Cav Laps the Field in Lleida
by Chris Fontecchio on Sep 9, 2010 12:00 PM EDT
in Vuelta a España
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HTC-Columbia's Mark Cavendish won today's sprint at the Vuelta a Espana in Lleida, Spain with shocking ease, coming clear along with leadout man Matt Goss in the final 500 meters of the race and soloing home with arms raised. Just prior to a right-hand turn at 300 meters to go, Goss accelerated with Cav on his wheel just as the Lampre train was taking its foot off the gas. A gap opened between the two HTC riders and the Quick Step guys, with Tyler Farrar behind them, and the gap opened to a gulf around the turn. Cavendish and Goss completed the spectacle by chatting to each other in the final meters, and Goss could have easily taken second (or first) had he cared to. Kind of a flukey scene, but the takeaway message is, don't follow the Lampre train if Petacchi isn't around.
- Mark Cavendish, HTC
- Tyler Farrar, Garmin-Transitions
- Matt Goss, HTC
- Denis Galimzyanov, Katusha
- Thor Hushovd, Cervelo Test Team
Cavendish should be back in the Puntos lead, with about 9 points or so on Farrar.
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So he really WAS first!!
*pops open the bubbly
Jens! doesn’t have a shadow because he dropped it repeatedly until it retired, climbing into the CSC team car and claiming a stomach ailment.
by dees ees en drama on Sep 9, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Depends if you're drinking to the adjective or to the noun.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Astana now co-sponsored by Target?
I've seen more and more riders shaving their arms these days. I don't know why, really, I'm not tempted--the legs are already too much. It seems to come from Australia. All the Australians have shaved arms.--Matti Breschel, Oct. Cycle Sport
he had to wear that
because he had given his kids his last couple of vino-4-evah jerseys…
by linusvanpelt on Sep 9, 2010 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Greatest-Photo-Evah
Are those really his kids? Is that Bruse’s donkey? Do they not make Vino-4-Evah jersey’s for girls?
Surely Frinking will fit this scene in his montage from the TdF.
"Thanks again, Floyd Landis, Yellow Jersey Wearer: Nuisance Category"
That pic is an instant classic!
I believe Vino has a daughter and twin sons, so it sure looks like his family.
i can't confirm they are actually his kids...
although that is the claim of the source
Awww...Dad looks so proud!
I've seen more and more riders shaving their arms these days. I don't know why, really, I'm not tempted--the legs are already too much. It seems to come from Australia. All the Australians have shaved arms.--Matti Breschel, Oct. Cycle Sport
This was similiar to last years Paris stage
Goss did a perfect leadout and it looked liked it was the QS guy that pretty much fucked everyone else by taking a bad line in the turn and creating the gap. Isn’t Pozatto the one who has the quote about non-sprinters wanting to take part in sprints and making it more dangerous for everyone else?
But no doubt that was some fantastic riding by Goss, he brought Cav from pretty far back and hit the front at the perfect time to set up for the final corner, the rest was easy.
"It was getting colder and colder as we went up. About halfway up, I started to go a little backwards and as I passed Thor he looked at me and said, "If you lose my wheel I will smash you." I took his wheel and found an extra gear." João Correia
That's the role I often play...
the guy fucking everyone up on the crucial turn.
Bunch of slack-jawed faggots around here. This stuff will make you a god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus, just like me - Jens! Voigt, Predator (1987)
heh
this is why I swing to the side at the bottom of steep climbs. Not gonna be that guy…
"Good thing I never said out loud that I was pulling for France, before this all started." -Mark Blacknell
by Chris Fontecchio on Sep 9, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I was thinking the Giro stage 2 years ago
The one where Cav let Greipel win. Or perhaps, the one where Greipel sprinted down Cav.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Sep 9, 2010 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
The takeaway lesson should be: do your fucking homework.
It looked like HTC were the only ones who knew what was coming.
I dunno
It certainly looked like they had a plan and the others were floundering. But there also seemed to be some shitty riding by a few guys who left a gap for the other sprinters… who may or may not have had a plan. Bah, maybe we’re really talking about the same thing after all.
"Good thing I never said out loud that I was pulling for France, before this all started." -Mark Blacknell
by Chris Fontecchio on Sep 9, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
You have to wonder
Why HTC consistantly has such great lead out guys… Ciolek, Renshaw, Goss. All these guys have been fantastic for Cav over the last few years. Is Stapleton that good at finding the right guys, is it practice, motivation, what? Whatever it is, Tyler should try and find out and take notes, because it has to be pretty frustrating to him when Cav gets a free ride to the line.
"It was getting colder and colder as we went up. About halfway up, I started to go a little backwards and as I passed Thor he looked at me and said, "If you lose my wheel I will smash you." I took his wheel and found an extra gear." João Correia
I think it's a self-re-enforcing cycle
Of course they find strong riders but they also have finishers (Cav + Greipel) who have been good at finishing off the good work, then always credit their leadout. That creates a culture of winning and a confidence from the leadout-guys that make them give those last % that make the difference.
Well said on all points.
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
It's probably a combination.
Stapleton does have a habit of going after guys who are good sprinters in their own right, and talks them into accepting a lead out role. I’m sure it helps that HTC also does their best to spread opportunities around—only 4 guys on the team haven’t scored a single VDS point (note: 3 of the 4 are on my team).
Garmin has made an effort to boost their lead out train in the past year or two, and it looked pretty strong earlier in the year.
I've seen more and more riders shaving their arms these days. I don't know why, really, I'm not tempted--the legs are already too much. It seems to come from Australia. All the Australians have shaved arms.--Matti Breschel, Oct. Cycle Sport
"what?"...
Confidence and a bit of a combination of the other things you mentioned. Farrar just strikes me as one of those guys that lacks a little of those intangibles which makes him a perfect candidate for 2nd place.
“a free ride to the line”… bah to that comment, but I get your point with it too.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Clarification
Free ride is obviously an exageration, but my point was that Cav was the only one left with a leadout, and the leadout was perfect. Cav is hard enough to beat outright, but when he is getting better leadouts then everyone else as well. I would think that might be demoralizing to some of the other riders.
"It was getting colder and colder as we went up. About halfway up, I started to go a little backwards and as I passed Thor he looked at me and said, "If you lose my wheel I will smash you." I took his wheel and found an extra gear." João Correia
Good clarification but I knew you were exagerating.
Demoralizing the peloton has it’s consequences too. We saw the Columbia team get dumped on by the peloton at the TdF last year because they were so damn dominant, ..“We’re not helping bring the break back for you guys to demoralize us”.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Farrar thinks too much
and wastes energy fighting what he’s thinking.
Watch when he starts his sprint: his elbows almost always go out. Why? Because he’s trying to make sure he’s got a clear path. Problem is: he’s wasting power fighting for lateral position when he should just be going forward.
I was going to say exactly that... he thinks too much
And I agree, too much wasted time and energy trying (I think) to protect himself.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
I think Cav might be particularly good at working off lead out guys.
but they may also just pay more for sprinting domestiques.
This sprint wasn't that heard to read if you did any recon at all.
Just get in the corner first with your lead-out and your sprinter, and you’ll have it in the bag. And it was like no one else even tried to get into that corner in the lead. Now that’s making it easy. Good job by HTC for doing it right, but the others should’ve paid more attention to the roadbook and sent someone over that final k.
Imho, at least.
But it also took guts.
I think Cav mentioned in the post-race interview that Goss didn’t brake going into the corner, so he didn’t either. He said the same thing about Renshaw and the ’09 Champs-Elysees sprint.
Of course, it could definitely build confidence to check it out thoroughly beforehand. But you still have to have the balls to do it. Geen ballen, geen winst.
I've seen more and more riders shaving their arms these days. I don't know why, really, I'm not tempted--the legs are already too much. It seems to come from Australia. All the Australians have shaved arms.--Matti Breschel, Oct. Cycle Sport
Well yeah, that's why you had to be first.
It’s a lot, a lot harder to go through that corner at 60 kph if there’s guys to your left and right, that’s why you have to take it first. Because your run in is so much faster than the rest there’s no way they can pass you. It takes guts to do it in first, yes, but when you’re in the bunch it’s nigh impossible.
Goss wasted chance
If Farrar somehow edges Cav for the points jersey Goss is going to look stupid for letting Farrar take second there. They might already know that either Cav or TF are going to quit, or just don’t care.
Goss was under my orders to get third to Farrar so I could take the Red Jersey in Phil's predictor game.
Further proof of the power of PDC!
Yes, I will have an Ultra Liberal MoCo Latte please.
I haven't seen the stage yet. Did Hushovd
seem to be sprinting better than in the TdF? Did it seem anything like the “good old days”?
There's video on Sporza (there always is, for the record)
Thor was better, but it’s not very easy to see in the vid.
TY. Unluckily they seem to think that I am geographically unfit to see that video.
Anybody know where (any)one can see clips from the vuelta stages?
There are some up at
I've seen more and more riders shaving their arms these days. I don't know why, really, I'm not tempted--the legs are already too much. It seems to come from Australia. All the Australians have shaved arms.--Matti Breschel, Oct. Cycle Sport
by majope on Sep 10, 2010 5:44 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Also at steephill..
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Big Torr was third into the corner after Cav and Goss
Farrar and Galimzynov were able to come around him. So you could say he had it right technically but there were a few faster than him.
When HTC are good - they are very very good
To have Cav as back up and only play him (reluctantly) post final bend was the culmination of teaching the peloton a lesson from1km out. Truly superb.
And central to it all appears to be the team’s love of doing it. All of them no matter what the year – Mick, TM, Big G, AdamH, Rensh, TJ, Wiggo, Goss, many many more – do it willingly and buzz off it. It’s a pleasure to watch.
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