Cav fined

[Keith Oates]

for the two fingered gesture he gave at the Tour of Romandie and his team have pulled him out of the race. It seems a bit OTT to me and although he has apologised to all concerned, it seems it's not only the affects of the teeth problem he has to overcome this year.

 

[darkstar]

I understand it was poor form and a stupid decision but i think people have been making way too much out of this. The frustrations from all his problems this past few months, would have all come out at once.

 

[rich p]

Maybe it was a way of pulling him out of an unnecssary day of slogging over the mountains today, or is that too cycnical!

 

[raindog]

Maybe it was a way of pulling him out of an unnecssary day of slogging over the mountains today, or is that too cycnical!

You reckon he'll do something similar just before they reach the mountains in the TDF?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/8652628.stm
It's a bit over the top imo. I was watching Italian coverage of the tt yesterday, and the commentators read out the apology and added there was no problem anyway as it was a gesture of liberation born out of frustration. But then they would say that I suppose. I mean, Italians tend to make similar gestures all day long.

 

[Stange]

It's a massive over reaction in my opinion. I'd like to know who made it and was Cav aware that is was likely. I don't think it will help team relations. The race is going through the village where my mate lives just outside of Chatel today and he was looking forward to seeing Cav!

 

[rich p]

Maybe HTC saw it as a way of pulling him out of the race without controversy and maybe to pre-empt any possible action by the aauthorities.

 

[iLB]

there's always a bunch sprint for the village sign in Brough on the saturday club run and i got a few laughs for immitating cav as i crossed the line 'V'

 

[Keith Oates]

Maybe HTC saw it as a way of pulling him out of the race without controversy and maybe to pre-empt any possible action by the aauthorities.

I hope you're correct Rich, but I also think it may be the thin edge of the wedge to make way for Grepeil (sp) to take over the No.1 spot in the big races!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[rich p]

I hope you're correct Rich, but I also think it may be the thin edge of the wedge to make way for Grepeil (sp) to take over the No.1 spot in the big races!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think you should worry Keith. The rumour I read is that Greipel would be off somewhere else mid-contract which would enliven the TdF if he should come head to head with Cav!

 

[Rassendyll]

Didn't Cavendish have a go at Brad Wiggins recently along the lines that cycling is a team sport and the team's job is to do as well as possible for the team sponsors.

The logical conclusion, if Cav is capable of making such a mental leap, is that being displayed around the world making offensive gestures with his sponsors' logos on full display is not what they had in mind.

Cavendish seems to want a team to support him but no limit on being able to go off-script when he wants. I just hope he cleans his teeth properly after he has his cake and eats it too.

 

[rich p]

Didn't Cavendish have a go at Brad Wiggins recently along the lines that cycling is a team sport and the team's job is to do as well as possible for the team sponsors.

The logical conclusion, if Cav is capable of making such a mental leap, is that being displayed around the world making offensive gestures with his sponsors' logos on full display is not what they had in mind.

Cavendish seems to want a team to support him but no limit on being able to go off-script when he wants. I just hope he cleans his teeth properly after he has his cake and eats it too.

Funnily enough I heard David Harmon on Eurosport saying that Andy Rihs of BMC, who was the owner of Phonak during the Landis fiasco, said that he sold more hearing aids than ever before after that 'bad' publicity!

 

[Skip Madness]

And Festina made similar claims of their watches during the 1998 saga. Cavendish striking that pose for the cameras is probably gold for the sponsors.

 

[Rassendyll]

So why do neither of them sponsor teams any more - couldn't keep up with demand ?

T-Mobile didn't seem too impressed either.

It doesn't work like that, and Cavendish knows it - or at least he says it to other people.

My point is not only about the action, it's the hypocrisy or stupidity of having a go at someone else by invoking 'it's all for the team' and then doing that a couple of weeks later.

 

[rich p]

So why do neither of them sponsor teams any more - couldn't keep up with demand ?

T-Mobile didn't seem too impressed either.

It doesn't work like that, and Cavendish knows it - or at least he says it to other people.

My point is not only about the action, it's the hypocrisy or stupidity of having a go at someone else by invoking 'it's all for the team' and then doing that a couple of weeks later.

FWIW, Andy Rihs does sponsor another team - BMC!

He wasn't happy about being associated with a doped team but acknowledged that the bad publicity was beneficial to sales.

 

[Skip Madness]

So why do neither of them sponsor teams any more - couldn't keep up with demand ?

I don't know. Why aren't Chipotle sponsoring Garmin any more - tired of being associated with clean cycling? I presume the people at Festina weren't lying about their sales increase, they carried on sponsoring the team for three years after the scandal. They still sponsor several races.

My point is not only about the action, it's the hypocrisy or stupidity of having a go at someone else by invoking 'it's all for the team' and then doing that a couple of weeks later.

I seriously doubt he has done his team any harm.