Professional Cycling For the Fans - Mark Cavendish, what's he on?

so what kinda dope, roids, blood transfusions is this dude getting ? when he sprints he makes people look like they arent moving . whatever hes on im going to get some to complement my training/win races.

Genetically lucky to have a high percentage of fast twitch muscles, most likely.

gah, stop it....

I'd say a lot of friggen focused effort and training.

gota agree with the two of you with trainign and genetics, but there is somthing else there lol

I believe this is a spoiler thread

:popcorn



:trainwreck:

There is a factor that probably nobody noticed, Cavendish still does TRACK also during the year, in a matter of fact that is what is giving him the final rush big time. Thats why im waiting for the "flying dutchman" to catch up in the road because he is way faster than Cavendish

If im not wrong he won a few races in the world cups lately, cant remember right now but i have the video somewhere... probably somebody can do the homework?

Here is a picture form last years...

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/LBhWVRgnNbv/UCI+Track+World+Championships+Day+One/2lPxVviCg80/Mark+Cavendish

I believe this is a spoiler thread

def not a spoiler considering i was referring to his stage 18 win (2 days ago)where it looked like he wasnt even trying

http://leftofsean.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/258Troll_spray-187x300.jpg

I've read a few times that Cav actually makes less power than most of the other sprinters. I'll see if I can find where I've seen this before.

all i know is the guys a beast regardless of roids , hes def one of my fav's to watch. this is my first time watchin the tour and watchin cav dominate sprints , renshaw head butting peeps and schleck climbing mountains like a monster got me hooked

Shut up.

Shut up.


why are you so mean to me, just be nice and contribute or shhhhhhh

all i know is the guys a beast regardless of roids , hes def one of my fav's to watch. this is my first time watchin the tour and watchin cav dominate sprints , renshaw head butting peeps and schleck climbing mountains like a monster got me hooked

yep

yep


def very entertaining , im bummed its over

Cav is just a sprinting beast. 'Nuff said.

why are you so mean to me, just be nice and contribute or shhhhhhh

Contribute? That would be like having your dog take a crap on another dogs crap that someone left on the sidewalk and calling it a contribution.

I noticed watching him today that he seems to sprint in a lower position than other riders. He seems to have pretty short arms and really try to get down low. I think he's just made to sprint.

Genetically lucky to have a high percentage of fast twitch muscles, most likely.

As a cyclist I wouldn't say you're lucky to have a high percentage of fast twitch muscles. More like cursed.

Contribute? That would be like having your dog take a crap on another dogs crap that someone left on the sidewalk and calling it a contribution.


lmao. you friend... are funny.

Thats why im waiting for the "flying dutchman" to catch up in the road because he is way faster than Cavendish

There are a lot of track guys in the peleton. What makes Cav special is that he can sprint after 120+ miles.

Oh, and he's short, keeps him aero.

This i heading over to Pro Cycling after I fix the grammar in the title.

I've read a few times that Cav actually makes less power than most of the other sprinters. I'll see if I can find where I've seen this before.

I seem to remember reading that too. Something about how he was slightly less powerful but able to get more aero than most sprinters.

Contribute? That would be like having your dog take a crap on another dogs crap that someone left on the sidewalk and calling it a contribution.

Okay, it must be time for me to go back to the "Fifty Plus" forum where maturity and a few (apparently) lost social skills prevent posts such as these.

I'm telling you, its those short arms of his.

Leave it to someone from LI to want to find a shortcut to success. :innocent: We were quite naive when in high school, and the immediately obvious answer as to why the kid from Section 11 who obliterated everyone in the 50 yard dash in the 1976/77 state indoor meet (and looked like he was 23) eluded us.

So now the OP and I have made roughly equally presumptuous postings.

The real reason for Cavendish's success are his genetically engineered legs, which were transplanted onto his body when he was 17. In order to emulate him, you'll need to find appropriate donor tissue, and have both your legs amputated. :innocent:

Leave it to someone from LI to want to find a shortcut to success. :innocent: We were quite naive when in high school, and the immediately obvious answer as to why the kid from Section 11 who obliterated everyone in the 50 yard dash in the 1976/77 state indoor meet (and looked like he was 23) eluded us.

So now the OP and I have made roughly equally presumptuous postings.

The real reason for Cavendish's success are his genetically engineered legs, which were transplanted onto his body when he was 17. In order to emulate him, you'll need to find appropriate donor tissue, and have both your legs amputated. :innocent:

yea there are alot of people from LI that have the money for that kinda stuff , to bad the army pays me a crappy salary and aug 18th ill be out and looking for a job back in ny. no perforamance enhancing drugs for me hahah.
maybe i can take out a loan and pick up some of those beast legs though

Mark Cavendish. Who knows. Maybe, just maybe he is faster than anybody else in a sprint. What a concept.

I'm really rather surprised noone has mentioned he's the only guy with a dedicated lead out train that is almost always there. His win on the 18th was sheer tactics and skill (after Mr. Headbutt got DQd).

I'm really rather surprised noone has mentioned he's the only guy with a dedicated lead out train that is almost always there. His win on the 18th was sheer tactics and skill (after Mr. Headbutt got DQd).


he's proven he doesn't need that train. he's just on another level speed wise.

I seem to remember reading that too. Something about how he was slightly less powerful but able to get more aero than most sprinters.

I can't believe that position having his butt way up over the stem is aero in any way shape or form.

Mark Cavendish. Who knows. Maybe, just maybe he is faster than anybody else in a sprint. What a concept.

:lol:

Floyd Landis. Who knows. Maybe just faster than anybody at the '06 Tour. Oh wait...

I'm really rather surprised noone has mentioned he's the only guy with a dedicated lead out train that is almost always there. His win on the 18th was sheer tactics and skill (after Mr. Headbutt got DQd).

He got two stage wins this year without that vaunted lead out train. Can't use that argument anymore. Dude is just fast.

Dudeman is fer certain pullin' away superior-like, but after a fashion, it gets to be like seeing the same ol' moneyshot, over and again.






That said, good on him (three weeks of taking the piss, and all that).

There is a factor that probably nobody noticed, Cavendish still does TRACK also during the year, in a matter of fact that is what is giving him the final rush big time. Thats why im waiting for the "flying dutchman" to catch up in the road because he is way faster than Cavendish


With "flying dutchman" you don't mean this ******* (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JMY68cS9gw), do you? Yeah he sure is god's gift to road racing.

With "flying dutchman" you don't mean this ******* (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JMY68cS9gw), do you? Yeah he sure is god's gift to road racing.


maybe i'm naive but i'm inclined to believe Theo's story about what happened.

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2009/01/08/1231409679394-1s7lhumg1rew8-798-75.jpg

More to the point: How did Pettachi make such a comeback?

think he is a savage sprinter end of story - maybe he might take something in a couple years but now he too high profile to risk it i think. i'd say he's clean as a whistle:)

More to the point: How did Pettachi make such a comeback?

id have to say dope/roids , and transfusions but thats just cuz im jelous.

He got two stage wins this year without that vaunted lead out train. Can't use that argument anymore. Dude is just fast.

Dont forget the 2nd place he also got in the field sprint i think on stage 13?? So really he beat the field on 3 occasions without his Renshaw leadout.

There are a lot of track guys in the peleton. What makes Cav special is that he can sprint after 120+ miles.

Oh, and he's short, keeps him aero.
5'9" according to wikipedia? it looks like he gets his nose all the way down to his brifters on the sprint though. I have short arms, maybe I'll try this :)

I have no view on whether Cavendish is doping. I can tell you this, though, he is an astonishing technician. He gets lower, and can pedal at a higher cadence out of the saddle, than anyone I can remember. I've seen it suggested that he learned most of his skills on the track and that it just didn't occur to him that bunch sprints on the road were more dangerous, so he just kept doing it LOL. Whatever, he is technically better than the rest.

Interestingly, the same applies to the best British female track sprinter, Victoria Pendleton. (http://stuwho.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/victoria_pendleton500.jpg) As you can see, she isn't a big girl for a sprinter but she keeps winning world championships and I've seen her get out of the saddle to accelerate without breaking her rhythm at cadences over 150. Phenomenal. She came up through the same route as Cav, so it may just be that they were fortunate to be superbly coached.

^^
That may be a factor but I don't think that's all there is to it. I mean Cavendish's record on the track is considerably less impressive than that of other British cyclists of his generation and other sprinters are fearless too.

^^
That may be a factor but I don't think that's all there is to it. I mean Cavendish's record on the track is considerably less impressive than that of other British cyclists of his generation and other sprinters are fearless too.

The fact he can't sprint on the track like Chris Hoy can doesn't mean he's not as good technically. Hoy has traded thighs with some passing rhinocerous, I can't see him riding a 120 mile tour stage...

... Hoy has traded thighs with some passing rhinocerous, I can't see him riding a 120 mile tour stage...

The imagery this conjures of both Hoy, and of the rhino... :roflmao2:

The fact he can't sprint on the track like Chris Hoy can doesn't mean he's not as good technically. Hoy has traded thighs with some passing rhinocerous, I can't see him riding a 120 mile tour stage...

You have touched on an important point. Tour sprinters have to not just ride but stay with a group that gets to the front at the end of 100 mile plus stages. Cav may be the most perfectly dialed in for that, right on the edge. Put a nasty little climb near the end and he may not make it to the front for the finish (or if he does without his full power). Pure track sprinters beat him in that venu, but would rarely even be there at teh end of a Tour stage.

his team director said he had significantly less frontal area than all the other sprinters. this probably helps a lot with road racing. On the track the pure max watts wins the sprints. On the road the max watts are reduced by the previous 100miles. He can probably hit a high enough wattage, with lower resistance to travel faster than everyone else.

So on a related note....

How long does a sprinter's career usually last? A few years ago it was Boonen and McEwen who looked unstoppable, a few years later it's Cavendish.

Or to put it another way, how long do we have to put up with this guy? :D