As if he hasn't already turned the cycling world on its back with an astounding victory last season at Milan-San Remo and 29 season wins, Mark Cavendish has declared that he'd like to win the Tour of Flanders within the next four seasons. Never mind that he has never ridden the race, Cavendish, in his typical brash style, has made it clear that he expects, not hopes, to win the race in the coming seasons.
Before Cavendish makes such far-reaching claims though, he should at least ride the race first. As tough as Milan-San Remo is, the Tour of Flanders is a completely different race, one that favors the truly hard men of cycling. With steep bergs and cobbles throughout, the Ronde is a beast for riders like Boonen, Cancellara, and Devolder. For Cavendish, it could be a season ending event.
Riding the cobbles is a talent that comes with years of practice. Weight distribution, bike handling, and peloton positioning all take on new meaning in a race like Flanders. One moment's indecision can see a rider dropped from the main group or pitched head-over-heels onto the cobbles, with a broken knee, helmet, bike . . . or worse. Likewise, the power required to traverse the cobbles is humbling, as a rider finds themselves bumping and bouncing over the rough terrain.
Mark Cavendish is capable of amazing feats on a bike. He can sprint with the best in the world and has even proved that he has what it takes to maintain contact on smaller climbs. But taking on Flanders is not a joking matter, and certainly not to be taken lightly. Perhaps once he actually rides the race Cavendish will change his mind about expecting w=to win it over the next few seasons. Until then though, the cobbles and bergs of Flanders patiently await the fastest man in the world.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Cobbled Cavendish? Manxman Sets Sights On Future Ronde Victory
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
I guess it is good to have goals, but I agree that Cavendish doesn't look like a likely winner of the tour of flanders. He appears to be abit light for cobbled classics and riding well on that stuff seems to be inate gift. I haven't seen a bunch sprint at at Flanders in my memory and I certainty wouldn't work with him if he was in my group. I think Paris- Tours would be a more reasonable goal and one he could even pull off this year
I think harry dog gets it right: Cav probably isn't well-suited for the cobbles, whether of Roubaix or of Flanders. I also don't think he's right for the bergs of Flanders. The thought of Cav on the Muur does not fill me with confidence regarding his prospects. Sharp climb after sharp climb in rapid succession isn't a parcourse made for Him.
Paris-Tours -- yeah, that's the ticket!
Post a Comment