Theory on Cav

[Ruklaw]

The possibility is that he was saving legs for the next couple of days, as he does apparently regret never taking a world tour breakaway win.

This obviously isn't a particularly likely goal but it might be worth rolling the dice for - he did beat some fairly decent riders on the way to the GB champions jersey in 2022 from a breakaway (and certainly he surprised me how well he rode).

I'm pretty sure Cav will want to finish the tour in any case, his efforts after missing the time cut a few years back are testament to that.

 

[Nomad]

Hard to say it’s scripted the route he had to take in order to contest the sprint. His best chance of a win was always at the beginning since the climbs will take the fire out of his legs. He just also looked like he didn’t want to push anything anymore to avoid a crash since he got the win. Above all he wants to finish the race as well. Doesn’t mean he isn’t doping, he just got that one in a million with everything going his way and he took a better line than Philipsen.

C'mon that wasn't real - more like WWE. Lol. He either turbo-charged that bike or infused something the night before, or likely both.

Common sense doctrine: 39 yr old legs out-kicking world-class sprinters 12-15 yrs younger than him! Lol. And you're not seeing 37 yr old Kristoff winning any stages. He best was a 3rd place finish & a couple of top-10s and that's it (btw, his last Tour stage win or any GT stage win for that fact was back in 2020).

Remember "Super Mario," a career doper & lover of rocket fuel, burned out & called it a career at age 37! He was 36 when we won his last GT stage win.

WWE type entertainment at it's best. Lol

 

[SHAD0W93]

C'mon that wasn't real - more like WWE. Lol. He either turbo-charged that bike or infused something the night before, or likely both.

Common sense doctrine: 39 yr old legs out-kicking world-class sprinters 12-15 yrs younger than him! Lol. And you're not seeing 37 yr old Kristoff winning any stages. He best was a 3rd place finish & a couple of top-10s and that's it (btw, his last Tour stage win or any GT stage win for that fact was back in 2020).

Remember "Super Mario," a career doper & lover of rocket fuel, burned out & called it a career at age 37! He was 36 when we won his last GT stage win.

WWE type entertainment at it's best. Lol

Okay, but doping doesn’t mean it was scripted for him to win and all the other sprinters said go ahead.

 

[Nomad]

It could have been with a financial incentive given to the other sprinters to go along with it. On the NFL thread haven't we talked about certain outcomes of some games looking scripted?

 

[SHAD0W93]

It could have been with a financial incentive given to the other sprinters to go along with it. On the NFL thread haven't we talked about certain outcomes of some games looking scripted?

The reason it comes up in the NFL thread is due to the small amount of people that could play a part and affect the game. It could be a key player or two and/or the refs that interfere with the game and tip the scales.

You’re talking about quite a few sprinters that have to be in the know and their teams, without anyone saying anything. Then that’s not even taking into account the route he had to go through in order to win. So if he didn’t get through the crowd on that stage, was it just going to be a rinse and repeat till he gets it.

 

[Nomad]

Fair enough on the NFL - especially with the referee aspect.

However, what if Astana paid off some of the sprinters to let him win that stage? (assuming he's in the mix at crunch time). $$$ talks big in professional sports.

C'mon man, Astana signs this over-the-hill, washed up rider at the tailend of his career to good money to be their #1 sprinter? Lol. What he has done during the season? Rode in a couple of lower-tier races? Lol. No  spring classics. No Giro.

The pressure was on Astana for Cavendish to get that win - no only for him to break the record but for the justification for signing him in the first place. FFS, one stage win in this Tour & nothing else? He's not even in the top-10 in the points! Lol.

I suppose he'll find some way to finish & ride into Nice in honor to his faithful.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Fair enough on the NFL - especially with the referee aspect.

However, what if Astana paid off some of the sprinters to let him win that stage? (assuming he's in the mix at crunch time). $$$ talks big in professional sports.

C'mon man, Astana signs this over-the-hill, washed up rider at the tailend of his career to good money to be their #1 sprinter? Lol. What he has done during the season? Rode in a couple of lower-tier races? Lol. No  spring classics. No Giro.

The pressure was on Astana for Cavendish to get that win - no only for him to break the record but for the justification for signing him in the first place. FFS, one stage win in this Tour & nothing else? He's not even in the top-10 in the points! Lol.

I suppose he'll find some way to finish & ride into Nice in honor to his faithful.

If your argument is the points classification, he’s only sprinted twice; first and fifth (relegated) which without the relegation he’s close to Demare and Groenewegen who are sprinting for the win. He hasn’t sprinter at the intermediate points unlike the others.

He’s won three times this year when last year it was only once, the Giro stage. The team built everything for a win and they got it.

Sure Astana could have paid others but who? Philipsen? Demare? Groenewegen? I would like to hope they go for the win instead of money. If anything I would think ASO over Astana would be the briber.

 

[Nomad]

Yeah right, look who's running the show at Astana...Vinokourov. LOL

 

[samhocking]

Fair enough on the NFL - especially with the referee aspect.

However, what if Astana paid off some of the sprinters to let him win that stage? (assuming he's in the mix at crunch time). $$$ talks big in professional sports.

C'mon man, Astana signs this over-the-hill, washed up rider at the tailend of his career to good money to be their #1 sprinter? Lol. What he has done during the season? Rode in a couple of lower-tier races? Lol. No  spring classics. No Giro.

The pressure was on Astana for Cavendish to get that win - no only for him to break the record but for the justification for signing him in the first place. FFS, one stage win in this Tour & nothing else? He's not even in the top-10 in the points! Lol.

I suppose he'll find some way to finish & ride into Nice in honor to his faithful.

The burden of proof is on you to prove a 'what if'. I don't think financial gifts for sprint wins are really a thing anymore at the very top level and if it was you would notice it more than simply through a Cavendish win but other wins from other sprinters too. The teams wouldn't have required Cavendish to use such aggressive tactics against them to get the win if they had been paid to allow him to win and the whole sprint wouldn't have been so chaotic either. The chances every sprint team building up for the last 11 months to try and win only a few sprint stages, would forfeit that for Cavendish seems farfetched to me. Their sponsors need a ROI with a win and media coverage, not invisible financial compensation imo.

 

[Nomad]

Maybe you're right. However, I said if he was in the mix at crunch time. IOW, if he crashed out or his team had difficulty getting him up to the front in the last few kilometers, then all bets would be off.

Interestingly you bring up the financial incentives not likely because there's a 2021 study on "match fixing" in professional road cycling:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10126902211038414

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://backoffice.biblio.ugent.be/download/8715277/8715278&ved=2ahUKEwiN0-r1n7OHAxV5PjQIHSSGDHEQFnoECB4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw15axRuThbDBvjvxiyBHrqS

The study mentions that Vinokourov was suspected of fixing his 2010 Liege-Bastogne-Liege victory, as well as his controversial victory at the 2012 London games (imagine that - doper Vino fixing some victories. Lol).

The study's conclusion: "Match fixing is institutionalized in road cycling," and that "match fixing can be seen as normalized behavior in road cycling"

Recall the basis of my suspicion is how can 39 yr old legs out-kick world-class sprinters 12-15 yrs younger than him, and furthermore when other dominant sprinters from prior eras (e.g. Cipollini, Zabel, Petacchi) were all toast & retired by age 37?