Tour of Oman

[djlovesyou]

I think they should change the rules of cycling.

If someone can come up with quite that many excuses for not winning, they should be awarded the win regardless.

 

[theyoungest]

I'm suprised from how far he had to come.
Was that Brown bringing him to the front, or was it Bos himself sprinting twice (one to get to the front, and once to sprint)

It was unclear.

He sort of sprinted twice, yes. Of course not nearly as impressive as the infallible Cavendish, "the quickest by a distance"

 

[Boardslide]

Nothing like Cav's move in traffic, though. And no, I'm NOT trying to Cav bash here.

With 200 to go Cav had to swerve to avoid someone standing in the way as tweeted by Phinney

"I felt good, but the sprinters spread out, then I had to come past a spectator who was standing in the road about 200 metres from the finish which meant I had to switch in and then go from there."



http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...-comes-closest-yet-to-win-in-2011-season.html

 

[The Sheep]

With 200 to go Cav had to swerve to avoid someone standing in the way as tweeted by Phinney

"I felt good, but the sprinters spread out, then I had to come past a spectator who was standing in the road about 200 metres from the finish which meant I had to switch in and then go from there."



http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...-comes-closest-yet-to-win-in-2011-season.html

Doesn't look like they influenced much of the sprint if you watch the video?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I think they should change the rules of cycling.

If someone can come up with quite that many excuses for not winning, they should be awarded the win regardless.

In a way it's good that Cavendish is actually good enough to win a lot, because it would be absolute torture if he was like Leif Hoste or Cadel Evans.

I mean, I know he's used to being the best and winning, but I hate that there always has to be a reason when he doesn't. Why can't he just be honest and say "I'm not on peak form right now, and when I'm not other people have a chance to compete with me, and Theo was good today". I'm not expecting him to be REALLY honest and say "ultimately it's only the Tour of Oman, stop making a big deal out of me coming 2nd".

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Oh well who really cares about a sprint win in Oman anyway, let's be honoust.
Except for guys like Bos, Kluge, Guardini etc

 

[will10]

I agree with the above, even when you're the best you get beaten sometimes, I wish Cav wouldn't feel the need to excuse himself being beaten, why not just say well done Theo round 2 tomorrow

 

[Moondance]

Oh well who really cares about a sprint win in Oman anyway, let's be honoust. Except for guys like Bos, Kluge, Guardini etc

Its a pretty decent win... And I'll certainly care when Gesink destroys everyone come Friday on Green Mountain.

 

[Boardslide]

In a way it's good that Cavendish is actually good enough to win a lot, because it would be absolute torture if he was like Leif Hoste or Cadel Evans.

I mean, I know he's used to being the best and winning, but I hate that there always has to be a reason when he doesn't. Why can't he just be honest and say "I'm not on peak form right now, and when I'm not other people have a chance to compete with me, and Theo was good today". I'm not expecting him to be REALLY honest and say "ultimately it's only the Tour of Oman, stop making a big deal out of me coming 2nd".

I think here he is being really honest when he say's

" If I'd been able to start my sprint earlier, then maybe I could have won or maybe I would have blown, Who knows?"

I don't think it sounds like an excuse just a statement of fact

 

[theyoungest]

Oh well who really cares about a sprint win in Oman anyway, let's be honoust.
Except for guys like Bos, Kluge, Guardini etc

I can't shake the impression that Cav would really like a win this week.

I think here he is being really honest when he say's

" If I'd been able to start my sprint earlier, then maybe I could have won or maybe I would have blown, Who knows?"

I don't think it sounds like an excuse just a statement of fact

I'm sure Bos would have liked to come from a better position as well. But instead, he thanked his teammates for giving him a great leadout, when in fact he had to do without much of a leadout. I guess winning makes things seem a little more perfect.

 

[taiwan]

The official site has the final KM at 1%, after a few Km of 2% descent, so I don't think it will affect things too much.

Stupid miscalculation, my bad.

 

[euanli]

actually I think that was a great move by cav to go for that gap. You can see his head watching where he is going for just as he come across. really good awareness of how the sprint will open up.

 

[Mambo95]

I mean, I know he's used to being the best and winning, but I hate that there always has to be a reason when he doesn't.

Sure, but that's the mentality of a world class sportsman. They have unshakeable self-belief. The idea that someone might have been better on the day is alien to them. Excuses reinforce this in their mind.

You can't judge these people by what we would do.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I think here he is being really honest when he say's

" If I'd been able to start my sprint earlier, then maybe I could have won or maybe I would have blown, Who knows?"

I don't think it sounds like an excuse just a statement of fact

Quite often, Cav's excuses have been swallowed wholesale by fans, and even new ones created to excuse his not winning, or things that he's said ("****-small" "races" instead of "****" "small races" being a dialectal expression meaning "very small" that he was using being a particularly fanciful one). This rankles with many people as much as anything Cav says or does.

The guy is an awesome cyclist, best in the world at what he does. But you can't win every race you enter, there doesn't need to be some big "I would have won but for..." - we don't need more Leif Hostes in this world.

I don't know which I dislike more, Cavendish winning (and the subsequent boredom that is the race) or Cavendish not winning (and the subsequent excuses from his fans and gloating from his detractors). Either way, because he's a character that polarises opinions, you get very biased opinions every time, so it's nigh on impossible to have a detailed and rational debate about the subject.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Sure, but that's the mentality of a world class sportsman. They have unshakeable self-belief. The idea that someone might have been better on the day is alien to them. Excuses reinforce this in their mind.

You can't judge these people by what we would do.

I'm sure that if I were to dig back through race reports and the like I'd find examples of people like Indurain whining about why they didn't win. But I don't get that vibe from him.

The problem is less the excuses but the result of it - his fans swallow the excuse whole and his detractors gloat, neither group really covering themselves in glory. It makes me wonder which I dislike more - Cavendish winning, or Cavendish not winning.

And you all wondered why I never stop moaning about sprints.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Its a pretty decent win... And I'll certainly care when Gesink destroys everyone come Friday on Green Mountain.

I can't shake the impression that Cav would really like a win this week.

i get this feeling also.

He sort of sprinted twice, yes. Of course not nearly as impressive as the infallible Cavendish, "the quickest by a distance"

cav is a hero for what he did in this stage.

CN article suggest rabobank's leadout delivered him to the line. It certainly appeared that way on the video Excellent sprint (x2? ) by bos.

 

[stefrees]

It's good for cav he's not winning, it brings out the best in him.

Pleased that this season sky are racing each race hard, and they're showing themselves on virtually every stage this year.

I'd like to see bos at the tour, I'd reckon he's quicker than farrar

 

[Mambo95]

I'm sure that if I were to dig back through race reports and the like I'd find examples of people like Indurain whining about why they didn't win. But I don't get that vibe from him.

Yeah, but they didn't have internet cycling websites back in 1996.

Seriously, just look at the likes of Alex Ferguson, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Lewis Hamilton etc, etc. You'll extremely rarely hear them say that they were beaten by the better man/team. There's usually an excuse. That's why they are who they are.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Its a pretty decent win... And I'll certainly care when Gesink destroys everyone come Friday on Green Mountain.

I mean from riders perspective

A rider like Cavendish with 15 TDF stage wins, well, obviously he wants to win a stage wherever he starts, but if he wins a stage, it's not the same as when Bos wins the stage. For Bos, it's a nice accomplishment, and we're all happy.
If Cavendish wins, people say, meh, minor win.

That's what I mean with care... For established names winning a stage more or less in these tours should not matter much.

 

[taiwan]

He's just come off an injury.

means I'm being facetious.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I'd like to see bos at the tour, I'd reckon he's quicker than farrar

i'm not sure i agree. Farrar is certainly a superior sprinter at this point in their careers anyway.
bos had a good start to the season last year also, but then was quiet for the rest of the season.
The guy has potential, but until I see him be competitive in the more important races and sprints of the season I remain unconvinced.

 

[Ferminal]

Bos, Chicchi are just as quick as anyone on their day but lack the consistency of the top sprinters.

 

[taiwan]

Bos, Chicchi are just as quick as anyone on their day but lack the consistency of the top sprinters.

Bos differs from Chicchi in that he's still developing as a road sprinter.

 

[Ferminal]

Bos differs from Chicchi in that he's still developing as a road sprinter.

Well yes, but that doesn't make the fact that he is inconsistent any less true...

 

[The Hitch]

Yeah, but they didn't have internet cycling websites back in 1996.

Seriously, just look at the likes of Alex Ferguson, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Lewis Hamilton etc, etc. You'll extremely rarely hear them say that they were beaten by the better man/team. There's usually an excuse. That's why they are who they are.

By far the better example is Jose " the better team lost" Narcisinho.
The irony there though is that he actually failed as a footballer, then got lucky with the extremely overhyped bit they call "managment".

So even losers show this attitude.