# Cavendish....



## sjhiker (May 14, 2010)

I'm just a casual watcher, don't know much about the teams or anything else other than than what the announcers tells us. I do know that I like that versus has great coverage rather than the BS of ABC/NBC/CBS used to do in years past.

Anyhow... I'm completely blown away with the sprinting ability of Cavendish. What's his secret? Is it that he launches his final attack just at the right time and everyone has to react, or is he just that much faster that if someone attacked before he did, he'd still catch them at the line? While the road level camera makes it look like his sprints are close, when they show it from above, he's often 10-15ft ahead of second place.

Also, is there a way to compare sprinters from different generations? Even more recently could Mark complete with Mark Zabel?

btw, I found a great page with all sorts of TdF records here.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

Cavendish does canoe sprints in his spare time? Amazing guy...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Zabel


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## albert owen (Jul 7, 2008)

Cavendish is the World's Best Sprinter. 15 stage wins in 3 TdFs is simply amazing.

His ability has been questioned on the Forum: Statements that he only wins because of Hincapie or Renshaw or his Train or whatever, have been regularly trotted out by our resident "experts". He has proved himself over and over - What a Man.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*he's won*

with a lead out and with out
his only weakness is if he's not in position to win, he shuts down
had he finished the 2 sprints Petacchi won he'd have taken more points and would be wearing green.
He shuts it down and goes from 3rd to 10th, he needs to finish every sprint regardless if he wants the vert


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

Cav does seem to be the real deal instead of great for a year or two. He needs to get more consistent for green though.


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## a_avery007 (Jul 1, 2008)

Pettachi will likely have to hand over the Green in more than one way soon enough.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

sjhiker said:


> I'm just a casual watcher, don't know much about the teams or anything else other than than what the announcers tells us. I do know that I like that versus has great coverage rather than the BS of ABC/NBC/CBS used to do in years past.
> 
> Anyhow... I'm completely blown away with the sprinting ability of Cavendish. What's his secret? Is it that he launches his final attack just at the right time and everyone has to react, or is he just that much faster that if someone attacked before he did, he'd still catch them at the line? While the road level camera makes it look like his sprints are close, when they show it from above, he's often 10-15ft ahead of second place.
> 
> ...


ERIK zabel? he's now Cav's coach/mentor. i'm guessing in a straight up sprint, Cav would just get him, but zabel was very fast for a number of years.


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## DonDenver (May 30, 2007)

Maximus_XXIV said:


> He needs to get more consistent for green though.


Why? It’s a points jersey not a sprinters jersey. Sprint stage wins trump green jerseys as it’s an end game not a middle of the event side show. Cav will eventually seek green once his legs age a bit as he’ll be savvy enough to pose on podium for years to come :wink5:


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## pdh777 (Oct 7, 2005)

Don't know about sprinters from different eras - but Cav is as fast as it gets right now.

BTW - it's Eric Zabel. FWIW, Zabel won a lot of races. Towards the end of his career (the last 2-3 years of it) he got a lot of 2nd through 7th places (even at the tour) - he was no longer fast enough to win, but if you watched him he was always in the right place to have a chance to win. Consistently the best positioned sprinter in the feild.


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

Why is Cav so fast?

Good DNA, hard work and a huge will to win.
He has proven on a number of occassions that when he is feeling good, a lead-out train just makes it easier, but he wins without it if need be.

The OPs observation that when Cav wins, it's often by a wide margin (ie. three or more cycle lengths in front of second) - that is pretty amazing.

Congrats to Cav for another successful TdF!


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

sjhiker said:


> What's his secret?


Beyond his genetics, his experience racing BMX and track. Excellent instinct for where to locate himself, when to make a move, etc. Also a very explosive, aerodynamic position on the bike.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

DonDenver said:


> Why? It’s a points jersey not a sprinters jersey. Sprint stage wins trump green jerseys as it’s an end game not a middle of the event side show. Cav will eventually seek green once his legs age a bit as he’ll be savvy enough to pose on podium for years to come :wink5:


Green gets much publicity as well. It is the desert to the stage wins and all the sprinters want it.


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

DonDenver said:


> Why? It’s a points jersey not a sprinters jersey. Sprint stage wins trump green jerseys as it’s an end game not a middle of the event side show. Cav will eventually seek green once his legs age a bit as he’ll be savvy enough to pose on podium for years to come :wink5:


Going into last year's TdF Cavendish said the goal was stage wins.

This year he said the goal was the Green Jersey.

Just sayin'.

JSR


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## eddya (Aug 7, 2009)

Well, I have to hand it to the man. Last year I thought he was nobody without his leadout train, and with Renshaw being sent home this year I thought Cav was a goner. Boy did he prove me wrong. Great sprinter. He made the Champs Elysees win look so easy.


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## bolandjd (Sep 12, 2008)

Cav is incredible! The highlight of this year's tour, if you ask me. Seriously, Contidor wins without winning a singel stage? Yaaaaaawn. Great strategy, blah, blah, blah. Show me some action. How is it that Cav wins nothing except bragging rights (and lots of endorsement money, no doubt) for winning five stages? There jerseys and awards and special colored numbers and other gee-jaws for everybody EXCEPT the guy who actually wins the most? Must be a French thing.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*yup*



pdh777 said:


> Don't know about sprinters from different eras - but Cav is as fast as it gets right now.
> 
> BTW - it's Eric Zabel. FWIW, Zabel won a lot of races. Towards the end of his career (the last 2-3 years of it) he got a lot of 2nd through 7th places (even at the tour) - he was no longer fast enough to win, but if you watched him he was always in the right place to have a chance to win. Consistently the best positioned sprinter in the feild.


Zabel would be who I would want for a coach
position, timing and longevity
and yes he has more Verts than anyone

Zabel's first lesson. "Mark you need to sprint for 3rds, 4ths, whatever. Quit sitting up if you are not in front"


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

JSR said:


> Going into last year's TdF Cavendish said the goal was stage wins.
> 
> This year he said the goal was the Green Jersey.
> 
> ...


I can't find the quote at the moment, but I remember he said specifically at one point that if he didn't win the Green Jersey this year, the Tour will have been a "failure".


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

bolandjd said:


> How is it that Cav wins nothing except bragging rights (and lots of endorsement money, no doubt) for winning five stages?


8000 Euro per stage victory isn't exactly NBA money, but I'd take it.

The Tour releases the points schedule when they announce the route, it's no secret, so if Cavendish really wants a green jersey he'll have to work for it.


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## ksanbon (Jul 19, 2008)

albert owen said:


> Cavendish is the World's Best Sprinter. 15 stage wins in 3 TdFs is simply amazing.
> 
> His ability has been questioned on the Forum: Statements that he only wins because of Hincapie or Renshaw or his Train or whatever, have been regularly trotted out by our resident "experts". He has proved himself over and over - What a Man.


I was one of those who thought that because HTC always seemed to put him in perfect position to win.
I was wrong. As mentioned in this thread, he has a great timing, a uncanny sense of where to postion himself, and he's unbelieveably fast.


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## tinkerbeast (Jul 24, 2009)

where are all the cav haters at? just to stir the pot a bit, here is something to consider: when your mail rivals are old man petacchi, out of form thor and injured farrar, it doesnt take much to be the dominant sprinter in the bunch..... *ducks*


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## euro-trash (May 1, 2004)

tinkerbeast said:


> where are all the cav haters at? just to stir the pot a bit, here is something to consider: when your mail rivals are old man petacchi, out of form thor and injured farrar, it doesnt take much to be the dominant sprinter in the bunch..... *ducks*


True, but he had the follow-through to ensure this was the case. He systematically got rid of all his serious competition via a series of wrecks. He wouldn't have won 5 if HH and Boonen were at the Tour.


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## cbk57 (Aug 12, 2009)

I think the caliber of the green jersey contest has improoved in recent years. When Zabel was winning the green jersey some of the sprinting stars like Chipolini would quit as soon as the Moutains were near. As a result a consistent guy like Zabel could win. Now sprinters are fighting it out all the way and if you have one or two bad days your out of green. The last two years Cavendish had a bad day just a couple times and there goes the jersey.


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

It's genetics,
He was born with a rocket in his ass!


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

euro-trash said:


> True, but he had the follow-through to ensure this was the case. He systematically got rid of all his serious competition via a series of wrecks. He wouldn't have won 5 if HH and Boonen were at the Tour.


Boonen and Haussler would not have threatened Cav's sprints AT ALL - they do not have nearly enough speed to match him.


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## tone12 (Feb 4, 2007)

pretender said:


> Beyond his genetics, his experience racing BMX and track. Excellent instinct for where to locate himself, when to make a move, etc. Also a very explosive, aerodynamic position on the bike.


Yes, he's so much lower than the other sprinters. My guess is that he's not putting out any more watts than the other top guys, he just does the most with them with his aero position.


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## DonDenver (May 30, 2007)

RRRoubaix said:


> I can't find the quote at the moment, but I remember he said specifically at one point that if he didn't win the Green Jersey this year, the Tour will have been a "failure".


Yes he did say that...contract milestones talking


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

pretender said:


> Beyond his genetics, his experience racing BMX and track. Excellent instinct for where to locate himself, when to make a move, etc. * Also a very explosive, aerodynamic position on the bike*.


This also comes from the track. You just need to be in the right position on the track if you want to go anywhere at all. You also need to be explosive and powerful to gain a gap or for when you are coming from behind.


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

pdh777 said:


> BTW - it's Eric Zabel. FWIW, Zabel won a lot of races. Towards the end of his career (the last 2-3 years of it) he got a lot of 2nd through 7th places (even at the tour) - he was no longer fast enough to win, but if you watched him he was always in the right place to have a chance to win. Consistently the best positioned sprinter in the feild.


Get it right man, ERIK Ja??
http://www.erik-zabel.net/


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