I’m not convinced. IANAE but Cav’s another 2 years older, and I don’t think Astana have the firepower to armchair him into the positions he’ll need to be in which makes me think this has the potential to be a disappointment that somehow degrades the memories of the 2021 wins.
OTOH, if he did…. and he does have the uncanny ability of right place right time / jumping onto other team’s trains that means that maybe he could……
If he’d lined up as an Astana rider last year I think he’d have won a stage – there wasn’t really a dominant sprinter then. Fabio Jakobsen is probably the fastest guy but he has a habit of losing the wheel of his leadout in hectic finales. Gronewegen is inconsistent and Phillipsen is versatile but not as out and out fast. In a world where a dominant sprinter doesn’t emerge I think Cav will pick a stage up.
35 is possible IMHO. Cav has shown in the past that he doesn’t always need a lead out, his race craft is up there with the best & he’s remorseless when it comes to surfing wheels. I wouldn’t put it past him one bit!
Cav has nicked so many through good positioning and latching onto non-team members that you wouldn’t bet against him getting one in July. He only needs one!
Understandable to sign for them but unfortunate it had to be Astana, a team mired in drug use and cheating.
Because every other team in the Pro peloton, whatever their name is now-a-days that he hasn’t already ridden for is super clean with no history and if you believe the whole pointy end of the World Tour is clean, let alone Pro Conti you’re on a different planet.
I think my main issue with Astana is Vinokourov who is just unrepentant. All teams have a history, proven or otherwise but at least they pretend to be sorry about it. Astana has also been skirting various trouble the last few years, either doping or financial
Whatever he’s doing he must be doing alright financially, when he was burgled the thieves took off with two Richard Mille watches, valued at £400,000 and £300,000, and they didn’t even get the watch that they went there to get!!!
Whatever he’s doing he must be doing alright financially, when he was burgled the thieves took off with two Richard Mille watches, valued at £400,000 and £300,000, and they didn’t even get the watch that they went there to get!!!
Richard Mille sponsors him, so I guess he’s paying trade at worst. 🙂
But yes, not everyone gets lobbed the occasional watch worth a few hundred grand.
Well he is the most successful sprinter of all time… So deserves a decent wage
I think sometimes it’s understated just how successful he is, and was thereabouts in the last tour so certainly the all time win record is possible for him.
