the race to build his form more and he wasn't planning on contesting.
It's 2.5 weeks to the Tour, to still be chasing form now is not a good look. Sagan is flying, Viviani looks like his train is sorted and Matthews nearly won the opening TT at Suisse. They'll clobber him.

He should be preparing for the Vuelta, if he gets his form sorted he will be competitive there. For now, he's looking like a passenger.
 
I am sure I saw a post from one of the earlier races that said the avg age of the DD team was 36 (at that specific race). Like what's been said, sprinting is a young man's game at Grand Tours tbh.

Is Cummings still riding? If he is selected for the Tour that's a waste of time for Cav's lead our train as he prefers riding at the back

He is always going to be one of my all time fave riders, but he should really call it a day.
 
In any other team you'd say Cav has no business making the Tour team but DD is so bad it's almost worth taking a chance he can be there to sprint on an easy stage. Still, a stage top 10 or top 5 might be his ceiling. Don't see him finishing in the top 3 on any stage the way things are looking.
 

TRENDING THREADS