Do You Think Mark Cavendish Will Break The TdF Stage Record?

I hope he does but, I don’t think he will. What are your thoughts?

3 Likes

he actually got a lot closer than I expected last year!

who knows, maybe he would already have it if it weren’t for the mechanical issues during that sprint. :man_shrugging:

9 Likes

Agreed. It would be great to see it, but there are too many other good sprinters in the field. If he does, there will be a dose of :four_leaf_clover:involved.

1 Like

Well, either way the flat stages will be fun to follow…First week has 4 stages designated as flat. The 2nd week has 3. The 3rd week has 1. The last stage is an ITT finishing in Nice? No Champs-Elysees? Did I miss something?

1 Like

Yes

5 Likes

Just read due to the Olympics and Paralympics happening in Paris at the same time. 1st time not to finish in Paris!

2 Likes

I think the recruitment of Morkov helps his chances a lot, should ensure he’s in the right place to at least be in contention on quite a few stages. Philipsen is going to be super hard to beat though - even if he’s boxed in or out of position approaching the finale, the explosiveness of MVDP and the willingness of both of them to be pretty physical gets him out of trouble. And he’s proved again this year with his Monuments performances that he’s not just a flat track bully who won’t feature on the rolling days or will get worn down by the cumulative fatigue from all the climbing, he’s likely to put in a strong 3 week performance.

Honestly not sure Cav can beat Philipsen when Philipsen gets it right. So he’s going to need a mistake to capitalise on, or a crash (let’s hope not), or maybe one of the new yellow cards to come into play and make MVDP/Philipsen a bit more conservative in how they sprint. Watching the new Unchained series he got pretty lucky not to be relegated at least once last year, though I realise the show runners have also decided to make him a villain this series and selected the footage they show accordingly.

3 Likes

Hot take, but Cavendish has won big races from the breakaway in the past. I think he won the GB nationals once that way?
Wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest to see him in a breakaway in the 2nd week.

2 Likes

Now that is a HOT take

5 Likes

He will have to be in the exact right place at the exact right time and have some luck on his side to pull it off. Would be nice to see but I don’t think the odds are in his favor.

1 Like

Will he? I don’t know, but…

21 Likes

I want him to, I believe he is capable, I’m not as confident in his team being able to deliver though.

6 Likes

He has won from the break in the British nationals (2022), but that’s a more unstructured race than the Tour, plus his break mates were Pro Conti riders for whom a podium would be a huge achievement so were happy to work with him.

I think very long shot him being allowed to sprint from a break in the Tour, either the sprint teams chase him down or the other teams represented in the break attack him.

2 Likes

I don’t believe the yellow card trial is in play for mens TdF

1 Like

:+1: put me down for team “want to believe”

6 Likes

I like his chances. Philipsen has not been all-conquering lately. Don’t sleep on De Lie, who just convincingly beat Philipsen, Van Aert and Merlier in the Belgian championships. But I think there are enough sprint stages, and his lead out has improved enough, that he’ll get it right on one of em.

2 Likes

I thought for a while, hes going to win two stages.

3 Likes

Yes.

My bet is he wins one in the first week. :star_struck:

:isle_of_man: :rocket:

4 Likes

Geraint does not agree with me! Yes!

I don’t think he’ll pull it off…and if he does, it will be 100% situational and not due to his speed. (i.e. Phillipsen gets boxed in, there is a crash with the big sprinters, etc)

While Cav has always been brilliant at freelancing and does not require a traditional leadout, the other teams are just too strong when it comes to setting their riders up. If he gets it, it will be because of his situational awareness, not his pure speed.

That said, it is really hard for a sprinter to dominate two years in a row like Phillipsen did last year, so… :man_shrugging:t2:

3 Likes