Cavendish to retire soon?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Truth hurts sometimes. Cavendish is winning because his fastest competition aren’t there. Some have crashed out or timed out, some have DNSed. That is unlikely to happen a second year in a row.

[giropaul]

I gather Mr Lefevre has a decent dinner booked with Mark post- Tour. That’s possibly a sign that another year is possible. If ever “ management consultants” wanted to see what building a team really looks like, the “ Wolfpack” is a model. Mark fits in that pack, and brings enthusiasm and commitment - that he’s winning is a bonus.

[Karla]

Doesn't it come across then as "He only won cos ... crashed"

J

He'd probably already have the record if he hadn't been run into the barriers by Peter Sagan one year.  You win some you lose some.

[Hot Flatus]

Doesn't it come across then as "He only won cos ... crashed"

That is the case for many many wins.  See also Egan Bernal's TdF win in 2019 

[spesh]

Exactly - you can only race against who's present, in form and able to stay upright, none of which is under your control.

[Mr Larrington]

Also he might have picked up a few stage wins in 2014, when he was still at the top of his game, but instead collided with Yorkshire on stage 1 and had to retire.

[citoyen]

I think he said it best after his first win - it's about time he had a bit of luck go his way.

But then staying fit and staying upright are all part of the challenge, and among the reasons it's so difficult to break records.

[Hot Flatus]

I think he'll win tomorrow

[citoyen]

I think he'll win tomorrow

I'm certainly not betting against it.

[Karla]

Also he might have picked up a few stage wins in 2014, when he was still at the top of his game, but instead collided with Yorkshire on stage 1 and had to retire.

Yebbut that was largely his own fault: he went for a gap that wasn't there and took Simon Gerrans down with him.

Then again, you could also add 2012 with Sky, being reduced to a bottle carrier while at the height of his powers.  He won three stages but could probably have taken a couple more away from Sagan and Greipel if he hadn't been in such an out and out GC team.

[TimC]

I think he'll win tomorrow

I wouldn’t bet against it either, but I’m not going to expect it. He hasn’t had this intensive a period of racing for some time, and Stage 9 may well have left him more fatigued than one day off will fix. I wouldn’t be surprised if he feels he has to take it fairly easy today.

[citoyen]

A lot will depend on how hard the racing is. Which will depend to a large extent on who gets in the inevitable break...

Cav will be very much wanting this, though, so his team will try to make sure the break doesn't succeed. If it does come down to a bunch sprint, and Cav is present, he will be very much the favourite.

We'll see!

[mzjo]

Doesn't it come across then as "He only won cos ... crashed"

J

Yeah Pog is only winning 'cos G crashed on stage 3, MVDP is practising his mountain biking and Roglichurt himself too bad. Yeah I like that analysis!!

We should be careful not to make another Walko out of this - Cav has the record as one of the most successful roadman-sprinters of all time and that is done by getting to the finish line first and upright, with whatever opposition is still upright and at the finish at the time!

[Beardy]

Doesn't it come across then as "He only won cos ... crashed"

J

Yeah Pog is only winning 'cos G crashed on stage 3, MVDP is practising his mountain biking and Roglichurt himself too bad. Yeah I like that analysis!!

We should be careful not to make another Walko out of this - Cav has the record as one of the most successful roadman-sprinters of all time and that is done by getting to the finish line first and upright, with whatever opposition is still upright and at the finish at the time!

As the old adage goes, ‘to finish first, first you must finish’. All 200 started at the same point and have ridden the same roads; those left standing get to share the spoils.

[fd3]

I think it's fair to say that Cav is the most successful sprinter of all time.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I think it's fair to say that Cav is the most successful sprinter of all time.

Most successful road sprinter. There are a couple of trackies who would dispute the overall title.

[De Sisti]

I think it's fair to say that Cav is the most successful sprinter of all time.

Most successful road sprinter. There are a couple of trackies who would dispute the overall title.

Two different disciplines?

[Mr Larrington]

Cav's only won the Green Jersey on the TdF once so far, but he's streets ahead of Crazy P on Tour stage wins and behind only Merckx and Cipollini on Grand Tour stages, on which list Sagan doesn't make the top 30.  Erik Zabel has 9 points wins in Grand Tours - 6 TdF and 3 on the Vuelta.

[citoyen]

The green jersey is about consistency rather than necessarily being the best sprinter. Which is why Cav didn't win it in 2009 even though he won 6 stages and Thor Hushovd only won 1 stage.

As Cav said in his post-race interview today, his primary goal is winning stages, and if the green jersey comes as a result of that, it's a bonus.

[mzjo]

I think it's fair to say that Cav is the most successful sprinter of all time.

Most successful road sprinter. There are a couple of trackies who would dispute the overall title.

Yeah but Cav is an endurance trackie, not a sprinter! Can we start counting madison, points and scratch wins in the mix as well? Did Cipo ever do any of that stuff?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I think it's fair to say that Cav is the most successful sprinter of all time.

Most successful road sprinter. There are a couple of trackies who would dispute the overall title.

Two different disciplines?

I was thinking of Koichi Nakano as possibly the most successful pure track sprinter. A decade straight of professional Sprint World Championships and heaps of Japanese keirins is nothing to be sneezed at.
https://www.uci.org/news/2017/koichi-nakano---emperor-of-the-sprint-182122

Patrick Sercu has an argument for being the best all-round cycling sprinter. Two Sprint World Championships, Olympic kilo, 88 x six day wins plus 6 x Tour stages and 11 x Giro stages.
https://www.cyclinglegends.co.uk/index.php/features/short-reads/103-remembering-patrick-sercu

[fd3]

Most successful road sprinter. There are a couple of trackies who would dispute the overall title.

They could, if they wanted heavy mockery.
Because track is only there as a hobby for road cyclists.

Don't know if Chris Hoy is still the most decorated Olympian from the UK, I think he may still have the most golds.  He's a sprinter.  If he tried to argue that he's a greater sprinter than Cav, you'd have to laugh.

[Hot Flatus]

My god that was an amazing bit of team work 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Fuck off fd3.

[fd3]