Mark Cavendish

[sprymantis]

yeah try to beat all the other teams

[thuda1991]

Originally Posted by Weather130

Rasmussen was fired from his team near the end of the 2007 Tour de France and has been without a team ever since. He has had a problem being unavaliable for previous doping tests. Like once he said he was in vacation in Mexico when he really was training for a future race in Italy. His ban ends on July 25, 2009 ensuring he misses the next Tour de France.

You have all your facts right, except him being on vacation in Mexico. He was training, while staying at his wife's family. (Minor detail)

Here's a little research I've done on the subject:

But you're missing one fact: He did get a warning for being on available on the given time, when he was in Italy, which makes it two valid warnings (no, the warnings from Danish Cycling Union doesn't count - I can explain why too) - I watched the press conference. You need three to be out. I don't know what the hell he was doing in Italy, and I don't care. I also know that all his tests under TDF were clean (17 tests).

Originally Posted by skinjim123

wasnt the tour de france full of drug takers last year?

It is every year, as two mountain stages in that pace is humanly impossible.

[Weather130]

Mark Cavendish did it again! He won the 12th stage of the Tour de France becoming the first cyclist to win three stages in a single Tour de France! In other news today we had the 3rd rider disqualified for doping! In protest of the results the dopers team pulled out of the race. I actually think this is a good thing because it proves the system cannot be beaten. If you dope you will be caught.

[thuda1991]

Originally Posted by Weather130

I actually think this is a good thing because it proves the system cannot be beaten. If you dope you will be caught.

they all dope, only some get caught...

[yarnbury11]

No they don't haha. But no wonder Ricco did so well....

[thuda1991]

they do... have you ever tried cycling in those mountains? I have, so i know what I'm talking about.

They have to, on the hardest stages, go over 3 big mountains by bike. They do that with a pace of averagely 16-25 km/h. Now this is actually possible, if your body is really well trained for the task, but that's only one (maybe 2) mountains. But at the end, you'll be so smashed up, you could lay down and die. The day after, your body is so sore, that you can't do anything with it.
They have to dope to perform better, or to be able to complete.

I know a lot about these mountains, I've been there myself, and I'm considered one of the best talents in Denmark when it comes to cycling in the mountains.

[yarnbury11]

Oh, I know about them alright. But alot of people take up cycling because they are born abnormal, which means they suit it. Armstrong had a ridicolously big lung capacity, converting a stupid amount of oxygen into energy. BEst ever rider, he didn't dope. A lot of the riders have higs natural levels of the substances that make them good, and the ones who don't, well, are the ones who cheat. You surely can't be serious that everyone dopes. They are guaranteed to be caught if tested, and every stage winner and leader is routinely tested.

[thuda1991]

Originally Posted by yarnbury11

Oh, I know about them alright. But alot of people take up cycling because they are born abnormal, which means they suit it.

I'm born like that... completely fit for cycling (slim - powerful legs - a great lung capacity - uphill acceleration which only a few can match - etc.)... it's why i can come up with that conclusion... i know these riders are nearly inhuman when it comes to fitness, but that doesn't change my view... i know the leader and the stage winner are tested, but i'm dead serious that everyone are doped, they're just doped in a way, where it's possible to make tests look normal, or on the limit of what's allowed (it's called blood doping)... Armstrong didn't need doping, because of the way he was (he was physically rebuilt for the big races, after his cancer - if you've seen a picture of him before the cancer, he looks totally different)...

BTW, I see Eddy Merckx as the greatest rider ever...

[den525player]

i love tour de france!! GO CADEL EVANS!!

Mark Cavendish is a great sprinter im pretty sure he will win his 4th stage tonight (euro afternoon), i was quite disappointed with Ricardo Ricco, he seemed freakishly strong up those mountains, but than the doping explains it. He is only 24 why does he need to dope? the other 2 riders that got busted were both well into their 30s, which you can sort of understand why they did it, because they want to be like 10 years ago

As to "doping" riders are doing the limits but not epo etc. It is stupid to dope at the tour de france because if you win a stage you will get tested, and whats the point of doping if you don't even win? lol and now with the new laws in france, they have to go to jail!

[Weather130]

Mark Cavendish must be super human or something as he just won his 4th stage of the Tour de France. Before this year no one had won more than two stages in a single year. What I was most impressed with Mark today is the fact he was boxed in with about 400 m to go and still won the stage!

[thuda1991]

Cavendish is a typical sprinter (except his age), He's really strong with a good acceleration on the flat. And that he's able to push himself through a crowd. He'll win the green jersey some times in his career, maybe even beat Zabel's record.

[den525player]

Mark Cavendish sprints like Robbie McEven a few years ago. Great stuff... hopefully he is not using EPO... too bad whoever is winning will always have the doubt that he might be doping... i really can't wait till the alps. It will be very exciting. hopefully Cadel will be in Yellow after the alps or a minute or 2 behind, because he is probably the best time trialist out of his main rivals

Does anyone miss the team time trial? i really liked that before, and time deduction for winning each sprint or mountain. Now it is slightly boring how the pelaton just rides steadily for like 5-6 days of the race. and we hardly see one of the leaders breaking away

[den525player]

Originally Posted by Weather130

Before this year no one had won more than two stages in a single year.

umm Erik Zabel won 3 stages in 97.. Jan Ullrich won 3 in 98.. lance armstrong and mario cipollini won 4 stages each in 99.. lance won 4 in 2001 n 02..Alessandro Petacchi won 4 in 03..

[yarnbury11]

Merckx won 8 stages in one tour, so did a few other people. And everyone thought Cavendish was amazing....

Anyone see that guy crash into that roadsign and snap his bike in2?

[Weather130]

Rumor since Mark fail off the peloton today that it may have been his last stage. The American commentators felt that he was likely to be withdrawn tomorrow morning so he can focus on the Olympics. They figure this because he is too far behind to win the green jersey.

[yarnbury11]

Or because he has no chance of getting through the alps. He is baaaad at climbing (he doesn't need to be good) so there is no point in struggling on when he will only fall miles behind and may even be eliminated on time.

[thuda1991]

Originally Posted by den525player

Mark Cavendish sprints like Robbie McEven a few years ago. Great stuff... hopefully he is not using EPO... too bad whoever is winning will always have the doubt that he might be doping... i really can't wait till the alps. It will be very exciting. hopefully Cadel will be in Yellow after the alps or a minute or 2 behind, because he is probably the best time trialist out of his main rivals

Does anyone miss the team time trial? i really liked that before, and time deduction for winning each sprint or mountain. Now it is slightly boring how the pelaton just rides steadily for like 5-6 days of the race. and we hardly see one of the leaders breaking away

I don't rate Cadel's chances highly.. he was in that crash, and i don't know if he'll be toasted in the mountains.. but i do miss the time trial...

Originally Posted by den525player

umm Erik Zabel won 3 stages in 97.. Jan Ullrich won 3 in 98.. lance armstrong and mario cipollini won 4 stages each in 99.. lance won 4 in 2001 n 02..Alessandro Petacchi won 4 in 03..

Good research

Originally Posted by Weather130

Rumor since Mark fail off the peloton today that it may have been his last stage. The American commentators felt that he was likely to be withdrawn tomorrow morning so he can focus on the Olympics. They figure this because he is too far behind to win the green jersey.

He is pretty far of the jersey.. he should go for the olympics. Unless Freire goes out, which i doubt

Originally Posted by yarnbury11

Or because he has no chance of getting through the alps. He is baaaad at climbing (he doesn't need to be good) so there is no point in struggling on when he will only fall miles behind and may even be eliminated on time.

If he can stay on the bus, he can complete the race.

[den525player]

So.. new leader at the tour.. Franck Schleck.. i think this might ruin CSC's chances of having a riding in the yellow at the end of the tour and this would help Cadel. What is CSC going to do now? are they going to defend the yellow and try to keep it with Schleck or are they going to try and get sastre (the team leader) to yellow? as you Cadel i think he can ride his own race now and not try and defend the yellow, which would take alot of pressure off him. I think after the next 2 mountains if Cadel is within 1:30 from yellow he will still be confident winning the tour, depending where menchov is in the standings

[thuda1991]

CSC has every chance of winning it, if Riis can make the right tactics.. I think they should go for the one who's better on time trials.. It was clear today that Cadel can be broken down, and since CSC has the best team for the mountains, they'll go for it.. Menchov has a record for messing up, and I doubt this year will be much different..

[Weather130]

Cavendish was offically pulled before today's stage. He said that he was pleased with four stage wins and didn't think he could do much more with this year's tour. I think it was a pretty good move. These Olympics will take more preparing than usual since you have to adapt to the poor air quality in Bejing.

[yarnbury11]

He was knackered, too. He was dropping off every climb for a few days before he left.

[thuda1991]

if he had a realistic chance of winning the green jersey, he wouldn't have left... it's the biggest thing a sprinter can win..

[yarnbury11]

He did have a chance. I'm sure if he could have got through the alps to challenge the sprints then he would have won more stages, but he was fatigued and didn't feel he could make it any further. He also didn't want to kill himself for Beijing

[thuda1991]

he was pretty far behind, and Team Columbia sporting director, Brain Holm, would never had let him leave if he had a good enough chance... he stated that in an interview with Danish TV...

[den525player]

Rest days... i don't like rest days i've been watching it every night (in Australia til 2-230am), the last rest day i couldn't sleep lol