Tour de France 2010: Stage 4: Cav, Go Home.

Reposted from Bikezilla.blogspot.com

Mark Cavendish (HTC) has no problem quitting a Ground Tour when he feels he’s gotten all that’s worth his while out of one.

This time, HTC has gotten all that’s worth it’s while out of Cav, or at least what little he’s able or willing to give to them.

He’s simply an embarrassment, now, and his presence is a disgrace to the effort of his leadout team.

Yeah, ok, the leadout isn’t 100% what it was last year. But Cav isn’t 70% of what he was last year.

Something has left him, and there’s more, a lot more, that he never had.

Physically, he’s got no business riding against the elite sprinters, mentally and emotionally I’m not sure he ever did.

Right now he lacks the speed, sure, but more importantly he’s lost the ability to suffer intensely and push through and beyond that suffering to make his body do things that his mind tells him he can’t. I think that that was what made him great previously.

Until today he’s reacted to the knowledge that he’s fallen from the elite ranks and incapable of winning against the best, by trying to wreck anyone he couldn’t beat in any particular sprint.

That was further evidence of his immaturity and selfishness, but I also believed that it was a sign that he still had some kind of fire burning inside of him.

Today? That fire was quenched entirely. Today we saw Cav give up completely, sitting up in his saddle and quitting the sprint altogether the moment he knew that he couldn’t win.

That might be forgivable if the men leading him to the line weren’t riding the their limits to give him the best possible chance to take the sprint and the stage.

But, did everything it should have and Mark Renshaw performed to perfection. Cav couldn’t have asked or hoped for anything better.

It’s time for Cav to go home. If he does, maybe HTC has some hope for a respectable GC placing., with Martin currently as 21st in the GC and Rogers at 28th. If he doesn’t, HTC’s time at the Tour is an embarrassment to the organization and a disgrace to the men riding so hard and so well to protect Cav and to help him win.

Cav’s teammates deserve better than this. But Cav has already proven that he has no respect for any of them.

Video stolen from RaceJunkie

Hey, Cav, here’s a video from a guy who doesn’t quit (or pout) when things are toughest.

Robbie “Headbutt” McEwen

What’s “Climbing”?

Reposted from Bikezilla.blogspot.com

That seems like a ridiculously stupid question, but it’s one that I’ve been asked possibly more than any other.

So, here, is climbing.

Alberto Contador is beyond spectacular.

If you liked that, goes see Cycling Bee’s article on Alberto’s VAM (average climbing speed) and power to weight ratio.

If “VAM” and power to weight ratios are confusing or unclear, here’s an

explanation of related Terms and examples of what they mean.

VAM,  means “velocita ascensionale media” in Italian. Or, average climbing speed, in English.

Make This the Most Famous Picture of Lance Armstrong’s Career.

Lance Armstrong yells at and bullies Alberto Contador

Here’s a picture of Lance Armstrong being his typical jerkoff self, screaming at and bullying Alberto Contador.

It’s also a picture Lance has gotten removed from at least one site.

So, save it to your own computer, email it to friends, post on your blog or website.

Don’t let Lance succeed in having this picture removed from the internet.