Eddy Merckx Backing Mark Cavendish There is a reason Why & How it's possible for some of us to break records!...
- Thread starter Anthony.R.Brown
- Start date
-
- Tags
- merckx
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Yeah, they can't win in a straight race, so they have to use tactics on him?
MasterDabber
Über Member
- Location
- Surrey and the Lot in France
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
I posted over in the spoilers thread that Cav had a 50-50 choice which side to try to pass on, once he'd abandoned his train, but he picked the losing side for once.
In interview on bbc one this morning, he blamed himself for abandoning his train, but I didn't think it looked in good position either, after all the chasing they'd done: did anyone?
The multiple attacks by various teams both left and right did create chaos. The speed picked up too early and WVA has speed and endurance. Cav since the 2017 crash has avoided going inside next to the barriers. And there was space. WVA had fantastic lead-out and line from team mate Mike Teunissen.
All in all Cav lost to a better man and team.
All in all Cav lost to a better man and team.
matticus
Guru
Yeah, they weren't able to dominate the last km as planned. Inevitably they'd done all the work in the last 20-30km (apart from G's last-minute spurt :P ), and in Paris that is a LOT of work.
Too many teams were in a position to ambush DQS in the last km, with fresh legs. Cav still had a good chance as they came onto the straight, but so did several others; WvA just happened to be the guy that did the best job - chapeau to him.
(Was he "boxed in"? Well, yes, a bit - but by circumstance, not by cheating rivals.)
Cav is devoted to his current team-mates - I wonder if his interview comment was a little bit for them; make it sound like they hadn't failed him, he just failed to trust them? Maybe ...
Yup, on a different day it could have been a different result.
OP
OP
Anthony.R.Brown
Active Member
It clearly shows in the video how Mike Teunissen on the right at 210 m goes around to the front and joins Wout van Aert
at the front completely blocking Cavendish in,they had already made sure he had no space by the barriers.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCEygANCIWQ
at the front completely blocking Cavendish in,they had already made sure he had no space by the barriers.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCEygANCIWQ
Twilkes
Guru
Not sure why you have such a chip on your shoulder about this, but here's a point where Cavendish could have kicked and taken up the space to the right of van Aert's line, but he didn't, maybe because it was still too far out for him and he would have run out of steam before the line. The rider on the right, Philipsen, went ROUND Teunissen and came back in to hold his previous line near van Aert, and STILL managed to get ahead of Cavendish during that manoeuvre, finishing second. They were two better riders on the day.
MasterDabber
Über Member
- Location
- Surrey and the Lot in France
What am I missing here? Teunissen is WvA's leadout man in this finale, when the time is right he moves out of the way to the right in the way he should and is normal.The rider keeping Cav moving to the right around WvA is Philipsen who is holding his line, as is his right and Cav's only option is to try and go tothe left of WvA,who has left enough room there. Philipsen has absolutely no need or reason to give Cav space to move out.If the roles were reversed, Cav wouldn't have done.
OP
OP
Anthony.R.Brown
Active Member
The clip you showed is showing Cavendish is just a bit far out and he wanted to make sure he got the win,the devious trick that followed allowed Cavendish to get in his normal position as he has done many times before,before he sprints ...and then they played their game and shut him out!
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
My wife expressed similar sentiments. But then she would be the first to admit she knows next to nothing about racing ...
MasterDabber
Über Member
- Location
- Surrey and the Lot in France
I don't think I can be bothered to give you a proper answer to that other than to say they rode a race that suited them and put them in what they considered the best possible possible position.... and both WvA and Philipsen acheived that.
perhaps you'd have liked those nasty men to have slowed down and pulled out of Cav's way so he had a nice unchallenged ride to the line. Pure nonsense.
OP
OP
Anthony.R.Brown
Active Member
Well up until the last sprint they were perfect gentlemen,something changed and just as Wout van Aert said below...
Wout van Aert jokes he'll try to stop Mark Cavendish winning again at Tour de France 'especially for Eddy Merckx'
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...-at-tour-de-france-especially-for-eddy-merckx
