Originally Posted by
GlennR
... Also the race is very different, everyone is specialized and has specific roles. The length of each stage, the level of support and team work is different.
... It also takes a lot of luck and a team that 110% supports you.
I think it would be great if the team supported MICHAEL MØRKØV for a stage win, after all, he let Cav have this stage win.
Yes, the specialization and I think even teamwork is quite different these days. Don't really know how it was in
Merckx's days, not having followed races in those days and also not being a racing historian. Would be interesting if somebody with more insight would compare those old times to today's ones.
I remember that Merckx often won stages by taking off by himself on solo rides. And that he was in a class by himself (at least in some part of his biking career), I think sometimes broke the rules like slowing down for eating breaks but I might be mistaken on this count, might have been somebody else who did that. Also recall reading about him, that he cannibalized even smaller races for prize winnings, since in those days, you probably didn't get much from contracts or that was in his earlier years of racing. Maybe Sagan could be somewhat compared to
Merckx in his wining race stages without help from his team. I have the impression that
Merckx wasn't much of a team rider.
Anyway, the way I read it, Cavendish evened up the numerical score but reality is quite somewhere else as to what those numbers are comprised of.
As to MØRKØV(LOL I copied the name from your quote
) who knows if he didn't have it in him to go for the win himself but for the record's sake let up a bit and let Cavendish have it. You actually say that too, except maybe you didn't mean it that way?