Mark Cavendish signs for Deceuninck-QuickStep for 2021 season

[formula400]

Mark Cavendish will not ride the Tour de France, despite equalling the all-time record for stage wins last year.

Cavendish, 37, had been hopeful of selection after winning the British road race title on Sunday, as well as several other races this season.

But it was always in doubt as his Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl team have long since planned for Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen to compete instead.

The Tour begins in Copenhagen, Denmark on Friday.

that's rubbish, is there much chance of him getting in the team at all???

[Count Steer]

No Alaphilippe either.

[weeksy]

No Alaphilippe either.

He's ace when in form, as is Sagan, but both are massively struggling and coming up again WvA, MvDP and Remco, not forgetting Pogacar and Roglic, well they're just not worth taking at the moment. You've got to take your best riders.

Funnily though, Quickstep have left the new British and French national champions at home, bizarre.

That said, Fabio is a cracking talent, though I think Cav is a bit more canny.

[Count Steer]

No Alaphilippe either.

He's ace when in form, as is Sagan, but both are massively struggling and coming up again WvA, MvDP and Remco, not forgetting Pogacar and Roglic, well they're just not worth taking at the moment. You've got to take your best riders.

Funnily though, Quickstep have left the new British and French national champions at home, bizarre.

That said, Fabio is a cracking talent, though I think Cav is a bit more canny.

Yeah, he's not recovered but he's been one of the joys of watching recent Tours. He livens things up a treat.

Still looking forward to it.

[weeksy]

I am, but probably less than for many a year.

This feels very much already written before it begins. It'll be very yellow very often at the front.

[Crosshair]

Great analysis from LR. Highlighting what a special performance it was!
What’s striking (but obvious from the speed he gets out of his watts during sprints) is how much smaller/more aero he is than the pure ftp type riders he’s up against! As LR says, the power file would be fascinating but my hunch is that he wasn’t using as much power as it looks when covering moves.
More proof that cycling remains a “geeky university fuel efficiency race” rather than a balls out drag race.

Staying with climbers to the finish in years of tours has made him super efficient!

[weeksy]

Well the thoughts are that after the death of the deal for B&B Hotels that Cavendish may have signed for Astana, which when you look at the team may be really good for him if they want it. They're not quite good enough to win the Tour with their team, so picking up a few stages would be the plan i guess... I'm not sure some of them have the mountains, so makes sense to lob in a fast finisher, give him a leadout and see what happens !

[weeksy]

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cyc ... 63702.html

Finally announced. Where's @lostboy when you need someone to chat about Cav.

[weeksy]

Just watched the Cavendish documentary on Netflix... very very good.. Shows lots of bits about him as a person, the good, the bad... quite an emotional watch, even when you know the script.

[Hot_Air]

Just watched the Cavendish documentary on Netflix... very very good.

Thanks — I have just watched it on your recommendation. What a brilliant documentary, regardless whether you’re a cyclist or not.

[Hot_Air]

Apparently, Cav mightn’t have retired yet. He might have another Tour de France in him for 2024:

https://road.cc/content/news/mark-caven ... sts-304101

[weeksy]

Apparently, Cav mightn’t have retired yet. He might have another Tour de France in him for 2024:

https://road.cc/content/news/mark-caven ... sts-304101

It wouldn't shock me... I do wonder though.... He's proven me wrong before that's for sure. So heck, why not.

He's due to race in a week or two so will be interesting to see how the collar bone and fitness hold up.

[Count Steer]

Apparently, Cav mightn’t have retired yet. He might have another Tour de France in him for 2024:

https://road.cc/content/news/mark-caven ... sts-304101

I do believe I may have predicted this in the not too distant past.

[weeksy]

So then, for the cycling fans, just watching the new Documentary series of the TDF which is on Netflix, it's honestly brilliant if you like this sort of thing.
But it did highlight how close last year Cavendish was to beating the record of stage wins at TDF.

I guess the big question is, can he do it this year.. My head says no as the other sprinters are in incredible form and Cavendish doesn't seem to be quite 'on-it'
But you just never know with the bloke, he does sometimes find it in him with the right timing, right power etc..