Cavendish a Yorkshire Man?

Mark Cavendish backs Yorkshire's Tour de France bid


Mark Cavendish and Ben Swift are backing Yorkshire's bid to bring the Tour de France to the county in 2016.

Cavendish, who won the green jersey last year for being the Tour's best sprinter, said: "My mum is from Yorkshire so I'm proud to be backing the Yorkshire 2016 bid."
Team Sky team-mate Ben Swift said he would love to see a stage of the race run in his home county. "It would be amazing to be part of the peloton through the Dales," he said.

The first two days of racing, the Grand Depart, are held in a new location outside France every two years.

The Yorkshire Grand Depart has a great ring to it !!!!!!!!!

The Yorkshire Tourism Agency called 'Welcome to Yorkshire' say that the route would take in Leeds, Scarborough, York, Hull, Sheffield and the Yorkshire Dales.

Yorkshire is competing against Barcelona, Venice, Berlin and Scotland for the right to host the 2016 stages. Stages were last held in the UK in 2007 when London and Kent played host.

Cavendish, who has won 20 Tour de France stages, believes the county's natural beauty will prove attractive to the race's organisers.

"The county would provide a stunning backdrop to the Tour as well as a real test for the competitors," he said. "I have fond memories of holidaying in Yorkshire, a lot of my family still live there and it would be fantastic if the world's greatest cycle race could come to Yorkshire."

Swift added: "It's special to say you've raced the Tour de France, I'm proud to be able to say I have. I would love to see the Tour come to my home county, and I hope Welcome to Yorkshire can make it happen in 2016."

More than 185 countries around the world show the Tour de France every year on 92 different television channels with the last hour of every stage broadcast live across western Europe.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, wants the public to back the bid by signing a petition on their Back le Bid website.

"Some may see us as outsiders but we think Yorkshire has a lot to offer, not just our stunning scenery but the passion of our people and the expertise we have in hosting world class sporting events," he said.

Being a Yorkshire man I am totally behind and will do what I can to provide support please visit the
 Back le Bid website. and pledge your support

Cavendish comes home

At last the speculation is over

British cycling star Mark Cavendish has announced he will be joining Team Sky for the start of next season.
Cavendish won the green jersey as the 2011 Tour de France's best sprinter and then added the world road race title.
"I'm confident that we can achieve success and my aim is to win stages and the green jersey at the Tour de France," he told Sky Sports News.
Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford added: "What excites me is the attitude he brings to the teams he rides for."
One of Cavendish's wingmen, Austrian Bernhard Eisel, will also join Team Sky next season.
Cavendish, 26, is rated as one of the greatest-ever sprinters in the sport's history.
He won five stages at this year's Tour de France with HTC-Highroad to take his tally to 20 in total, claiming the prestigious Maillot Vert - awarded to the best sprinter -for the first time in his career.

Then in September, the Isle of Man cyclist became Britain's first male world road race champion for 46 years when his eight-man GB team helped him to victory over the 266km course in Denmark.
Cavendish has also secured a further 10 Grand Tour stage victories in his career, as well as the overall points title at the 2010 Vuelta a Espana.

CAVENDISH'S CAREER
Wins gold in the madison at the track cycling world championships in Los Angeles in March 2005.
Secures Melbourne Commonwealth Games scratch gold medal for the Isle of Man in March 2006.
Takes madison gold in track cycling world championships in Manchester alongside Bradley Wiggins in March 2008.
In July 2008, he wins four stages of the Tour de France but, a month later, fails to win an Olympic medal
Becomes only the second Briton after Robert Millar to win stages in all three grand tours after success on stage 12 of Vuelta a Espana in September 2010.
Awarded MBE in Queen's Birthday Honours in June 2011.
Wins final stage in Paris to make certain of the green jersey at 2011 Tour de France and take total stage victories tally to 20.
In September, he wins gold medal at the Road World Championships.

His future had been subject of speculation since August when HTC-Highroad stated that it would fold at the end of the 2011 season after failing to find a sponsor.
Team Sky's lead rider Bradley Wiggins hailed his compatriot's decision to join the Manchester-based outfit.
"I think I speak for everyone in the squad when I say that we're all delighted to have Cav joining us at Team Sky," he added.
"He is the best sprinter in the world and has an energy and passion for cycling that is infectious. We have enjoyed a fantastic second season and Mark's signing is another statement of our intent for next year and beyond."
Team-mate Geraint Thomas said Cavendish will enjoy a smooth transfer.
"In many ways it's like he's coming home - the team has a number of riders and support staff that he grew up with and it won't take him any time to settle in," said Thomas.
"I think everyone saw that when we helped him to victory for Great Britain at the Worlds, and we are all looking forward to helping him deliver more wins for Team Sky."

Team Sky began competition in January 2010 and is led by Brailsford, who is British Cycling's performance director. Brailsford stated in 2009 that his aim was to have a British winner of the Tour de France by 2014.

Me and Cav

If I said that me and Mark Cavendish have so much in common people might laugh but the fact is it is true.
We both ride Scott bikes
We could never be called tall
We a currently both described as 'a bit heavy' by some commentators
We have both had a recent crash
We both can travel really fast on a bike. Him - on the flat, me - down hill with a gale behind me.

But it does not stop there,.....No !!!!!! We have both spent some of today weaving our bikes through traffic as we try to get to our destination.


Brendon Gallagher from the Daily Telegraph reports on his twitter page

The incident occurred after police opened up road to the public once the main peloton had passed.

"I did the whole last lap on open road, you had to stand on all sides of the thing and stop for traffic," said Cavendish.

Stage three included a rolling 12 mile circuit the riders had to negotiate three times and Cavendish, patched up after his crash on stage two, trailed in 12 minutes behind winner Rabobank's Michael Matthews. Simon Gerrans of Team Sky finished fourth.

Race director Mike Turtur said an emergency meeting would take place to find out why Cavendish and other riders had to negotiate through traffic to finish the stage.

"We've had a policy in place whereby the green light vehicle is the last vehicle on the road behind the last rider, for 13 years," said Turtur.

"For whatever reason, our understanding is that green light vehicle was called forward of the Cavendish group with about 10 kilometres to go and we don't know the reason why.

"Until we know how and why, I can't make any further comment - but it's not the policy we've had in place for 13 years, it's never happened before. It's not good, but sometimes these things happen. We'll be meeting as soon as possible with police."

Before the start of stage three, Cavendish had dismissed any thoughts that he might retire from the Tour Down Under.

"It is my job, I have got to do it, whether I had a crash or not, " he said.

"That's what separates bike riding from other sports. It is your job to get up and carry on with the race, and find out what's wrong later."

Poor old Cav.....I'm sure both our seasons will get better with some more miles on our legs.

Mark Renshaw gets the nod for me

Race director's rant over Mark Renshaw 'headbutts' was plain wrong

report by Brenden Gallagher of The Telegraph

'It may be just a coincidence but Sebastien Chabal – known as The Animal in these parts – was the Tour's guest of honour on Thursday and it was a joy to see the look on his face when asked about the Mark Renshaw "headbutts" after Mark Cavendish's win. Child's play compared with what you see every week in French club rugby.
Officially of course the rugged French back-five forward could not approve or be over enthusiastic but the twinkle in his eyes and smile told another tale. Chabal is no stranger to the dark arts himself and clearly approved of a man who looks after his own in such a determined fashion.
Chabal's reaction was not isolated. As you might expect the debate is raging and a couple of points keep emerging that are probably worth reiterating.

Firstly Renshaw is one of the sanest, soundest and best blokes in the peloton with no previous. He is much respected for his bike handling and generally safe approach to the full-on sprint finishes we love to see. He is paid a lot of money to deliver his man – Mark Cavendish – safely to the line, the emphasis being on safely because you have to finish to win. A crash or racing incident is the last thing he wants. There has to be a reason why he acted in such a manner and we should probably give a bit more credence to his explanation. He at least deserved a hearing.
To my mind it was totally unacceptable for the Tour's technical commissioner Jean-Francois Pescheux to rant like a man who has had too much sun just minutes after the incident, boasting that he only needed one viewing of the incident to decide that Renshaw had to be thrown off the Tour.



Excuse me. Such a huge decision with ramifications for Renshaw's future career and Mark Cavendish's green jersey hopes needed to be made in an air conditioned room after a couple of Perriers following an examination of everything went on. Two riders got a mere 400 euro fine over the weekend after a couple of hours of inquest for an ugly stand-up find the other day at the end of the stage. A summary ejection warranted a tad more investigation surely?

Pescheux remember is the guy who made that shocking call on the hoof last week when he allowed Fabian Cancellara and senior members of the peloton to persuade him that there should be no racing on the Spa stage and that the sprinters should not be allowed to compete for points at the end of a stage when conditions were fine and a large crowd awaited. He seems a bit of a maverick at the very least.

To these eyes Julian Dean – looking really fit and fast on this tour by the way – nonetheless shaped to cut across Renshaw fractionally before he had earned the right and it was that provoked the Aussie who was leading out Cavendish hard on the left hand barriers. On close inspection of the video the three butts – not two please note Mr Pescheux – were clearly aimed at Dean's shoulder in what seems a legitimate attempt to get Dean to back off.

Within the rules Renshaw, or any other rider, is not allowed to take his hands of the handlebars although if you study any bunch finish in detail you will see pushing, shoving and quite frequently punching. Indeed you will see a proper tete a tete in most finishes as well. The cycling press is full of such pictures.

It's a jungle out there and that's why we love the sprints and crashes are replayed ad-infinitum and it doesn't sit well when the law makers ssuddnely tart getting all pious. It is all part of the sport.

Exhausted and frazzled by nearly five hours in the saddle on a day when the temperature soared into the mid 40s Renshaw overreacted and should have been disciplined in some way but the margins are very thin when extreme sportsmen are racing flat out. The aftermath was surely the time for cool heads to come together'

Of course this is does not reflect the total harmony between our antipodean cousins who are renowned for there good sportsmanship and competitive edge.

Commentators are calling Renshaws (Aussie) movement a 'headbutt'.

I am certain If they had ever been victim to such a movement they might revise their terminology. I saw it as a legitimate reminder to Dean (NZ) that he was impinging on Renshaws line. (like sailing into Botany bay without a Visa). I admired his stance and was pleased to see him stick up for himself. I would have expected nothing less and he can be my lead out man any day.

As far as the later blocking of Tyler Farrar is concerned I do concede that he blocked the Americans line, but no more or less than we see everyday in these sorts of sprints. It was only because his original transgression was micro analysed that this was too. Cavendish had already been released and had the stage wrapped up.

Yellow is the colour

This week the weather has changed. Gone are the northerly winds, now replaced by winds from the south bringing much milder weather. Although they have brought rain, they have also brought the sort of temperatures that have enabled me to give my legs an airing.

When the rain has stayed off, I have even been tempted remove my bright yellow fluorescent coat. But that would currently spoil natures symmetry.

The roads are now lined with rows of daffodils, nodding away behind the safety of roadside kerbs, like crowds of spectators egging me on towards the finish line.

There has also been a noticeable increase in cycle traffic. Roadies are now out there in abundance showing off this seasons Lycra shirts, and increasing the felling of fellowship.

Whether they are commuting, training or just wanting to fill their lungs with something different from recycled air. I embrace their company.
The racing season has also got underway, along with the indoor world cycling championship.

I am following developments with interest especially the expectations of the new teams from Radioshack with the great man himself, and The British based Team Sky with Bradley Wiggins. One of my other favorites Mark Cavendish (also sporting yellow) has had some early season teething problems, not with his bike, but his actual teeth!!!

However I am pleased to report that he has just captured his first win of the year after sprinting to victory in stage two of the Tour of Catalunya from Salt to Banyoles.

It will be interesting to see who wears the real yellow at the business end of the season.
For me I have 22 days left till I start my big ride, from Houston to Austin and then from Natchez to Nashville. My bag has appeared in my spare room and I have started packing.

I have also started to get some new tunes on my I Pod. Until I started visiting Texas regularly Country Music was alien to me, but now I am a big fan. I am really looking forward to spending a night in Nashville after we finish our ride and having a country music overload.

One of my favorite country bands at the moment is Lady Antebellum

One song I will have to have comes from an entirely different genre.

Being a very poor singer, I have always been attracted to the more simple of songs when i sung to my children. I use the term singing very loosely, but as a father you have to try, anything to send them off to sleep.

Even now my girls remember and say 'Dad' can you remember singing 'colours' to us.

Seeing the daffodils this week brought it all back to me.

Mark Cavendish, by Scott!!!! what a rider

For those of you not the least bit interested in the Tour de France I am sorry.

Normal blogging service will be resumed in about two and a half weeks, but until then there will definitely be a Tour de France Bias during the week!!!!!!
As compensation for this my Sunday blogs will be TDF free.
This year I have split loyalties, I desperately want 'Lance' to do well.
Too see him in yellow at any point would give me pure joy, to see him in Yellow in Paris would be just incredible.
I don't just want it for him, I think his success would reverberate in so many different ways. It would lift people during a bad global recession, It would massively promote the Livestrong foundation, but most of all its just great for cycling. His participation has taken the spotlight from more popular sports and brought cycling into a completely different league. The media frenzy and TV coverage this year is unprecedented.

I am also a massive fan of our own British Rider Mark Cavendish and his Columbia Team which includes George Hincapie another of my favorite riders.
I especially love the fact that he rides the same bike as me......It always makes me want to go fast

Fortunately Cavendish will not affect Lances chances and in reality the Columbia Team may unwittingly be helping Lance and Astana each day by keeping Cavendish in with a shout for the sprints.

'When journalists at the Tour de France ask me if I am the best sprinter, I answer 'Yes', and that's seen as arrogance, but if they don't ask me, I don't say I'm the best sprinter in the world'

Mark Cavendish

I would love to see Mark Cavendish and Lance Armstrong on the podium together in Paris. One in yellow and one in Green.