Mark Cavendish

By Stockers
July 25 2011

Stockers has exchanged his studs for deck shoes and now his deck shoes for Shimano Men's shoes to tell us about an extraordinary achievement...

Just Another Bike Race

Yep, that Tour de France thing.

Those not particularly into cycling (one of GB's most successful sports in recent years) might have missed that Mark Cavendish, a British fella, on Sunday 24 July 2011 became the first ever British fella to win the Green Jersey awarded to the best sprint cyclist on the Tour. In doing so, he won the final stage on the Champs Elysee yesterday to make it 5 stage wins this year and 20 in total in probably the most gruelling sporting event in the world.

Now I remember when this was a rugby site, blah blah etc etc. Why is the Captain twittering (but not Tweeting!) on about cycling?

Well, apart from the sheer individual brilliance of "Cav" in the sprint stages, it is the team effort of his HTC-Highroad team which is just as impressive. Cav is always the first to admit that he wouldn't win toffee if it wasn't for the selfless effort put in by his team mates to deliver this human missile perfectly, ready to explode, just a couple of hundred metres from of the finishing line after more than 190 kms of racing.

It is his team riders who do the hard, unseen work to get Cav the victories. It is they who shield him from the wind, or from the aggressive attentions of other team riders trying to put HTC off of its game plan. It is his team mates who help him get back amongst the pack, or peloton, when he’s had to stop for a puncture. It is Mark Renshaw, Bernie Eisel, Matt Goss, amongst others, who, day in, day out on the sprint stages, get Cav to the front ready and fit to accelerate and blow the opposition away. It is almost so guaranteed that you’d bet your house on it. Well, a fiver at least!

To watch the HTC train of 9 riders stepping up the pace at the front of the peloton, taking turns to break the wind and break their opponents, is to watch a precision team performing to a finely tuned plan.

But when it doesn’t work, as it did a couple of times early on Le Tour 2011, Cav is gutted. He’s let the boys down, failed to finish what they expected of him, what they strove so hard to achieve throughout that long toiling day. But no recriminations. Tomorrow is another day. We’ll do better next time. Learn and move on.

That is the essence of the HTC team. A bunch of 9 guys who are all top riders in their own right but who work together without question to deliver the team goals.

Sadly, Cav will never win the Tour de France overall, never wear the much coveted “Maillot Jaune,” the Yellow Jersey, on the podium in Paris. Cav doesn’t do mountains. In fact he so doesn’t do them that he finished outside the allotted time more than once. Fortunately, so did his main challengers in the sprint points table.

So why take part?

Well, Le Tour is like rugby in so many ways, and not just because of the passionate support in France. It is all things to all men. Or Women. The team ethic is what delivers Mark Cavendish a string of stage victories and, this year, the Green Jersey. Already he is the best sprint cyclist in the world. Official!

But others, different types of cyclists, will prosper in the mountains and on the time trial stages, specialists in those aspects of the sport. Think forwards and backs, runners and kickers, each one different but crucial ingredients in the mix which makes rugby, like Le Tour, so compelling. Even those who toil alone to win at the top of a mountain in the Alps or the Pyrenees will have been helped by unsung team mates, either delivering water from a team car or helping to pace the star rider back to where he needs to be in the pack, ready for the final assault on the summit.

And these boys are fit! Just as top rugby players are almost superhuman these days, pro cyclists are endurance athletes of the top order. Most of them are clean these days (bar the odd cheat), a long way away from the dope fuelled scene that was professional cycling in the last century. But to even think about cycling 150 miles in a day, in the high temperatures of Southern France in July, over 3 or 4 mountains peaking at 8,000 ft plus and still sprint to the finish line is enough to make most ordinary mortals go weak at the knees, just as much as consideration of the mental and physical effort required by our boys in a major Heineken Cup game.

Le Tour and Le Rugby. Different but similar in so many ways. Compelling, fascinating and hugely humbling. Total team efforts with elite riders and “domestiques,” internationals and squad players. When it all falls in to place, each sport is a joy to behold.

Well done Mark Cavendish and HTC-Highroad. Come On You Saints!

JJ Stockham

25 July 2011

Just Another Bike Race

Discussion started by ComeOnYouSaints.com , 25/07/2011 20:31

ComeOnYouSaints.com
25/07/2011 20:31

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Bob Stainsby
26/07/2011 07:39

Thanks for the insight Cap'n interesting and the 'team' aspect is something new to this velocepedeically challenged person.

Top of the League 2014-2015 Season

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ChrisG
26/07/2011 08:05

Good stuff Mr S. I've been lucky enough to have been out in France for Le Tour last week for a stage and got to see the HTC leadout at close quarters (i'll upload some pics later). As well as team work theres a lot of accuracy and efficiency to it too, quite simply once its formed and motoring over the last couple of kms its very hard, nigh impossible, to break into or disrupt it and then they peel off one by one leaving Renshaw to deliver Cav to the last blast and as the fastest man on earth its very hard to stop.

And one other thing it has parallels with rugby with is the camaraderie of the tour followers, all very amiable and friendly. Over the last week i've chatted with Dutch, Norweigian, Yank and Aussie and even the odd Frenchman. I'd recommend anyone to go for the experience.

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St.Rich Joe, Niamh and Sam's Dad
26/07/2011 08:59

Great piece Stockers


The Guardian had a good explanation of the HTC lead out with the roles of diesel, tempo, lead out 3,2&1 and finally the manx missile himself. He rooms with Bernie who he describes as the team's master tactician. His tweet was hilarious the other night...

"Just been sat 20mins on floor of 5th level of hotel, waiting for Bernie to come with room key. I call him, cursing. Our room's on 2nd level."

Cav's Twitter Page

Captain you forgot to mention he's also very lucky in love:

Peta Todd

I would have linked to the Daily Star feature on their post TdF celebrations but feared that the eds may come after me with a big stick!

No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.

Dryathlon

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OldPete
26/07/2011 09:56

Thanks for that Captn -and no need in my view to apologise or nod to the " its a rugby site " purists.

It is a great sporting achievement by Cavendish and his team and by all who participated in this years Tour. Me and the Mrs have been glued to the7pm summaries on ITV4 and thrilled at the sheer cohenes of Voekler , the determination of the Schlecks - the quiet efficiency of Cadel Evans and so much more.

As I have commented on Flat Earth - there are some sports that are so much more than others in terms of physical effort , edurance , skills , teamwork and , courage

Le Tour has all of these.

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Christy
26/07/2011 14:34

very good resume Stockers. I didn't realise so many of you were watching Le Tour as well - it sort of took over my afternoons this year, and I would recommend to anyone next year to record the programmes on ITV4 from 1 or 2 pm, so you can see the race progress: the evening highlights really don't have the time to do some stages, like the mountain ones, full justice.

And as I posted on Flatt Earth, Cavendish and the Sky team are announced as being in the preview of the Olympics road race on Sunday 14th August this year, starting at the Mall at 9 am to Box Hill and back. Can't believe they can go all that way by 12.10!!
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