Well in Mark Cavendish

[Bruce Wayne]

Didn't seem to get much press today, but on Saturday he won the Milan to San Remo bike race, the longest one day classic on the cycling calendar, with the riders covering nearly 300km. It's the first time a British rider has won the race since the 60's and puts him firmly at the front as the best rider of his type in the world.

As British athletes go, he's probably the most dominant in his sport at this precise moment. Great stuff

 

[Clarky66]

I got beaten into 4th place on a mountain bike simulator, this morning.
It was a 3 mile race and I was knackered when I got off.

 

[davek]

He must be on some great drugs.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Wash your mouth out Dave.

 

[davek]

Wash your mouth out Dave.

That's what Cavendish will have to do before giving his next drug monitoring swab.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Well he's doing well to have evaded detection at both the Olympics and the most tested sport on earth. Presumably Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps were also doped up. Actually, scratch that with Phelps

 

[davek]

He should try to emulate your sporting hero, Marco Pantani...oh no, wait.....

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Yes, well, Pantani was an unfortunate soul. In the spirit of the day though, we must not mock the deceased Probably best that we don't think of the last Brit to win Milan San Remo and what happened to poor Tommy as well.

 

[davek]

Yes, well, Pantani was an unfortunate soul. In the spirit of the day though, we must not mock the deceased Probably best that we don't think of the last Brit to win Milan San Remo and what happened to poor Tommy as well.

Simpson was also a 'mountain climber' also wasn't he? Cavendish will never get found out on a col.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Yep, Ventoux did for him. I'd be very surprised if Cavendish was up to no good though. The British track team are clean as a whistle. He races for Team High Road too, named because they apparently are taking the... Whether they are of course only time will tell I guess. I think cycling is the most tested sport in the world though and I suspect if many other sports (football included) tested half as much they would have many more athletes caught out.

 

[SuitsBlue]

I caught this, 185 miles wasn't it, he wasn't expecting a sprint finish either.

the tour this year is going to be Epic, with a few more cheats out, Cavendish the best sprinter and Armstrong back in, its just going to be one of the best ever. (is it the 97th tour?)

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Yeah, something like that. Bloody long way to be riding at bike, especially considering they averaged over 25mph for the ride. Incredible really.

The tour should be a belter with the Ventoux right at the end of the race. I didn't think Armstrong would do much given how he was dropped the final climb on Saturday but it said on the BBC site that he's since had a tumble and broken his collarbone. Contador is an even bigger favourite now. It'll certainly be interesting, especially if Basso and Landis return for it.

 

[davek]

I caught this, 185 miles wasn't it, he wasn't expecting a sprint finish either.

the tour this year is going to be Epic, with a few more cheats out, Cavendish the best sprinter and Armstrong back in, its just going to be one of the best ever. (is it the 97th tour?)

Is that not a contradiction?

 

[SuitsBlue]

Got to catch them to prove it, innocent until proven guilty (unless the witch finder general says otherwise)[ha ha ha]

 

[davek]

The last time I got a buzz out of watching the Tour was when Ullrich last went head to head with the Texan. The Landis Tour put the top hat on it for me. Complete ******* joke. As the gloriously named drug testing tzar, Dick Pound, put it when explaining Landis' recovery (I'm paraphrasing) 'he was out for the count the day before; then he's flying up the Pyrenees the next day like he's on a Goddamn Harley'.