# Cavendish is a quitter



## DaveW88 (Sep 3, 2006)

If he does not get a perfect lead-out, or if someone challenges him in the last 200 meters he gives up. Compared to Sagan who charges through regardless.


----------



## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

Not true. Cavendish has demonstrated several times in recent years that he can do quite well without a good leadout. One sprint victory of his in last year's Tour was extraordinary. 

Cavendish crashed and chased quite hard the other day. He did well to place fourth after it.


----------



## captain stubbing (Mar 30, 2011)

are u serious?!
bet you've jut started watching racing this week?

u don't have 24 TDF stage victories being a quitter. whilst with Sky, he very rarely got a decent leadout and had many victories.


----------



## rcharrette (Mar 27, 2007)

Ugh no, Cav is the best pure sprinter of his generation and has shown time and again he can win with or without a team (more with a team of course).


----------



## C6Rider (Nov 15, 2008)

*Did you watch last year's TdF?*



DaveW88 said:


> If he does not get a perfect lead-out, or if someone challenges him in the last 200 meters he gives up. Compared to Sagan who charges through regardless.


I'm certainly not a Cavendish fan...but he was amazing in last year's TdF, with or without a lead out.


----------



## wilki (Jun 9, 2004)

I'm guessing you're making your judgement off of yesterday's stage. What you failed to notice is that Cav crashed and had to chase back up to the front and then started his sprint significantly earlier than the other three. He has shown time after time that he can win with a lead out or freelancing. Love or hate him he is the best sprinter of currently.


----------



## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

Mark Cavendish sprint for the finish line, Tour de France 20-07-12 - YouTube

From about 10 riders back. I like the helicopter footage that starts at 2:47.


----------



## gusmahler (Apr 7, 2012)

While I think that "quitter" is a very strong term for Cavendish, I do understand where OP is coming from. He sat up in stage 6, which possibly cost him 3rd place. Sagan is so concerned about winning the points jersey that he always races until he hits the line. Cavendish is only concerned about winning stages and that could cost him the points jersey.

It almost certainly did in last year's Giro. There was one stage there where, just like stage 6, Cav sat up once he realized he wasn't going to win and settled for 4th place, instead of fighting for 3rd. Cav ended up losing the points jersey by one point.


----------



## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

gusmahler said:


> While I think that "quitter" is a very strong term for Cavendish, I do understand where OP is coming from. He sat up in stage 6, which possibly cost him 3rd place. Sagan is so concerned about winning the points jersey that he always races until he hits the line. Cavendish is only concerned about winning stages and that could cost him the points jersey.
> 
> It almost certainly did in last year's Giro. There was one stage there where, just like stage 6, Cav sat up once he realized he wasn't going to win and settled for 4th place, instead of fighting for 3rd. Cav ended up losing the points jersey by one point.


Nevermind. Not worth the words. Please follow the whole race and read what is happening before making judgements.


----------



## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

spookyload said:


> Nevermind. Not worth the words. Please follow the whole race and read what is happening before making judgements.


But it's SOOoooOOoo much easier to watch one event out of context and make gross generalizations!
:lol:


----------



## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

Cav IS the best Sprinter many of us are likely to see in some time - with or with-out a lead-out train. Every dog has his day, but among the sprinting classes - Mark Cavendish is the Big Dog - ask them if you doubt it.


----------



## Cyclin Dan (Sep 24, 2011)

DaveW88 said:


> If he does not get a perfect lead-out, or if someone challenges him in the last 200 meters he gives up. Compared to Sagan who charges through regardless.


You can't be serious...


----------



## Cyclin Dan (Sep 24, 2011)

thechriswebb said:


> Mark Cavendish sprint for the finish line, Tour de France 20-07-12 - YouTube
> 
> From about 10 riders back. I like the helicopter footage that starts at 2:47.


One of my favorites. Thanks for posting.


----------



## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

thechriswebb said:


> Mark Cavendish sprint for the finish line, Tour de France 20-07-12 - YouTube
> 
> From about 10 riders back. I like the helicopter footage that starts at 2:47.


I don't watch a lot of YouTube, but if I did, this is one I'd watch.


----------



## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

The shake of the head by Luis Leon Sanchez, I think, from Rabobank is just classic.


----------



## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

anyone in doubt this is july?


----------



## DaveW88 (Sep 3, 2006)

Cyclin Dan said:


> You can't be serious...


Probably not, but it did provoke some discussion


----------



## GasX (Jul 7, 2013)

The final stage of the 2009 tour is a classic too. The perfect lead out by Hincapie and Renshaw. Renshaw seals it with the way he takes the final turn, but Cavendish puts a big fat exclamation point on the finish.

Mark Cavendish wins on the Champs Élysées - YouTube


----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

DaveW88 said:


> If he does not get a perfect lead-out, or if someone challenges him in the last 200 meters he gives up. Compared to Sagan who charges through regardless.


I don't know what footage you're watching but I watch 'em all live and he's probably about 50/50 with his wins - with & without a leadout. I can't imagine what his win/loss ratio of sprint wins is but it's got to be about 80% at least. Dunno where you get the "gives up" from. He's the most driven natural winner I've seen in many decades of watching bike racing.


----------



## kmunny19 (Aug 13, 2008)

to me, he seems like the worst he does in the "quitter" examples is to choose his battles. I think he's got a fairly deep level of thought before and during a stage as to how important it is for him to go, and when. If it looks bad because something got screwed up, he may save some energy, even if it seems minute to us. If it looks bad because its tough placement and tough competition, he kicks butt. 

I'm not a huge fan, but I like more and more how he seems to be a thinker and a self realist. And he's a beautiful thing to see in action.


----------



## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

thechriswebb said:


> Mark Cavendish sprint for the finish line, Tour de France 20-07-12 - YouTube
> 
> From about 10 riders back. I like the helicopter footage that starts at 2:47.


I say he's a quitter! He also doesn't seem to get much joy from winning ...
View attachment 283683


----------



## gusmahler (Apr 7, 2012)

This is what the OP was talking about:

Giro d'Italia 2012 - Stage 11 - Final kilometers (incl. Modolo crash) - YouTube

He was solidly in third place, realized he wasn't going to win, and sat up. He ended up in fourth place. He lost the points jersey by one point. Had he not sat up, he would have won the points jersey. (And you can't say that's wishful thinking. The person who won the points jersey didn't care about the points jersey. He just happened to win it because the Giro gives the same number of points for flat stages and mountain stages).


----------



## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

spookyload said:


> Nevermind. Not worth the words. Please follow the whole race and read what is happening before making judgements.


Agreed.

Video can sometimes be deceiving too. Cav is possibly the greatest ever at reading a race. He can tell if it is worth going for or not. Listen to some of the post race interviews, he knows where all his rivals are, what the terrain is etc.

Another thing I notice is he can tell exactly how fast everyone around him is going. Sometimes he actually brakes before crossing the line because he knows he will be there first.

Addendum: his World Championship came after being completely boxed in and isolated. When I watched it it looked like it was all over for him. Yet he won.


----------



## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Re the Giro stage: at 2:35 G you can see Thomas pull his foot out of his pedal and Cav, who is tucked in behind has to slow down. The two in front get a gap of several bike lengths. Cav nearly overhauls one of them.

Where exactly does he "sit up"?
He sprints all the way to the line.


----------



## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Cavendish quit the tour?!


----------



## flyrunride (May 2, 2012)

I can't wait to see how much more of a quitter he will be once Renshaw leads him out in 2014....Then again which sprinter in this generation has as much stage wins as Cav in TdF? And which british rider has as much too?


----------

