rollin

That's some climbing for a sprinter.

rollin

He won the green the day before his breakaway.

Green = points

Sprinter = Cavendish

pathdoc

I think the Sclecks lost 4 seconds.

rogwilco

It's a rather spectacular achievement to win 5 stages in one Tour also - Armstrong did it once, but who was the last one before him, I don't remember? Cipollini maybe? And if he wins the 6th on the Champs Elysees, I think you'd have to go back to Merckx's times or something to find someone to match Cavendish...

edited to add: I guess Freddy Maertens 1976 (8 stage victories) and 1981 (6) is the mark to beat for Cavendish - maybe next year.

pathdoc

Ventoux is going to blow this whole thing apart. Should be very interesting.

vadimivich

Cavendish will get 6 (are you betting against the Columbia train in Paris?) - first person since 1981 to do it.

That's pretty awesome.

julian

Props to Cav. He showed a lot of guts and determination and he didn't even have to cut off an opponent today!

daxr

...and, at the post race interview he only talked about how much work his team had done for him and was totally gracious - beginning to show some quality. That was as nice to see as the spectacular finish.

rogwilco

Even with 5 Cavendish is already more successful in that regard than the last several generations of Tour de France sprinters - Boonen, McEwan, Petacchi, Cipollini, Zabel, Abdoujaparov, Sean Kelly, etc., which imo makes that whole argument that he's just winning because of the Columbia train completely absurd.

Quel

While I think it's impressive, I really don't even see it as one of the big stories of the TdF this year. Maybe I just don't appreciate the green and polka jerseys as much as I should, but he is almost a full 3 hours behind the yellow jersey. Getting stage wins because you completely dog the rest of the tour doesn't really interest me. Cipollini won 4 stages in 1999, his most. Merckx, Maertens, Armstrong, they were all at least near contention or in front for the Yellow.

rogwilco

^^
Some people like sprinters, some don't, that's just the way it is. Not much point in debating that.

Quel

Yah, I get that. Not completely throwing the sprinters under the bus. I like having them there, because it adds some excitement to the flatter stages where there won't be any real change in the GC standings. I just don't find it as impressive when they win a stage (versus someone that's been grueling up front for the last 15 days).

botto 

unlike Boonen, McEwen, Petacchi, Cipollini, Zabel, Abdoujaparov, Sean Kelly, etc. Cavendish doesn't have much competition.

rogwilco

Is that so? Maybe, but Hushovd is not a nobody either and Farrar and Ciolek are pretty fast too, to name only a few.

You'd think that a couple times since 1981 the competition should have been soft for one of the top-sprinters also...

botto 

yes.

SunSwingsLow

The train is certainley part of his success, but hes proven he can win on his own.

Theres no question hes the fastest man on a bike at the line.

SunSwingsLow

disagree.

botto 

i'm crushed.

Noobz0r

I love these one word replies to quotes .

I hope McEwen will be back near his best for next years tour, so we can see how Cav rates against him (I would have money on Cav)

SunSwingsLow

i'm sorry.

border reiver

McEwen and Boonen are last generation and unlikely to ever be faster than an on form Cavendish, who is still likely to improve for a couple of years. Best to hope that someone like Farrar or another up and comer can give him a run--which I'd hope for too.

TommyL

Ugh. They drive me crazy. Why bother posting at all if you are not going to add any substance?

Question of the day: Since the introduction of the green jersey, who has won the most stages in a tour without winning the green?

EDIT: Besides Cav this year, of course.

jschen

I'll lead off the guesses with Lance Armstrong, winning 5 stages without wearing green for even a single day.

edit: 6 including a TTT

julian

I give a lot of props to sprinters who have to haul their butts over the mountains which isn't their thing. Cippo always bailed before the mountains. Plus the sprinters play a dangerous game at the finish line.

botto 

because.