Who would win, Cancellara or Cavendish

[El Pistolero]

1) Element of surprise followed by two riders bickering
2) A hill attack.

Neither of which will be possible in a windless, flat 200KM.

Cancellara is the best bike rider in the world, no question...but if he did not break clear of Cav in the early stages, he'd have missed his chance. Cav averaged almost 700W in the last 5k of MSR, nobody can drop that solo.

Lol if you call that a hill.

Cancellara would just take a corner sharper and he'd be gone. Cavendish is a very weak rider that can't do **** without team support that keeps him out of the wind. Without a team he can't even beat second tier cyclists. And I'm not talking about lead out train here, but keeping him out of the wind all the time, getting his food and bottles, keeping a good tempo, etc.

A better question is, who wouldn't beat Cavendish?

But of course Cav is still very young, so there's lot's of room to improve in being a stronger cyclist.

 

[Jamsque]

Pistolero's blatant trolling aside, Cav really would have no chance in this hypothetical race, even if it was arrow straight, pancake flat and windless for the whole 200km. Spartacus has shown time and time again that all he needs is a tiny window and he is gone, and once he gets a gap he is never coming back. There is no way Cav could ride with him for 200km without hesitating or losing focus at least once, and once is all it would take.

Fabian is one of the greatest riders in the peloton right now, I'm not sure if there is anyone who could beat him one-on-one over 200 flat kilometres.

 

[Toobab]

In short, I think if Cancellara could get away, he would win easily, but I don't think it would be possible for him to get away.

 

[Ferminal]

I dont see Cancellara getting away from Cavendish. People dont give Cavendish enough credit for his shorter TT skills, and overall strength. It took two "top" aussies to crack him (only just) working off one another in the last ten miles of the Commonwealth Games.

Almost hanging on to Sutton, Millar, Davis and Roulston is hardly enviable.

Okay Millar is a strong TT'er, Roulston is powerful when he turns it on. Sutton is just your stock standard Pro and Davis was in some rare form. None of them are top30 one day riders though.

Anyone who can beat Cav in a time trial + has the ability to put in multiple attacks (or) unleash a huge amount of power for a sustained period of time wins.

Look at LBL, do you really think Cav can match the likes of Vino, Evans, Gilbert, Kolobnev in terms of chase/attack chase/attack? Of course not. Cancellara is no different.

 

[Bertie]

You might have me swayed Ferminal. But it is not as clear cut as many posters here suggest it would be. Cav is not a one trick pony, and Fabien could not ride at the front for say 10k, and then ride Cav off his wheel. There would have to be an element of surprise, and when there are just two riders that is not so easy.

 

[forty four]

in a 200km one-on-one road race on a totally flat motorway with no wind?

Obviously such a race would never happen but I think it would help my understanding of the sport of cycling to know the answer.

its clear you dont understand cycling and the various types of riders. cavendish is a pure sprinter he does not have endurance or the sustainable power like a world champ tt rider has. cancellara would crush him by many many many minutes. now in a 200 meter side by side cavendish would win 200 k absolutely no chance.

 

[forty four]

you don't race bikes do you?

most dont on here i have found. a stronger rider will eventually dump a weaker one even on a flat course there are always little rises or headwinds these can be used to get a gap and hammer it.

 

[Bertie]

most dont on here i have found. a stronger rider will eventually dump a weaker one even on a flat course there are always little rises or headwinds these can be used to get a gap and hammer it.

LOL. So in this hypothetical case of pancake flat and no wind, Cancellara would wait for a slight rise and headwind?

 

[The Hitch]

And sometimes, on a flat, even with under 1 k to go, entire team trains cant hold on to Cancellara. So how is Cav on his own going to do it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJNLMYpr2TM&p=373D13547C979A89&playnext=1&index=1

 

[The Hitch]

You might have me swayed Ferminal. But it is not as clear cut as many posters here suggest it would be. Cav is not a one trick pony, and Fabien could not ride at the front for say 10k, and then ride Cav off his wheel. There would have to be an element of surprise, and when there are just two riders that is not so easy.

And like i said, the element of surprise comes from stopping completely, getting of your bike. Theres no one behind you, you have all the time in the world. If Cav decides to go, then he will tire himself a bit, and will struggle to hold Cancs wheel as Canc sprints past him.
If Cav stays, Canc can fly onto his bike like he did in PR and sprint away before Cav knows what happened.

 

[Magnus]

most dont on here i have found. a stronger rider will eventually dump a weaker one even on a flat course there are always little rises or headwinds these can be used to get a gap and hammer it.

Why would you attack in the headwind?

 

[Angliru]

In short, I think if Cancellara could get away, he would win easily, but I don't think it would be possible for him to get away.

It seems that most that support Cavendish in this scenario make the mistake of comparing Cavendish riding in the peloton protected from the wind by his teammates and those around him with this quite unusual situation. Regardless of there being no headwind you still have some wind resistance and of course Cancellara isn't going to simply let Cavendish suck his wheel for 200km's. Have any of you ever ridden with someone that is so strong that eventually they just ride you off of their wheel? Cancellara could simply do this to Cavendish. Cavendish IS a one trick pony. He is a sprinter and that is all. When he shows that he can win a race from a break or even get in a break for that matter then he will lose being stuck in that category.

 

[Fowsto Cope-E]

Almost hanging on to Sutton, Millar, Davis and Roulston is hardly enviable.

Okay Millar is a strong TT'er, Roulston is powerful when he turns it on. Sutton is just your stock standard Pro and Davis was in some rare form. None of them are top30 one day riders though.

Anyone who can beat Cav in a time trial + has the ability to put in multiple attacks (or) unleash a huge amount of power for a sustained period of time wins.

Look at LBL, do you really think Cav can match the likes of Vino, Evans, Gilbert, Kolobnev in terms of chase/attack chase/attack? Of course not. Cancellara is no different.

Just by being the slightest bit faster in a TT, one rider would be able to drop another? That makes no sense. You have to remember drafting - even with two people, drafting makes a significant difference

 

[Night Rider]

To the original question, Cancellara in such a one sided contest it would be boring.

To spice it up the OP could have asked "Who would win out of Fabian and Cadel over 200km of mixed rolling course, flat freeway and one mountain thrown in for good measure ... now that would be worth watching. Or any other combination of more evenly matched riders.

 

[onetofifteen]

To the original question, Cancellara in such a one sided contest it would be boring.

To spice it up the OP could have asked "Who would win out of Fabian and Cadel over 200km of mixed rolling course, flat freeway and one mountain thrown in for good measure ... now that would be worth watching. Or any other combination of more evenly matched riders.

But I wasn't interested in having a "Who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman?" type of discussion. I genuinely wanted to educate myself about the fundamentals of bike racing. I got a resounding consensus on the answer being Cancellara so I consider myself educated.

In hindsight I shouldn't have picked the most loved and most hated (Lance has retired, right?) riders in the pro peloton, that was just asking for trouble. What I should have asked was "Could a top time triallist drop a top sprinter without a hill, cobbled section, or tight corner to make the separation?"

 

[The Hitch]

But I wasn't interested in having a "Who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman?" type of discussion. I genuinely wanted to educate myself about the fundamentals of bike racing. I got a resounding consensus on the answer being Cancellara so I consider myself educated.

In hindsight I shouldn't have picked the most loved and most hated (Lance has retired, right?) riders in the pro peloton, that was just asking for trouble. What I should have asked was "Could a top time triallist drop a top sprinter without a hill, cobbled section, or tight corner to make the separation?"

Some people let their hate for Cav influence their post but in reality, Cancellara would always win such a contest simply because he is so awesomly strong. If you picked Tony Martin people would perhaps not fall so heavily for the tter because Martin doesnt have a record of winning TDF sprint stages, Milan San Remo, PR RVV, all by dropping the peloton on their own.

But i am convinced that over 200km a tter will always beat a sprinter. Even a moderate tter against a wc sprinter.

 

[Mambo95]

And sometimes, on a flat, even with under 1 k to go, entire team trains cant hold on to Cancellara. So how is Cav on his own going to do it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJNLMYpr2TM&p=373D13547C979A89&playnext=1&index=1

Yeah, but Cavendish was only a kid back then, and FC had a 'bridge' to work with. Ask Haussler (faster in the last 800m than FC) how successful that move is nowadays.

 

[Ferminal]

Just by being the slightest bit faster in a TT, one rider would be able to drop another? That makes no sense. You have to remember drafting - even with two people, drafting makes a significant difference

Noo the TT is for keeping distance after you drop them, if you have another weapon (immense power or repeated attacks) you can get the gap.

 

[ferryman]

But I wasn't interested in having a "Who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman?" type of discussion. I genuinely wanted to educate myself about the fundamentals of bike racing. I got a resounding consensus on the answer being Cancellara so I consider myself educated.

In hindsight I shouldn't have picked the most loved and most hated (Lance has retired, right?) riders in the pro peloton, that was just asking for trouble. What I should have asked was "Could a top time triallist drop a top sprinter without a hill, cobbled section, or tight corner to make the separation?"

Hhmme. You won't get a fundamental understanding of cycling from the abstract question in the OP or the subsequent responds to such a hypothetical race situation that will never happen.

You should though now know Canc is a God on here and Cav is, well Cav is... not very well liked by the non Anglos

 

[Fowsto Cope-E]

Noo the TT is for keeping distance after you drop them, if you have another weapon (immense power or repeated attacks) you can get the gap.

Repeated attacks would probably wear Cancellara out more than Cav if he is initiating the attacks. I know it is hard to believe, but Sparticus is a human!

 

[Ferminal]

Repeated attacks would probably wear Cancellara out more than Cav if he is initiating the attacks. I know it is hard to believe, but Sparticus is a human!

Yes it probably would, but I'd be willing to guess that Cancellara and any other strong one day rider would have a far greater ability to continually put in efforts than a specialist sprinter be that Cav, Greipel, Petacchi, Farrar or whoever. With respect to Farrar, he showed reasonable improvement this season in the early classics.

If these guys are so strong that they could follow Cancellara attacking and TTing for 200km, why aren't they following the big wheels in P-R?

 

[usedtobefast]

Cancellara could drop Cavendish on the flat without accelerating.

based on what we know. this would likely be the result. Cav is fast and strong,
but Cancellara is strong and fast. he could just ride him off his wheel with 10k to go.

 

[Anonymous]

How on earth has this discussion made it onto page three..?

WHy didnt someone just say Cancellara and end it there?

 

[nobilis]

I think a more interesting discussion would have been, who would win on a short prologue (like 5kms or less)

 

[Dalakhani]

6) Whom would any reasonable woman prefer? Cancellara.

Surely Cav has nicer teeth?

TBH, I'd love to see some big money 1-v-1 match-ups like this (though over shorter distances as longer distances would take forever as they look at each other for 100km).

Or even 4 guys from different teams over 100km of varied terrain. Winner takes all.

Steve