Tour de France Tour de France 2024, Stage 5: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Saint-Vulbas, 177.4 km

[Amazinmets87]

The longevity is quite something - some sprinters finally have enough of dragging their heavy bodies of fast twitch muscles up and down mountains within the time cut, some lose their nerve after a serious crash and are never quite the same when things heat up at the end of a stage. Many fade away as their results don't earn them one of the limited spots on a top team. To keep doing that year after year, as fast young guys come and go, to still be in a GT and winning after 16 years is quite something.

I get that many prefer the skillset of a Pog or mvdp, or prefer watching thermonuclear attacks up monster climbs to a sprint (I love those too), but I personally also find much to admire in making those split second decisions at high speed after a long stage, to still have the killer instinct to go for the gap without thinking of all those crashes over the years, to perform when a team is depending on you.

Congrats Cav.

I've always assumed GT sprinters were primarily slow-twitch, or at minimum intermediate.

 

[Danskebjerge]

There was something prophetic about Mads Pedersen’s reaction yesterday to his team’s botched lead-out. He was frustrated and described it as some kind of disaster which made me think that hey, worse things can happen. And the fact that the leaders of the sprinter team talk that way about lead-outs having to be inch-perfect, isn’t that what ultimately causes the crashes because there is so much at stake for so many of the riders?

Mads Pedersen didn’t seem to do anything wrong in today’s sprint, but the uncompromising approach to sprinting that he represents will inevitably increase the risk of crashes.

 

[titan31]

Cav’s beat Philipsen 10 or more times and has beat Merlier around 3-5 times. Not to mention all the other sprinters in this generation, on top of the; Groenewegen, Gaviria, Ewan, Viviani, etc. era.

From what I can see since start of 2022 season, he's won 2 races that had Philipsen (today and stage 2 UAE 2022) and has won nothing that has Merlier in it.

Basically going back to the 2021 Tour where Alpecin messed up by bringing both Merlier and Philipsen and Morkov was delivering Cav to the stage wins

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I still don't understand what point you are trying to prove. Especially the Ovy and Cav comparison. Ovy doesn't go to the friendly dictator with a rolling contract to see if he can get some kind of record. He's playing for the team that drafted him, where he's the franchise's greatest legend, and he's on a contract he signed in 2021 with two years left on it & the record will probably be broken in that time.

Btw, I'm not entirely sure how all those bad hockey players who played for the Capitals last year helped improve Ovy's goal scoring record. There wasn't really any quality there... He'll break that record because he's the greatest goalscorer ever, not because a team sacrificed everything to get it.

They're both old guys who could easily retire at any point and still be legends but are driven by pursuit of a record they would be taking from the greatest to ever compete, many opinions are split on how much they want those records to be broken, but they're still compelling storylines and even those who don't want the records broken have to admire the longevity and dedication that breaking those records takes, and despite their age they're still good enough for it to be legit if they do break it (as opposed to the Keith Yandle ironman charity case).

I'm not sure I'd be raising the 'Cav sidled up to a friendly dictator' point in defence of the guy that literally founded PutinTeam, but that's irrelevant to the topic at hand.

 

[SHAD0W93]

From what I can see since start of 2022 season, he's won 2 races that had Philipsen (today and stage 2 UAE 2022) and has won nothing that has Merlier in it.

Basically going back to the 2021 Tour where Alpecin messed up by bringing both Merlier and Philipsen and Morkov was delivering Cav to the stage wins

So 2021 just doesn’t exist?

 

[titan31]

So 2021 just doesn’t exist?

It does but neither Merlier or Philipsen were the same sprinter. Philipsen was only like 23 and really hadn't come into his own yet. It's why I think it's a bit much to be saying he continues to defeat this generation when he hasn't with Merlier in a while, and he's got 1 win since early 2022 against Philipsen.

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

the real contest here.. the battle of the energy drinks

Monster 1 Red Bull 0

 

[ppanther92]

Zingle over Pedersen - or who was this insane bunny hop I just saw in the highlights?

 

[Izzyeviel]

Observation after Rewatching the final 5km numerous times: wth was DSM doing? Fabio did a pretty good sprint, but he was miles behind his train.

 

[Warhawk]

Great TTers are always described as all time greats; great climbers win GTs.

Just by virtue of being one of the greatest sprinters of the modern era, he is also an all time great. Cycling has different riders with different characteristics, Cav is one.

"How can Manuel Neuer be an all-time soccer great if he's never scored a goal?"

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

Observation after Rewatching the final 5km numerous times: wth was DSM doing? Fabio did a pretty good sprint, but he was miles behind his train.

I couldn’t tell ya, just like most of the time with DSM. Extremely confusing.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

"How can Manuel Neuer be an all-time soccer great if he's never scored a goal?"

Don‘t say it, don‘t say it…

Spoiler

FOOTBALL

 

[Libertine Seguros]

"How can Manuel Neuer be an all-time soccer great if he's never scored a goal?"

Finally, somebody who recognises the true brilliance, genius and generational talent of Jorge Campos.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

If Cavendish was a country, he would be the 11th most succesful country in the Tour de France history when it comes to number of stage wins.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Observation after Rewatching the final 5km numerous times: wth was DSM doing? Fabio did a pretty good sprint, but he was miles behind his train.

& can we appreciate the fact he showed it was possible to win a sprint without making yourself look stupid by wearing grotesque helmets or sunnies.

 

[tobydawq]

Zingle over Pedersen - or who was this insane bunny hop I just saw in the highlights?

Yep, it was Zingle. Mind-boggling stuff.

 

[mountainroad]

I maintain my original position, about Cavendish against the current generation. He's a legitimate threat against all of them, in every sprint stage he starts.

 

[Netserk]

So 2021 just doesn’t exist?

Belgium Tour stage 5 was the only time he won against Merlier. After Merlier won the first bunch sprint in the Tour, they rode for Philipsen in the rest of the sprints.

 

[Andy262]

Cavendish goes all the way from one barrier to the other.

But he didn’t impede anybody. A regular sprint.

 

[Andy262]

Medical bulletin. Sounds pretty serious for Fred & Mads. Do we know anymore?

Fall at Km 145:
(205) KRISTOFF Alexander – UXT
Multiple erosions.
Fall at Km 123:
(68) WRIGHT Fred – TBV
Trauma to the right wrist.
Fall 25 km from the finish:
(5) LAPORTE Christophe – TVL
Right shoulder blade bruises.
Fall on arrival:
(45) PEDERSEN Mads – LTK
Trauma to the left scapula

Kristoff impressive third under the circumstances

 

[Andy262]

From what I can see since start of 2022 season, he's won 2 races that had Philipsen (today and stage 2 UAE 2022) and has won nothing that has Merlier in it.

Basically going back to the 2021 Tour where Alpecin messed up by bringing both Merlier and Philipsen and Morkov was delivering Cav to the stage wins

But that year Cav owned Jasper in the Tour of Turkey

 

[SHAD0W93]

Belgium Tour stage 5 was the only time he won against Merlier. After Merlier won the first bunch sprint in the Tour, they rode for Philipsen in the rest of the sprints.

Could have sworn he won more but maybe confusing Merlier with Philipsen.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Pogi, Indurain, Sagan, Zabel, Cipollini & McEwen have all won 12 Tour stages.

Is that tally most impressive for Cipollini and McEwen, given that they were the least versatile of those riders? Least impressive for Pogi as he can win in so many different ways?

It's not the point you're getting at, but I would say Indurain's tally is most impressive out of those because he managed it without being able to rely on outkicking people.

 

[tobydawq]

Philipsen looked like he legit tried by his facial expression

??

 

[Alien Performance]

Finally catch up after a long day of work, and there are 21 pages discussing hockey and the spin doctors...

Am I in the wrong forum?