Will Cav leave Sky?

[yello]

Argues, quite convincingly IMHO, that Sky are perfectly capable of going for yellow and green next year.

That's what I'd have thought too, given the right balance of riders. Whether Cavendish sees himself as a part of that though is another matter.

Cavendish could sign for another team, become central to the that team's vision, have a team built around him and win more sprint stages... if that's what he wants.

I think it's safe to say we'll not see an HTC like train at Sky in the foreseeable future (in fact, will we ever see such a train again?) Equally, we've seen that Cavendish doesn't need one to win (though he does arguably win less frequently). I think there's a place at Sky for Cavendish if he wants to stay but he'll not be the team's only focus. I also think Sky currently offers him the best platform to develop as a rider. The question is, do Cavendish's aspirations match Sky's goals?

 

[smutchin]

If Sky hadn't lost Siutsou so early, and if they'd had Geraint Thomas on the team, and if Cav hadn't had a bit of misfortune on some of the early stages, things might have been very different in this Tour...

I firmly believe Cav could go for green with Sky, and could well succeed with a bit of luck on his side, though it's not exactly controversial to say that he'd find it slightly easier with a team built around him. If OPQS can promise him that, you'd have to assume he would consider it a tempting offer.

Not a foregone conclusion, though. There are still plenty of good reasons to stay at Sky (cycling reasons, not just money).

d.

 

[tigger]

I'd agree with most of that Smutchin although I'd also add that I don't think Green will be his primary aim. I think stage wins have always been his main focus and the closer he gets to the Cannibal's record the more important they will become. Genuinely, I do't think he or anyone else for that matter has a hope of beating Sagan for green for the next 2 years at least. Unless ASO change things. Sagan will get high placings and even wins on stages where Cav can win and also win other stages where Cav won't figure at all.

The other thing I'd add is that whilst Cav had some bad luck, lacked protection and lead outs early on in this Tour he still had opportunities. Namely stage 5 where he just got it wrong and was outsprinted, and stage 13 where he couldn't get over a climb (which Greipel managed) and in which Wiggo led out EBH. So thats 5 stages he could have / should have bagged, notwithstanding the crashes and lack of appetite for Sky to chase down breaks in other stages.

But all things considered, of course he'd maximise his chances in a dedicated team and that is why we may (I've changed my tune - will) see him at OPQ next year.

 

[MichaelM]

If Sky hadn't lost Siutsou so early, and if they'd had Geraint Thomas on the team, and if Cav hadn't had a bit of misfortune on some of the early stages, things might have been very different in this Tour... then Sky would have had the largest team at the tour

 

[smutchin]

Yes, obviously having a team of 10 would improve Cav's chances...

Joking aside, there's a good serious point to be made here - Geraint Thomas would have been an automatic selection if available but who would have been dropped to make way for him? Not a lot in the way of dead wood on that team.

d.