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Teams & Riders Mark Cavendish Discussion Thread

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While worthwhile with taking the better sprinter, as of now it should be slightly Jakobsen. Only thing Cav would have is more experience with the main team and in general versus a younger rider looking to be one of the fastest.

They are both in their 5th season with Quickstep, Jakobsen had just as many race days with any of their current line up as Cavendish. Probably more since Cavendish was gone for a few years in-between.

Also, they slotted Gaviria, Kittel, Viviani and Bennett behind basically the same leadout and it always worked. Even Hodeg could win races with that leadout...
It really doesn't matter who they take. Both would likely win multiple Tour stages.
 
Honestly if Cav is in top form and beating top sprinters at the end of May, he deserves to go. He was re-signed to rediscover his form, he duly did so, and exceeded expectations at the Tour last year. He will turn himself inside out to break EM's record this year.

Might be tough for Jakobsen but what else would Cav have to do to deserve selection? I'm not a fan of Cav's personality but I will never deny his talent.
 
They are both in their 5th season with Quickstep, Jakobsen had just as many race days with any of their current line up as Cavendish. Probably more since Cavendish was gone for a few years in-between.

Also, they slotted Gaviria, Kittel, Viviani and Bennett behind basically the same leadout and it always worked. Even Hodeg could win races with that leadout...
It really doesn't matter who they take. Both would likely win multiple Tour stages.
Jakobsen was also behind all of those sprinters, so he wasn’t racing with them as much. The thing Jakobsen has is that he was there for 5 years already. Last year AF was the train to beat at the Tour.
 
Honestly if Cav is in top form and beating top sprinters at the end of May, he deserves to go. He was re-signed to rediscover his form, he duly did so, and exceeded expectations at the Tour last year. He will turn himself inside out to break EM's record this year.

Might be tough for Jakobsen but what else would Cav have to do to deserve selection? I'm not a fan of Cav's personality but I will never deny his talent.
If Cav is in BETTER form than Jakobsen, then he would deserve to go. No one deserves special treatment for any reason other than being the strongest. That being said, I will be rooting for Cav to not crash anymore, win more sprints, and to prove himself as the fastest at Quickstep. It would be awesome seeing him close out the year (and maybe his career) with several more Tour stage wins.
 
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This being the big piece from the interview:
“I don't really do any big races, though I'll be back in Italy for the Giro d'Italia."

But after taking the 159th victory of his career in Rivoli, Cavendish said that he isn't concerned about records or statistics, instead saying that he just loves racing.

"I'm not here for numbers," he said. "The numbers are just a statistic and I'm not a rider on statistics. I'm a rider at heart, and I just love it. I'm having fun with my friends and that's all that matters to me."


Like I said it would be great to see him ride the Giro again and Jakobsen deserves to go to Tour, even if I think Cav could win 1 stage. At the Giro the sprinters have maybe 7 stages up for grabs. As of now Ewan and Merlier would be the big competition with Gaviria right there and who knows if they all finish, if Cav plans on finishing the race. He could potentially tie Cipo for Grand Tour stage wins, get another points classification, and pass Cipo on career wins.
 
Today's sprint was an interesting example of the transformation of ability.
Younger Cav would've rarely dared to take off from that far out, yet I believe his speed at the line was higher back in the day.
The balance between the natural base and requirements of the field leads to longevity.
 
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Today's sprint was an interesting example of the transformation of ability.
Younger Cav would've rarely dared to take off from that far out, yet I believe his speed at the line was higher back in the day.
The balance between the natural base and requirements of the field leads to longevity.
Even compare it to last year with Cav starting his sprint 200-150 m to go, while this year 3 have been long drags to the line.
 
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He is probably the rider who has won Giro (and GT) stages in most countries, I think.

EDIT: Hmm, maybe not.

Giro: Italy, Denmark, Hungary
Tour: France, Belgium
Vuelta: Spain

Kittel won in seven countries if you count England and Northern Ireland separately:

Giro: Northern Ireland, Ireland, The Netherlands
Tour: France, England, Belgium
Vuelta: Spain

A pity that he won a couple of stages in Tirreno in 2018, otherwise he would have finished his career with four Giro stage wins but no wins on Italian soil ever.
 

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