posted Jul 14, 2009

Cav was class but I have my doubts about him winning the green jersey.

He is the fastest sprinter no doubt and his team are superb. But you need that something extra to win green. Thor looks strong

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posted Jul 15, 2009

What Cav has is a whole team willing to support him and that will hopefully get him through the Alps and onto victory on the Champs Elysee. It's brilliant having someone like him representing GB as he is truly world class and seven stage wins in what is effectively 2 half TdeF's so far is amazing. He may come across as arrogant and smart but he is quick to praise the work his team is doing for him.

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posted Jul 15, 2009

Green could be called the 'Most Powerful Rider' competition. And Cav isn't the most powerful rider in this year's TdF - he's the fastest, which isn't the same thing.

But Green will still be close - Cav would give it up to get the win on the Champs Elysee, so he won't go chasing intermediates. But Tor will have to keep coming second... What Cav needs, and hasn't happened, is the other sprinters to start performing and take points off Tor.

Though Boonen has provided lots of entertainment - sorry tgsgirl!

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posted Jul 15, 2009

if cav keeps winning and thor keeps getting seconds then cav will win as he gets 5 more points per stage so he will win green if he keeps this trend up

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posted Jul 15, 2009

in response to Paolo, I also love the way that after each of his stage wins, he goes to seek out a many teammates as possible to thank them for their help. Yep he has a streak of arrogance ,which the top sprinters NEED: they need to believe they are the fastest, check up his win in the Milan-San Remo classic, he bridges a massive gap in the last few metres, you need huge self-belief to do that!

Also he'll get angry if he doesn't win, angry with the team if a breakaway gets away, angry with himself if he's outsprinted, but that again is just his massive will to win shining through.

Hope he can get green, but TBH I'd take a win on les Champs over that anyday, green will come in time, he's still very young (24?)..

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posted Jul 15, 2009

>if cav keeps winning and thor keeps getting seconds then cav will win as he gets 5 more points per stage so he will win green if he keeps this trend up<

Unless Thor pulls a stage 8 on him.

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posted Jul 15, 2009

It's seeming that Thor is gonna win green unless one of two things happens (or maybe both need to happen). 1) Thor doesn't figure in one or two of the sprints that Cav wins or finishes highly in.
2) Columbia send a rider with Thor when he goes for intermediates in the hills and that rider manages to snatch an intermediate sprint or two off him. They tried it the other day (was it Hincapie?!) but he couldn't manage it. Good thinking though.

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posted Jul 15, 2009

Can anyone explain to me why the breakaway seemed to be having a go-slow protset? Why not stay in the peleton?

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posted Jul 15, 2009

Hamster
There's only on Columbia rider who could outsprint Thor, and that's Cav. The better option is (as has happened most days), to allow a break to go including 'harmless' riders, and let them take up the intermediate sprints before reeling them in just before the finish.

I do think though that Cav is less interested in the green jersey than on winning the stage in Paris, for which it is essential that he doesn't waste energy either chasing a couple of points here and there, or in the Alpine stages. I think he'd be very happy if he won green, but I think it will be based on his stage wins rather than trying to accumulate points throughout.

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posted Jul 15, 2009

But if Columbia send a power domestique type out for intermediates? They can't beat Thor in a sprint, but they could get ahead and to a sprint point first, no?

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