(SPOILER) What, no ToQ thread ?

[Flying_Monkey]

View: http://youtu.be/trVuzZE6HYE


Cav ambushed the lot of them today. How can a guy like him successfully hide in the peloton - well, he managed it.

 

[raindog]

When you think the way Boonen made that race his own, Quickstep must be so chuffed that they can replace an injured Tom with Cav, and still win it.

 

[smutchin]

I loved his post-race interview: "Basically, I used exactly the same tactics as when I won the same stage in 2009." And then laughing at the other teams for starting their final charge from 4km out.

Everyone else: <Weary sigh of resignation to the inevitable>

d.

 

[rich p]

Brilliant. Just to agree with the above comments; comes from nowhere, how do you hide a gold jersey, and why do some of the others start belting their train out from 4km.

 

[Snarf]

Cav was like a phantom in ze night - excellent stuff.

EBH was a great domestique for Sky at the TdF but in the races since then - Beijing, TDU and now Qatar, he's not establishing himself as a dominant force as he wants to do. I reckon if he sticks to being a domestique he could end up being remembered as one of the best.

 

[172traindriver]

Great!!! Love to see the guy win. Hope he puts last year behind him and gets back to totting those TDF stages up.

 

[oldroadman]

I think Cav is just making his rivals look a lot more ordinary than they are. Hutarovich may be a perennial underachiever but he has beaten Cav before, but yesterday he timed his sprint to perfection and still couldn't get past him. I don't recall Cav ever looking this good at this stage of the season. And he's clearly loving every moment of life at OPQS, which you can tell by things like the way he was unruffled by a rider coming off his line and impeding Cav in the run-in on stage 4. A less contented/confident Cav might have sat up at that point and waved his arms in annoyance, but he just swerved round the offender and took the win convincingly.

Greipel is the only rider out there at the moment who's even in the same league as him. Goss is no slouch but he's second division. Degenkolb likewise. Farrar, I feel sorry for - I don't think his heart is in it any more.

d.

Here's a simple situation - you go to a race, and the best you want to do is either win or have a win in your team. You can only beat the others who are riding, who have the same idea. Don't ever get the idea anyone is second division and easily beatable because that way you get beaten when you shouldn't. At this time of the season to be going well and knocking a bit of stuffing out of people is all good psycho-warfare for later. Better to be a watched man than a man nobody needs to watch!

 

[thom]

Cav was like a phantom in ze night - excellent stuff.

EBH was a great domestique for Sky at the TdF but in the races since then - Beijing, TDU and now Qatar, he's not establishing himself as a dominant force as he wants to do. I reckon if he sticks to being a domestique he could end up being remembered as one of the best.

EBH will be looking to perform in the Classics. Making a show in all out sprints is not necessarily the form you need (although Boonen had it last year).
I don't think you label a guy who came 2nd in the Worlds a domestique - he's still pretty young.

 

[ColinJ]

EBH was a great domestique for Sky at the TdF but in the races since then - Beijing, TDU and now Qatar, he's not establishing himself as a dominant force as he wants to do. I reckon if he sticks to being a domestique he could end up being remembered as one of the best.

I just found an old copy of Cycle Sport that I'd forgotten to read at the time. (It was still in its wrapper.) There was an interview with EBH and Eddy Merckx. EM seemed to think that EBH had what it takes to become one of the greats if he lost some weight and really applied himself to the task!

 

[Steve H]

Cav has been pretty awesome to watch. Love these back to back wins and his new team seem to be learning the lead out trade reasonably well. In all honesty though, I'm not sure Cav has had that much competition yet this season. Looking forward to the Lotto vs OPQS battles to come. Greipels team were pretty strong at the Tour Down Under. Will also be interesting to see whether Sagan comes with any form this year - he was very strong and adaptable last year.

 

[BrumJim]

I think that four consecutive wins is a mighty achievement in any stage race. This is class.

 

[smutchin]

Don't ever get the idea anyone is second division and easily beatable because that way you get beaten when you shouldn't.

Of course, but there's a difference between knowing someone isn't as good as you and treating them as if they aren't as good as you. Cav always shows respect for his rivals, which is why he keeps beating them.

Goss isn't as good as Cav, no two ways about it.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Goss isn't as good as Cav, no two ways about it.

Different kind of rider. Goss is not a pure sprinter IMHO. He's more like EBH and Ben Swift (or Boonen for that matter) - a strongman-sprinter. I've always thought he should be concentrating on the (semi-)classics.