Tour de France 2024

[mecheng89]

1 hour ago, DJR said:

I am an old Eddy Merckx fan (yes, I know he doped) and I suspect even he may be secretly amazed at what Cavendish did..........but then...........if you consider that Eddys' stage wins came from mountain stages, sprints and time trials (not just sprints) and that he won all the jerseys (green, polka and yellow), ........perhaps The Cannibal is still the greatest? Besides, having a nickname like "Sir" is just lame. 😉 

Ps. Tongue in cheek warning

This is exactly why I think Cav's stage victories mean nothing to me. 

Don't get me wrong, Cav's achievement is most certainly noteworthy, but shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath. 

We shall see at the end of Pogi's career, then we will be able to compare the two.

[mecheng89]

3 hours ago, Mongoose! said:

definitely not Eddy... 

I don't think Eddy cares too much. One record may have fallen, but there are still SO many out there for the taking, some which may never go. I mean, who has an hour record AND a grand tour overall win (multiple, mind you)? 

[The Ouzo]

I'm going to have to catch a highlight or replay of the last 15 minutes of yesterday. The streaming service I was using decided to give up right when things were getting exciting.

Landed up watching the time gaps on the app on my phone.

[Jewbacca]

I'd say that Cav winning 35 is MORE impressive as he only had 1 way to win a stage. 

Merckx may have been a more complete rider but this gave him opportunity to win ITT, Mountain, Sprint etc so had far more opportunity to win during every grand tour.

Cav HAD to win in a flat sprint.

So, in terms of 'complete rider' then ja, but winning more through only 1 avenue shows his crazy ability, determination and longevity in the sport.

I don't think anyone is comparing them as riders. That would be ridiculous.

He has now won more stages, the end. It's US who seem to try to draw a parallel that doesn't exist

[Mook]

8 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

I'd say that Cav winning 35 is MORE impressive as he only had 1 way to win a stage. 

Merckx may have been a more complete rider but this gave him opportunity to win ITT, Mountain, Sprint etc so had far more opportunity to win during every grand tour.

Cav HAD to win in a flat sprint.

So, in terms of 'complete rider' then ja, but winning more through only 1 avenue shows his crazy ability, determination and longevity in the sport.

I don't think anyone is comparing them as riders. That would be ridiculous.

He has now won more stages, the end. It's US who seem to try to draw a parallel that doesn't exist

Agree with @Jewbacca. In 30 years time the 35 stage wins will stand behind sir Cav's name ..................... not the fact that it was probably as a result of 35 mad dashes to the white line over the last 200 meters of 200km'ish stages.

Impressive nevertheless to put #35 in the bag at age 38. The laaities around him were like blood hounds after a three legged rabbit.

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, Mook said:

at age 38

This is what is more impressive for me, in sport its often thought that after 30 you're to old to be at the top, let alone still break records

[DieselnDust]

25 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

I'd say that Cav winning 35 is MORE impressive as he only had 1 way to win a stage. 

Merckx may have been a more complete rider but this gave him opportunity to win ITT, Mountain, Sprint etc so had far more opportunity to win during every grand tour.

Cav HAD to win in a flat sprint.

So, in terms of 'complete rider' then ja, but winning more through only 1 avenue shows his crazy ability, determination and longevity in the sport.

I don't think anyone is comparing them as riders. That would be ridiculous.

He has now won more stages, the end. It's US who seem to try to draw a parallel that doesn't exist

Cav is the winningest sprinter .

Merckx is the winningest GC rider

different categories hence we have the green jersey and the yellow jersey.

[NotSoBigBen]

I would posit that it's more 'dangerous/chaotic', in fact a lottery even if you will, to win a sprint ... just for that I am in awe of what Cav has achieved.

[Frosty]

The semi-correct thing would be to compare Cavendish to other sprinters, and you’ll see that he’s a country mile ahead of other sprinters. If it was that easy, there would be more sprinters winning 20+ stages, but they aren’t.

Cavendish was also left out of teams in his career, given that he wasn’t performing. 

The nearest (known) sprinter is Kittel… on 14. That’s 20 less than CAXXXV

[DieselnDust]

How many fun ride stages did Lance not officially win?

[DJR]

Just to make sure I don't get shot through the ear by an angry Cavendish fan, I am in awe of what he did and I admire him tremendously. Oh, and I know it is impossible to compare him to Merckx. Even just the decades in between them makes it nonsensical. 

[peepeekaitjie]

12 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

How many fun ride stages did Lance not officially win?

22

['Dale]

Respect.

The TDF 2024 Overachiever Award goes to:

Pic: ASO

[BuffsVintageBikes]

such a great photo 🫡

[Vetplant]

After winning at #TdF2024, Tadej Pogačar "cancelled his performance because he was too tired" #paris2024 He will be replaced by Domen Novak in Slovenia's top four in the road race on Saturday, August 3

(I'm telling you guys... vuelta is going to happen) 

 

 

[DieselnDust]

29 minutes ago, Vetplant said:

After winning at #TdF2024, Tadej Pogačar "cancelled his performance because he was too tired" #paris2024 He will be replaced by Domen Novak in Slovenia's top four in the road race on Saturday, August 3

(I'm telling you guys... vuelta is going to happen) 

 

 

maybe more of a silent protest against the corruption of the Ladies road race selection