Cav's on a diet: Here's why

[raindog]

He also did bidon carrying duties on non-sprint days - nice to see the rainbow jersey stuffed with bottles.
Can't ever remember seeing Cipollini do that, but could be wrong.

 

[yello]

Cav has been struggling to get over the mountains in the GTs lately and almost got DQed in last years tour.

Equally, I recall one stage in last year's tour (not a hugely mountainous stage, admitted, but none-the-less) where he surprised the hell out of everyone by finishing well ahead of the grupetto. As he trundled across the finish line, pretty much alone as I recall, the commentators where aghast! "Who's that? Cavendish!" It wasn't what was expected... it might have been the day before the near DQ

 

[ColinJ]

Cav has taken overall victory in the Ster ZLM
Is this a glimpse of the future for the new lightweight Cav?
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...kes-career-first-gc-win-in-ster-zlm-toer.html

That's great!

I'd be happy to see him win only 50% of what he used to win, but be challenging for wins in races that were previously too hard for him. I often find pure sprint stages a bit dull, unless crashes or crosswinds liven them up a little.

I always thought Cav looked a few kgs too heavy and that's why the big climbs were a problem for him. I'll be fascinated to see what he can do now.

 

[smutchin]

It's great news for the long term but it'll be a shame to lose the "Manx Missile" side of his racing.

d.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

It's great news for the long term but it'll be a shame to lose the "Manx Missile" side of his racing

I'm sure he'll still be able to do this now and again, but I think he'll have more career longevity if he can get over the hills and still be there at the end. As someone else said earlier, this will also make him a stronger classics contender.

 

[uphillstruggler]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/mobile/cycling/18508991

This could be the reason.

 

[smutchin]

Interesting that he's saying it's for this year only rather than a long-term change of strategy. Maybe he's just not saying much about the future at all...

What are the chances of him having a stab at retaining his world title? It's a very flat course again this year, isn't it?

d.

 

[raindog]

I thought it had a killer climb near the end?

 

[smutchin]

Googles... OK, seems I was mistaken about the flatness of the route...

Am I reading this right - they have to do the Cauberg ten times?
http://www.limburg2012.nl/section.php?sid=items_en&items_vmd=svw&items_id=parcoursen

I think even a slimmed down Cav might struggle with that one.

d.

 

[gb155]

Googles... OK, seems I was mistaken about the flatness of the route...

Am I reading this right - they have to do the Cauberg ten times?
http://www.limburg2012.nl/section.php?sid=items_en&items_vmd=svw&items_id=parcoursen

I think even a slimmed down Cav might struggle with that one.

d.

Bloody hell! 10 Times ???

 

[ColinJ]

Bloody hell! 10 Times ???

The World's RR always seems to include lots of laps of a shortish circuit which is great for spectators and obviously why it is organised that way. If there are one or two tough hills per lap, it makes for a very hard race!

The UCI mix it up a bit so some years the circuit is very hard, and some years not so tough. It gives all different types of rider a fair chance to win over the years.

In this case, they have put in a 100 km section before the circuit and that is why the elite men are only doing 10 laps!

 

[smutchin]

Read a comment elsewhere comparing the new-look Cav to Sean Kelly. What does the panel think of that? A truly exciting prospect if that's the kind of rider he's hoping to become.

d.

 

[raindog]

A truly exciting prospect if that's the kind of rider he's hoping to become.

But in that beeb interview he seemed to hint that it was temporary........
"It is worth it this one year, especially when the team is concentrating on the GC. It is worth doing that for the Olympics."

 

[ColinJ]

I thought that too, but perhaps success in hillier races will change his mind ...

Obviously I don't know how a top pro's mind works, but I reckon I would happily swap 3 or 4 GT sprint stage wins for something like a Tour of Flanders victory!

 

[smutchin]

True but... as mentioned upthread, if he wants to prolong his career at the top level beyond the next few years, he'll have no choice but to reinvent himself to some extent.

d.