Is Cav truly great?

[tigger]

This might seem a bit controversial. Don't get me wrong as I love watching Cav win sprints, I like his spikey "tell it straight" personality and lets face it you can't really question his phenomenal stage win haul. Best sprinter of his generation? For sure. Best ever? Possibly.

But I can't help getting increasingly frustrated with his one dimensional ability. He cannot win without huge team effort and generally speaking (with a few exceptions admittedy) he can only figure at the end of flat stages. Indeed, his climbing ability seems to be going from bad to worse despite this being a targetted area of improvement.

So I guess what I'm asking is, regardless of what the history books may show, can we regard Cav as a great cyclist given his lack of all round ability?

 

[Rob3rt]

Yes.

 

[tigger]

Yes.

LOL. Thats that settled then! Care to ellaborate?

 

[raindog]

But I can't help getting increasingly frustrated with his one dimensional ability. He cannot win without huge team effort and generally speaking (with a few exceptions admittedy) he can only figure at the end of flat stages.

He's a pure sprinter, a bit like Cipo.
Pure sprinters can't climb.
And he's proved he can win without a "huge team effort" many times.
Yes, he's great.

 

[mangaman]

I don't see how you can see him as one dimensional.

He won 3 stages in this year's tdf with very little team support - sky were just looking out for Bradley
He has won Milan San Remo, which is nominally a sprinter's classic but quite hilly at the end
He's won the green jersey
He's won the road racing world champs
He's won the Madison worlds twice

 

[thom]

I think over time he will morph into a rider with more Classics potential and particularly if he goes to a certain Belgian team who actually know how to win them.
My thoughts would be to enjoy his accumulation of Grand Tour stage wins and sprinter's jerseys for a few years and then look back on his palmares when he's done. You'll really know then but don't get sucked into stereotypical expectations - there are new kids on the block like Sagan and it may be harder to have it all his own way.
I suspect it will be a long time before someone wins 6 stages in the TdF again though.

 

[rich p]

Anyone who has the number of TdF wins alone is up there as a 'great'. Having said that I'm surprised how easily he gets dropped sometimes on an innocuous climb considering the M-SR win. There was a quote recently when Voigt said how well Cav was climbing in some race but it's not apparent at the moment.
Maybe he's sandbagging and he'll climb the cauberg like a gazelle next weekend!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

55th in the all-time greatest list (as of the end of last season) according to my favourite ranking, from the Virtual Musette. He is certainly one of the greatest pure sprinters of all time already, and has shown some signs of being more than this, but he still has plenty of time...

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Bloody hell - was Eddie Merckx really THAT good?!

Yes!

 

[tigger]

55th in the all-time greatest list (as of the end of last season) according to my favourite ranking, from the Virtual Musette. He is certainly one of the greatest pure sprinters of all time already, and has shown some signs of being more than this, but he still has plenty of time...

I like that. No question about Merckx, he could do it all!

 

[rich p]

That's an interesting ranking system for sure. Probably as good as any.
I recall Sean Kelly saying in commentary recently that in his day there were very few riders allowed to be in contention for a GT and it was only the team leader who would be supported.

 

[Smokin Joe]

It's all about winning, and no-one at the moment comes even close to Cavendish when it comes to getting first across the line. No one ever said of Pantani, "Well he's just a climber, he does nothing else".

Merckx was something else, one day races, Grand Tours, six days on the track, cyclo cross, he was hugely successful at them all.

 

[ColinJ]

... I'm surprised how easily he gets dropped sometimes on an innocuous climb considering the M-SR win. There was a quote recently when Voigt said how well Cav was climbing in some race but it's not apparent at the moment.

I was wondering about that watching yesterday's stage of the Tour of Britain!

I'm going to find that quote by JV ... Here it is!

I don't understand how he went so quickly from that climbing form to the GB team having to wait for him every time up Box Hill in the Olympic RR and getting comprehensively dropped on that ToB stage?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I was wondering about that watching yesterday's stage of the Tour of Britain!

I'm going to find that quote by JV ... Here it is!

I don't understand how he went so quickly from that climbing form to the GB team having to wait for him every time up Box Hill in the Olympic RR and getting comprehensively dropped on that ToB stage?

Me too. I was surprised when I learnt Wiggins not Cav had retired - I thought that maybe Cavendish was sick. He also looks like he's put back on all of the weight he'd lost earlier in the year.

 

[tigger]

Who would you say is the better cyclist out of Cav and EBH?