Growing up in France in the 80s at some point we had orange juice fruit "strands" or "booths" in the shape of an orange and I couldn't help but think about these when the threat of the motorized watermelon froze me to oblivion!
Well, I'm a Belgian and I wouldn't relegate him for that. Merlier also tries to take him slightly to the right so Cav just goes around him and then gets back to sprint straight in the middle instead of going completely to the right since the wind was coming from the right head-on. Philipsen also moves straight towards Cav to sprint out of the wind and Merlier just gets boxed in by both of them cause he keeps on sprinting instead of just stopping after his lead-out as every normal lead-out would do. That's also why Morkov went towards the Alpecin train, not only to prevent them from getting boxed in, but so Cav could come out on the left out of the wind. But then Rickaert goes aside right into the path of where everyone is going to sprint instead of going against the wind to the right where no one is sprinting (obviously), causing Morkov to go around him on the left while Cavendish decides to go the right because Morkov lost momentum because of Rickaert (you see that instead of next to Merlier, Morkov is halfway Philipsen when he rejoins after going all around Rickaert). If Rickaert had went to the right as he should have, Morkov would've done his lead-out right next to Merlier and Philipsen would've come out of Merlier's wheel on the right, while Cav would've overtaken Morkov on the left. So if you really want to relegate anyone, it should be Rickaert cause he's the only one purposely hindering everyone that is about to sprint. Alpecin just screwed themselves over by trying to screw over the others. But all in all there were no major issues between Cav and Philipsen, just slight movement towards one another which is natural and both of them had space towards the other side. Philipsen reacting is just because Merlier got a win on 1 try while he can't deliver after 2 lead-outs, simple as that. The only reason they are letting Philipsen sprint is because they'll try to get green on their way to Paris. There's no other reason why they'd choose Philipsen above Merlier today while it was a completely flat stage after a rest day for sprinters, cause that's what a TT is for them :p
Honestly for LR I bet he would love to get shit talked in Belgian media everyday, so much publicity and it's not like leferve has ever made himself look good when he does so, in my mind that would be a win win
No. As you can CLEARLY see, Philipsen also moved to the middle of the road. Merlier was already slowing down, Cav took his position and Philipsen wanted to go there too and went a bit too quickly. This is normal sprinting. I really get that everything is under a magnifying glass lately, but if this wouldn't be allowed we can just stop sprinting.
I'm far from an expert but I'd agree with this. At the time all I saw was Cav veer right (from the cemara's pov) and I thought he'd be relegated - it wasn't till I saw it from above that it was clear Philipsen also deviated. Question remains: Well why not relegate them both. Don't know enough about sprinting to answer that.
Phil and Cav they both move to the middle but Cav is faster Tim was already slow down (maybe trying to block others sprinter) The reason why Phil lifted his hand becuz he lost mark a lot of time in this year.
For me it seems to be a normal overtake-move done by Cav thinking Merlier has finished his leadout and expecting he would slow down more than he actually did.
and why is it a normal overtake move to take the longer route and move IN FRONT of a former leadoutman? The only reason is that he is looking for contact...
@@johchili4443 he is telling it: "cav was expecting Merlier would slow down more than he actually did". Also, Philipsen does the same move but to the right, and the combination of both is what encloses to Merlier
Except Cav keeps veering towards Phillipson after overtaking Merlier I believe this is the main point of contention. It doesn’t help that Philipson wanted the position Cav took ahead of Merlier, his own teammate, Phillipson wasn’t quick enough. Regardless there was no need for Cav to continue riding into Phillipson he was always going to win from that point.
If merlier wasn't heads up, he gets his front wheel taken out and goes down, along with everyone behind him. simple as that. LR is the only cycling analysis I've seen that is consistent and doesn't apply a double standard to riders, chapeau
Surely if staying in a designated lane is so important during sprints. They should put temporary lane lines down on the last 150 metres up to the finish line. I do think Cav overstepped his line, however the dotted lines down the middle of the road lead that way and can could definitely make his direction change justifiable.
@@georgestevens3343 I was just about to say the same. You can't just solely analyse the winner's path during a sprint and say he should have got relegated, but everyone's else's sprint as well and then the guy in 20th place in the stage probably wins or you could make a case for Merlier, but that's about it probably!!! I do think the regs are very vague which doesn't help, but they don't say you have to stay in your lane on their own, as shown they add without endangering an opponent or words to that effect. In this case from what I saw Merlier led out his team mate so he wasn't ever going to win the stage, both Cav and his team mate Philipsen went round him either side, were going faster than him and then both angled back in front of him, which probably have him a tow again which kept him up there for a time. Honestly I could go either way on this one, but if you are going to apply these rules you have to apply it from the start of the race and not here. Was it dangerous? Did it impede Merlier? I've not looked at this closely enough, but I think you also have to take into account whether Merlier was in contention for winning the stage and I'm not sure he ever was, or more importantly in danger of going down, and I'm not sure he was. If Cav had done it to Philipsen or another direct competitor for the stage I think he's have got relegated, but this wasn't the case and I don't think he was going to bring down everyone here in a mass pileup, which is how I interpret these rules.
Yes, I agree. Cross country skiing has been doing this for quite some time (last maybe 50-100 metres or so depending on the race), and once you're in your corridor you're not allowed to switch. So yeah, a little spray marking in the tarmac would probably solve most of the problem.
What Bouhanni is doing during these sprints is anyones guess. Its almost as though he thinks he's getting bonus points for number headbutts during the sprint and the final run to the line is some kind of TdF branded cyclo-moshpit. Then he throws his arms up in air after the line to indicate how he was robbed of victory.
Philipsen looked to have deviated further to me, then just gets pissed off that Cav was already in the spot he wanted. Wasn't clean as a whistle but not dirty either
@@davidtt8372 Nope, since Philipsen isn't fast enough. That Alpecin chooses Philipsen over Merlier is funny to me, since Merlier is the faster of the 2.
That's it mate. Great video great slow motions explaining so well. And Cavendish did so dangerous move maybe they should watch this video again! Thanks for the great video keep going!!
@@peterwest5525 BS, that crash was Cav’s fault, then he whined like a little B and got Sagan tossed from the race. I liked Cav before that, but that was a disgusting display by a rider who was losing races because he was no longer on his best form and was frustrated.
@@JC-lr4vg What a ridiculous comment. Sagan rode from one side of the road to the other to smash Cavendish into the barriers. And Cavendish was in no position to whine. He was in hospial.
@@peterwest5525 , you’re ridiculous. ruclips.net/video/ci6P69_T4p8/видео.html here’s that crash frame by frame so it’s slow enough for your impaired boomer cognition to comprehend. Notice Cav being dirty ol’Cav with the head butting right before the crash. Sagan’s elbow only flared so he could keep his balance while dirty Cav head butts him. Also they look to me like they’re riding next to each other, where is Sagan coming from the other side of the road?
Its hard to feel pity for MVP, but his teams and even his equipment arent at the tops of their respective professional categories. When hes in yellow its all the more apparent that MVP has the cumulative class of his entire team in his possession yet their strategies promote the opinion that they are all equally fast and strong as him. Not !
It’s a dog fight. I can’t count the number of times Cav has been impeded in a more serious way. Take Sagan disqualification preview TDF. Both where amicable and understood the battle of the sprinters.This is not an Olympic event where if you go out of your lane you are DQd. This is the beauty of competition. Love it
Watching live I thought Cav might have a case to answer but in slow-mo you see that Philipsen moved right, into a space Cav had just beaten him into. So Philipsen's deviation opened the door for Bouhanni, whilst Cav's deviation closed the door on Philipsen. Coupled with his switch to the Alpecin Fenix train, it was a sprinting master-class from Cav.
Tbh everyone is deviating lines at sprint finishes, opening elbows and pushing each other... and the guy that doesn't seem to be bothered is Sagan, he is so talented at handling his bike
Another fantastic Lanterne Rouge post race analysis, and I fully agree. I'm a long time Mark Cavendish fan, and I was again overjoyed about his fine win today. Really fantastic still image @ 7:10 btw.
An emphatic NO! The fastest and smartest sprinter won the race. He was clearly superior where it counted - at the finish line. If Cav was relegated for this Sagan would be relegated 90% of the time. The best man won. Period!
It's easy to be clearly superior when you chop off both of the two guys who could beat you. "If Cav was relagated for this Sagan would be relagated 90% of the time" And? The rules are there to protect the riders. One time was one time too much. Let's protect the riders before another Jakobsen hits the post again. Period!
If this is what you meant when you said you’d relish finally making videos without severe lack of sleep then I’m all for it. Pulling no punches in this one 🤯
Wonder why you did not mention the other Alpecin rider drifting to his right just moments after Cav drifted to his left. It was the combination that created the squeeze was it not?
It doesn’t make sense, if Merlier (the rider you’re referring to?) impeded Cav then Cav would be forced right, not left. Cav was going faster anyhow, he wasn’t in any danger
He mentioned it. And ofc its relevant.. but realy the reason merlier almost goes to the ground is cav is near blocking of movements of merlier front wheel. If you are a cyclist, you know how dangerous that is in that speed.
Nothing in the sprint at all. Merlier is too quick for Phillipsen in the lead out. No idea why Fenix are persisting with not allowing Merlier to contest the sprint. I'm glad they are and long live them pushing for a Phillipsen win.
No DQ was the right call. Merlier was of no consequence as the lead-out man as Cav and Philipsen swept by. Cav AND Philipsen went for exactly the same patch of road and Cav won by getting their first. Great riding from the GOAT.
That sprint was perfectly fine by Cav. Merlier didn’t slow like a normal leadout would there and kept sprinting to try and disrupt Cav. Totally legit win.
Do you guys actually race? “Usually” the last lead out man slows slightly after delivering the designated sprinter. One of the differences here is that Merlier is faster than JP. Regardless Cav deserved the win and he and JP both moved together at the same time. No need for relegation here at all.
It seems that, as Merlier hits clean air, he moves pretty dramatically to the right. Cavendish then moves a similar amount back towards the centre of the road, and simultaneously Philipsen is moving to the right again, and actually seems to cause Merlier more issues than Cavendish does. Meanwhile Bouhanni is moving across the entire left third of the road and back, and behind them Sagan is also moving as much if not more than Merlier, Cavendish and Philipsen, and seems to clearly cut someone off in the process. The first rider I don't see weaving is Demare, but frankly this might be because he's basically out of shot... So not only would relegating Cavendish be unfair in the context of this year's interpretation of the rules, it would even be inconsistent within this one sprint.
That’s a good point. I understand Bouhanni since he’s trying to come around Phillipsen and he’s clear of other riders, but Sagan keeps moving left across Bol forcing him towards the barriers. It wasn’t perfect but if you want to relegate the winner here u have to also relegate other riders, which I think would be bad for the sport.
While other riders might not have been going exactly straight, Cavendish is the only rider who's deviation could be interpreted as endangering another rider which is a key point to the rule. Sagan and Bouhanni while not going perfectly straight never endanger anyone so that's just incorrect. Not saying I think Cav should have been relegated but I think he's the only rider you could make a case for.
@@liamday453 Sagan clearly cuts someone off and gives them a choice of brakes or barriers. Meanwhile to be honest it looks to me like Merlier isn't really endangered by Cavendish until Philipsen cuts him off from the other side, and the moment I really wince is when Merlier has to avoid Philipsen's rear wheel, not Cavendish's. Granted, Merlier is probably moving back to the left to avoid Cavendish and therefore gets caught in a pincer between him and Philipsen, but I really don't think it's right to say Cavendish is the only rider you could make a case for relegation. At least Philipsen, Merlier and Sagan do similar things, if slightly less dramatic. I'll give you Bouhanni's just moving in open space but wow the guy is all over the place!!!
@@willmc4403 I think Cees Bol had plenty of room and really was not endangered by Sagan even though he did move all over the road. I think Cav gets pretty close to Merlier's front wheel and that's the first thing that endangers him and makes him take evasive action before he has to deal with Philipsen's back wheel. I also think Cav deviates from his lane significantly more than Philipsen. I really don't think Bouhanni was doing anything weird so the last comment kinda confuses me, he stays in the slipstream as long as he can and then tries to jump to Philipsen's left and then jumps left again because he sees Philipsen coming towards him all in clear air
Certainly kind of iffy. I don’t think the move was malicious or designed to hinder. Nor do I think it affected the outcome. I don’t know why it was done, it would have been more advantageous in every respect to hold the line. It’s possible the rider peeling off affected his balance and there was an over compensation. But Cavendish has been more than a little touchy-feely in sprints before without cause, so who knows.
Cav was the only one with his head up... Possibly the commisaires saw this, as well it wasn’t a switch. If the alpencin riders had their heads up, they might have tactically made the gallop difficult for cav? Either way cav looked more fresh...I still think he would have came round...
The white line straightens out approaching the finish line. If you ignore all that and use the barriers as a reference it seems pretty clear to me Merlier and Philipsen were both drifting right at least as much as Cav was going left (if not more)
Seems the Doping issue cool down a bit and now were seeing monstrous feat again! They have new untraceable juices again? I will need that on my Next race.
It looked like Cav was actually trying to get into Phillipsen’s wheel but Merlier was still sprinting and not slowing like a normal lead out so he ends up nearly chopping him. As you say I think it’d be harsh to relegate here. Also Alpecin’s decision to go for Phillipsen is so odd. He’s clearly significantly slower than Merlier.
@@fuzzybee3788 nah... this like of thinking shifts more towards honest mistake instead of pure malice. I don't agree though. Cav has always shown disregard towards lesser riders that dare challenge him.
Good to see that cav can still win without complete dependency on morkov. Also, i wonder if fenix needed to use merlier to successfully execute the sideways leadout shut down attempt, because maybe phillipsen wouldnt have been able to(?)... Great racing regardless.
Philipsen and Cavendish both come across the same amount towards the center line of the road shutting out Merlier. I think the question we should be asking is why Merlier kept sprinting so hard?
Both Phillipsen and Cavendish, deviated. It’s as if they met in the middle somewhat. It didn’t effect the result though, so doesn’t deserve a DQ. Otherwise you would have 5/6 DQ’s every grand tour...
DQ and relegated aren't the same. And you'd have that once... After that, everyone would know where the line is and not cross it. At the moment, the line is "was there a crash?", and if not, the UCI turns a blind eye
@@GDF07 Relegation only works if the fastest guy in the sprint suffered interference. In this case, Phillipsen wasn’t the fastest and deviation didn’t cost him any places.
What's frustrating about the non-relegation is that currently everyone is throwing their toys out the cot over the unsafe nature of the sport, and how dangerous the route was on stage 3, and how the UCI needs to do something - to the point that the riders literally protested that the UCI needs to do something to make the sport more safe. But if the UCI actually did something and enforced their rules in the sprints and relegated Cav, people would loose their minds. If the riders are being consistent, they should protest tomorrow to have the UCI enforce the rules that are in place to keep sprints safe too, which would probably mean relegating Cav and at least relegating Morkov (although that would mean nothing, they'd have to DQ him to punish him). But they wont. Unless there's a crash (or your name is Sagan or Bouhanni), you can do whatever you want in a sprint without repercussions.
Some people laughing about the protection of 6th to 10th place finish, but those points are so valueble. You get 10 points for 6th, 9 for 7th, 8 for 8th, 7 for 9th, and 6 for 10th. Every point counts.
Well, if you want to DQ Cavendish then you have to DQ Philipsen certainly as well, who clearly did the same. They both swerve in front of Merlier in exactly the same way, except that Cavendish being faster, wins out. In fact I think I saw other riders do much the same further back as they were approaching. So why is the discussion only focused on Cavendish? Or is it Merlier suddenly slowing down as lead out in the middle of the road right in front of all the sprinters and the goal line who might be considered a danger?
This might be an unpopular opinion but I think the whole thing is accentuated by Merlier's sprint just dying at that moment which makes it seem more egregious than it actually was.
Mark Cavendish plays dirty and has done so for a long time. He plays fast, loose, endangering others and causing injuries but he has a knack for toeing the line so he gets away with shit all the time. Just another case in point in this video.
i watched hilights and that was the 1st thing i saw and wondered why no one mentioned it? he def changed his line - i think he should have been relegated EDIT: iv just taken a 2nd and 3rd look, it doesnt look as bad as i first thought.
Brilliant analysis and humour as usual. Thx. Re Cav. I think it’s reasonable that when a sprinter goes balls out and is staring at the ground literally a few metres in front of him, that he assumes that lines that were in the centre of the road 100 m ago, still are. Hence his deviation to the left. But not in his head or intention. More detail planning and attention required by the UCI. Another subject.....
Another one for the LR pantheon, containing at least 10 truly hilarious quips as well as the usual outstandingly quick yet deep insight. Anyway, Im off to look for a nine year olds’ swimming carnival..see if I can get that ribbon.
The race organisers should paint some straight yelow lines on the road in the last 150 meters or so, about 1,5 meters apart. You are only allowed to get out of your lane when there is another rider in front of you in the same lane.
Sagan got robbed is the only thing im saying. If alpecin is allowed to cut that much infront of sagan and others even there own team, see finish sprint, endangering them, and not getting punishied then idk why Sagan got dq several times for the same. U cant say its inconsistent to dq cavendish because it was inconsistand all the time.
I was not expecting the amount of "soft" roasts at the end. Great stuff! Also, I agree that there was deviation, but a relegation would not be in keeping with prior rulings, and therefore stangely unfair.
I think you are incorrect. As you have chosen to assume the right hand side barrier, as seen in the overhead shots, is the one all the rider have to remained parallel to. However, the barrier on the left hand side is the one that some, including Cavendish, remained parallel to. Again from the overhead shot, the left and right hand barriers appear to widen out as they get closer to the finish. With some following the right hand and some followed the left which inevitably resulted in crossed paths.
I say no. We're getting too handsy with the dq's imo. Is Rickaert's move into Morkov any less dangerous? The sprint lane rule is crap unless they provide lanes into the finish... but they won't because it's more exciting to watch the sprawl. More fun for the racers too. Like the wild west out there
@@ayushprasad5386 I didn't say Rickaert was breaking any rule. From experience I would say the kms leading into the sprint are nearly as dangerous as the sprint itself and taking more risk in the run-in is rewarded with better positioning. I am saying its lame racers can put each other in equal amounts of danger for the kms leading into the sprint
@@LETSTALKENTERTAINMENT ok tough guy, this wasn't rubbing mate, he was not fighting for a wheel or a better line for himself. His action did not improve his run to the line, only thing it did was illegally cut across the line of another rider. Cav is well known for this. Its documented throughout his career.
@@tomruth9487 thats a great idea mate, it will be like mario kart. have a little button to release lubricant on the rider drafting you etc lol and pepper spray when a team doesn't want you to break their train... seriously though, Cav is notorious for coming off his line, and when they let these things go, it only means it will continue, and eventually someone will pay the price. Its easy for us to sit here and say rubbing a'int racing, I am retired from bike racing, it's not my neck on the line. Look at what happened to Jus Williams recently, eventually you or someone will pay the price.
@@maxvain, I have to agree with you. I too am an x bike racer. Not sure how far back you go, but I started racing before there were professionals. Doping was unknown. If you won a race, you might get a trophy that was real metal and had a walnut base. Or maybe a medal. Then later, prizes started, you might win something that a bike shop couldn't sell. Every once in a while there was a cash prize. Or you might win a case of some product that a sponsor sold. Then pro cycling happened, I never made that cut, but some of my friends did. And of course, it then became so important to win. Your future depended on it. It's hard because only one person can win. I never felt I had to win, I guess I was more interested in the training and the social aspects of riding with a group, going fast, pace lines, getting ready for the sprint and all the psychology involved. You made a lot of friends training and racing together. This year we have the Olympic Games again. I like the word, "games", maybe that's really what it should be just a game where winning is just a small part of a great sport.
All so easy in hindsight with slow stop start motion. At 65kph full bore heart pounding, throat burning full on max power output the riders in that scenario won't have the the thoughts of what is fully going on around them. Cav would have assumed he was ahead and with that diagonal line would have easily construed his vision.
Eddy Merckx should get to decide if Cav gets relegated
Will he feel the same as he did for Caleb Ewan?
merckx would be so conflicted between honouring the race and let sprinters be sprinters or keep the record
Lmao
Yes! LOL
😂😂😂
Love the comment about how DSM needs to protect Cees Bol's 6-10th place.
Lanterne is the best cycling analyst in the world
Not working in the break to protect Cees Bol's 6th to 10th place in the sprint. 😂😂😂
Plottwist: Cavs sprint shifters are actually connectet to his oponents brakes.
🤣
I didn’t realise I was looking for this comment but I’m glad I found it.
nice one
well it actually should be somehow possible to shift all competitors into the small ring :D
i knew it 🤣
He's moving in front of the falling-back lead out man so no one can get a draft off of him, which is a fascinating and great tactic.
'The giant motorized watermelon will eat you' *roflmao*
I thought he was threatening us with cav
LMFAO… I read this before watching the video and literally thought you were talking about Cav before I saw the watermelon itself 😂😂
Growing up in France in the 80s at some point we had orange juice fruit "strands" or "booths" in the shape of an orange and I couldn't help but think about these when the threat of the motorized watermelon froze me to oblivion!
Well, I'm a Belgian and I wouldn't relegate him for that. Merlier also tries to take him slightly to the right so Cav just goes around him and then gets back to sprint straight in the middle instead of going completely to the right since the wind was coming from the right head-on. Philipsen also moves straight towards Cav to sprint out of the wind and Merlier just gets boxed in by both of them cause he keeps on sprinting instead of just stopping after his lead-out as every normal lead-out would do. That's also why Morkov went towards the Alpecin train, not only to prevent them from getting boxed in, but so Cav could come out on the left out of the wind.
But then Rickaert goes aside right into the path of where everyone is going to sprint instead of going against the wind to the right where no one is sprinting (obviously), causing Morkov to go around him on the left while Cavendish decides to go the right because Morkov lost momentum because of Rickaert (you see that instead of next to Merlier, Morkov is halfway Philipsen when he rejoins after going all around Rickaert). If Rickaert had went to the right as he should have, Morkov would've done his lead-out right next to Merlier and Philipsen would've come out of Merlier's wheel on the right, while Cav would've overtaken Morkov on the left. So if you really want to relegate anyone, it should be Rickaert cause he's the only one purposely hindering everyone that is about to sprint. Alpecin just screwed themselves over by trying to screw over the others. But all in all there were no major issues between Cav and Philipsen, just slight movement towards one another which is natural and both of them had space towards the other side.
Philipsen reacting is just because Merlier got a win on 1 try while he can't deliver after 2 lead-outs, simple as that. The only reason they are letting Philipsen sprint is because they'll try to get green on their way to Paris. There's no other reason why they'd choose Philipsen above Merlier today while it was a completely flat stage after a rest day for sprinters, cause that's what a TT is for them :p
You fell for the nerd's clickbait.
Good analysis.
One rarely sees a finish where the winner crosses the line
over to the right or left : the winner always goes down the middle.
Exactly he goes around the other rider end of story. Changing lines does rules does not apply there
The instructions said tear along the dotted line.
I see what you did there! ;)
This comment needs more internets.
Humorous to see Valverde congratulate Cavendish after the stage with the special OG club handshake, hug, and face pat.
Maybe its some sort of secret World Champions only thing
LR going out of his way to make it on Lafevere's hit-list
*Ugly Lefevre
Lafevere's current hitlist: all@world
Honestly for LR I bet he would love to get shit talked in Belgian media everyday, so much publicity and it's not like leferve has ever made himself look good when he does so, in my mind that would be a win win
LR just has no sprint ability
No. As you can CLEARLY see, Philipsen also moved to the middle of the road. Merlier was already slowing down, Cav took his position and Philipsen wanted to go there too and went a bit too quickly. This is normal sprinting. I really get that everything is under a magnifying glass lately, but if this wouldn't be allowed we can just stop sprinting.
I don’t know if you’re right but I’m going to vigorously agree regardless.
I'm far from an expert but I'd agree with this. At the time all I saw was Cav veer right (from the cemara's pov) and I thought he'd be relegated - it wasn't till I saw it from above that it was clear Philipsen also deviated. Question remains: Well why not relegate them both. Don't know enough about sprinting to answer that.
Phil and Cav they both move to the middle but Cav is faster
Tim was already slow down (maybe trying to block others sprinter)
The reason why Phil lifted his hand becuz he lost mark a lot of time in this year.
wonderful sprint by Cav - loved the commentary - thanks so much
For me it seems to be a normal overtake-move done by Cav thinking Merlier has finished his leadout and expecting he would slow down more than he actually did.
and why is it a normal overtake move to take the longer route and move IN FRONT of a former leadoutman? The only reason is that he is looking for contact...
@@johchili4443 he is telling it: "cav was expecting Merlier would slow down more than he actually did". Also, Philipsen does the same move but to the right, and the combination of both is what encloses to Merlier
Except Cav keeps veering towards Phillipson after overtaking Merlier I believe this is the main point of contention. It doesn’t help that Philipson wanted the position Cav took ahead of Merlier, his own teammate, Phillipson wasn’t quick enough. Regardless there was no need for Cav to continue riding into Phillipson he was always going to win from that point.
@@johchili4443 well obviously you move in front of the lead out man, if you move behind them then you've already lost.
Perfect summary
If merlier wasn't heads up, he gets his front wheel taken out and goes down, along with everyone behind him. simple as that. LR is the only cycling analysis I've seen that is consistent and doesn't apply a double standard to riders, chapeau
Surely if staying in a designated lane is so important during sprints. They should put temporary lane lines down on the last 150 metres up to the finish line. I do think Cav overstepped his line, however the dotted lines down the middle of the road lead that way and can could definitely make his direction change justifiable.
I agree he overstepped however the other riders made more of a deviation into Cavs line. I would say he's clear from relegation...
@@georgestevens3343 I was just about to say the same. You can't just solely analyse the winner's path during a sprint and say he should have got relegated, but everyone's else's sprint as well and then the guy in 20th place in the stage probably wins or you could make a case for Merlier, but that's about it probably!!! I do think the regs are very vague which doesn't help, but they don't say you have to stay in your lane on their own, as shown they add without endangering an opponent or words to that effect.
In this case from what I saw Merlier led out his team mate so he wasn't ever going to win the stage, both Cav and his team mate Philipsen went round him either side, were going faster than him and then both angled back in front of him, which probably have him a tow again which kept him up there for a time. Honestly I could go either way on this one, but if you are going to apply these rules you have to apply it from the start of the race and not here.
Was it dangerous? Did it impede Merlier? I've not looked at this closely enough, but I think you also have to take into account whether Merlier was in contention for winning the stage and I'm not sure he ever was, or more importantly in danger of going down, and I'm not sure he was. If Cav had done it to Philipsen or another direct competitor for the stage I think he's have got relegated, but this wasn't the case and I don't think he was going to bring down everyone here in a mass pileup, which is how I interpret these rules.
That’s a goated idea! There’s always going to be traditionalists that disagree though.
Yes, I agree. Cross country skiing has been doing this for quite some time (last maybe 50-100 metres or so depending on the race), and once you're in your corridor you're not allowed to switch. So yeah, a little spray marking in the tarmac would probably solve most of the problem.
would lines be slippery in wet sprints and create crashes?
If Cav deviated, so did Philipsen, and Bouhanni was all over the place
LOL if they consistently enforced the rule it would be a miracle if any of the sprinters weren't relegated
What Bouhanni is doing during these sprints is anyones guess. Its almost as though he thinks he's getting bonus points for number headbutts during the sprint and the final run to the line is some kind of TdF branded cyclo-moshpit. Then he throws his arms up in air after the line to indicate how he was robbed of victory.
@@jpslaym0936 Hes definitely a wine ass.
Well it is difficult trying to sprint straight AND trying to put on your boxing gloves at the same time.
Philipsen looked to have deviated further to me, then just gets pissed off that Cav was already in the spot he wanted. Wasn't clean as a whistle but not dirty either
yeah i'd say it's a combination of them both. fair play in my book. racing is tough, this is the pros, deal with it. that's my take.
I wonder if Philipsen hadn't paused when he ran into Cav, would he have won?
@@davidtt8372 He might have fallen... he was regaining balance.
@@davidtt8372 Nope, since Philipsen isn't fast enough. That Alpecin chooses Philipsen over Merlier is funny to me, since Merlier is the faster of the 2.
Phillpsen and Merlier didn't move nowhere near as much as Cavendish did...the man had to stop pedaling briefly, Cavendish been doing this for years.
That's it mate. Great video great slow motions explaining so well. And Cavendish did so dangerous move maybe they should watch this video again! Thanks for the great video keep going!!
If it was Sagan, doing this or causing the wreck that Caleb caused, he'd be out of the TDF.
Ha ha ha. Sagan gets away with more than any other rider. What he did to Cavendish four years ago should have resulted in a season´s ban.
@@peterwest5525 BS, that crash was Cav’s fault, then he whined like a little B and got Sagan tossed from the race. I liked Cav before that, but that was a disgusting display by a rider who was losing races because he was no longer on his best form and was frustrated.
@@JC-lr4vg What a ridiculous comment. Sagan rode from one side of the road to the other to smash Cavendish into the barriers. And Cavendish was in no position to whine. He was in hospial.
@@peterwest5525 , you’re ridiculous. ruclips.net/video/ci6P69_T4p8/видео.html here’s that crash frame by frame so it’s slow enough for your impaired boomer cognition to comprehend. Notice Cav being dirty ol’Cav with the head butting right before the crash. Sagan’s elbow only flared so he could keep his balance while dirty Cav head butts him. Also they look to me like they’re riding next to each other, where is Sagan coming from the other side of the road?
@@peterwest5525 funny I remember watching Cav standing at the door of the team bus whining
SOMEONE TELL ALPECIN WE CAN'T ALL GET GOLD STARS
Its hard to feel pity for MVP, but his teams and even his equipment arent at the tops of their respective professional categories. When hes in yellow its all the more apparent that MVP has the cumulative class of his entire team in his possession yet their strategies promote the opinion that they are all equally fast and strong as him. Not !
@@jpslaym0936 what's wrong with his equipment???
#Freetimmerlier
Philipsen was doing the mirror image of Cav, they basically met each other in the middle.
It’s a dog fight. I can’t count the number of times Cav has been impeded in a more serious way. Take Sagan disqualification preview TDF. Both where amicable and understood the battle of the sprinters.This is not an Olympic event where if you go out of your lane you are DQd. This is the beauty of competition. Love it
Watching live I thought Cav might have a case to answer but in slow-mo you see that Philipsen moved right, into a space Cav had just beaten him into. So Philipsen's deviation opened the door for Bouhanni, whilst Cav's deviation closed the door on Philipsen. Coupled with his switch to the Alpecin Fenix train, it was a sprinting master-class from Cav.
Tbh everyone is deviating lines at sprint finishes, opening elbows and pushing each other... and the guy that doesn't seem to be bothered is Sagan, he is so talented at handling his bike
I was going to sleep and then the notification arrived 😂
Another fantastic Lanterne Rouge post race analysis, and I fully agree. I'm a long time Mark Cavendish fan, and I was again overjoyed about his fine win today. Really fantastic still image @ 7:10 btw.
An emphatic NO! The fastest and smartest sprinter won the race. He was clearly superior where it counted - at the finish line. If Cav was relegated for this Sagan would be relegated 90% of the time. The best man won. Period!
It's easy to be clearly superior when you chop off both of the two guys who could beat you.
"If Cav was relagated for this Sagan would be relagated 90% of the time"
And? The rules are there to protect the riders. One time was one time too much. Let's protect the riders before another Jakobsen hits the post again. Period!
Nonsense! This is a mountain out of a molehill. Keep moving. Nothing to see here.
Crazy views lately, LR. Well deserved mate
they should spray shalk line guides on the last 100-200m. not to hard to do and could save confusion with weird road markings
THIS! But something non slip
Greipel shows you don't need those to do a clean sprint
If this is what you meant when you said you’d relish finally making videos without severe lack of sleep then I’m all for it. Pulling no punches in this one 🤯
Wonder why you did not mention the other Alpecin rider drifting to his right just moments after Cav drifted to his left. It was the combination that created the squeeze was it not?
He did mention it
It doesn’t make sense, if Merlier (the rider you’re referring to?) impeded Cav then Cav would be forced right, not left. Cav was going faster anyhow, he wasn’t in any danger
Yes. Philipsen stuck an elbow out too.
Because the uci have got to him too, its a cover up they want cave to win so more people get covid jabs and the uci can control your mind!!
He mentioned it. And ofc its relevant.. but realy the reason merlier almost goes to the ground is cav is near blocking of movements of merlier front wheel. If you are a cyclist, you know how dangerous that is in that speed.
I am re watching these videos while reading Cavs book and it is very interesting how different things are presented xD
You overlooked the fact that Philipsen also cut across his team mate see vid @ 6:39.
Good point!
Spot on! Plus importantly, both Cavendish and Philipsen deviate towards each other almost the same distance after they thought Merlier was passed.
Nothing in the sprint at all. Merlier is too quick for Phillipsen in the lead out. No idea why Fenix are persisting with not allowing Merlier to contest the sprint. I'm glad they are and long live them pushing for a Phillipsen win.
Relegating morkov would have given Cav more points
I didn't realise that... Saying that the system is broken is becoming an understatement
That's hilarious. Maybe just relegate anyone in the offending rider's team?
They should disqualify Morkov from the Tour for that move.
Great analysis, subscribed.
Me: *already subscribed for almost 2 years*
LR: watermelon Pac-Man will get you…
*double checks on being subscribed*
Yes!! Thanks for pointing this out, all the other commentators are ignoring it!
Cause they see nothing wrong, let's face it he was passed them by the time he moves over.
You're like the guy at uni I wanted to be friends with but he was much cleverer than me and read french poetry.
Im gonna repeat my last comment from your previous video: Best cycling podcast ever.
No DQ was the right call. Merlier was of no consequence as the lead-out man as Cav and Philipsen swept by. Cav AND Philipsen went for exactly the same patch of road and Cav won by getting their first. Great riding from the GOAT.
True, leadout men have no right to safety, Merlier would have been honoured to have the sprint goat make contact with his front wheel
*of no consequence to the result, not that an individual's safety is of no consequence, I assume he meant.
@@GS-pk9rd Yes that's what I meant. Cheers!
That sprint was perfectly fine by Cav. Merlier didn’t slow like a normal leadout would there and kept sprinting to try and disrupt Cav. Totally legit win.
Unsure if sarcasm or just stupid. Of course more than one rider for each team are allowed to participate in the sprint.
Do you guys actually race? “Usually” the last lead out man slows slightly after delivering the designated sprinter. One of the differences here is that Merlier is faster than JP. Regardless Cav deserved the win and he and JP both moved together at the same time. No need for relegation here at all.
I was waiting for this.
These vids are so good... on point. Keep up the good work
Yes. Greipel to be crowned winner.
Benji knows.
How would that effect his GC ambitions?
@@GDF07 Bonus seconds.
@@BenjiNaesenTV He was clearly denied an opportunity to close the gap to Pogacar
@@BenjiNaesenTV Jokes aside though, in what world are we living in when Greipel is 4 MINUTES ahead of Froome on GC
Cav was moving left and Phillipson was moving right. As you said the weirdest thing is not making use of you quickest guy in the sprint
It seems that, as Merlier hits clean air, he moves pretty dramatically to the right. Cavendish then moves a similar amount back towards the centre of the road, and simultaneously Philipsen is moving to the right again, and actually seems to cause Merlier more issues than Cavendish does. Meanwhile Bouhanni is moving across the entire left third of the road and back, and behind them Sagan is also moving as much if not more than Merlier, Cavendish and Philipsen, and seems to clearly cut someone off in the process. The first rider I don't see weaving is Demare, but frankly this might be because he's basically out of shot... So not only would relegating Cavendish be unfair in the context of this year's interpretation of the rules, it would even be inconsistent within this one sprint.
That’s a good point. I understand Bouhanni since he’s trying to come around Phillipsen and he’s clear of other riders, but Sagan keeps moving left across Bol forcing him towards the barriers. It wasn’t perfect but if you want to relegate the winner here u have to also relegate other riders, which I think would be bad for the sport.
Exactly right
While other riders might not have been going exactly straight, Cavendish is the only rider who's deviation could be interpreted as endangering another rider which is a key point to the rule. Sagan and Bouhanni while not going perfectly straight never endanger anyone so that's just incorrect. Not saying I think Cav should have been relegated but I think he's the only rider you could make a case for.
@@liamday453 Sagan clearly cuts someone off and gives them a choice of brakes or barriers. Meanwhile to be honest it looks to me like Merlier isn't really endangered by Cavendish until Philipsen cuts him off from the other side, and the moment I really wince is when Merlier has to avoid Philipsen's rear wheel, not Cavendish's. Granted, Merlier is probably moving back to the left to avoid Cavendish and therefore gets caught in a pincer between him and Philipsen, but I really don't think it's right to say Cavendish is the only rider you could make a case for relegation. At least Philipsen, Merlier and Sagan do similar things, if slightly less dramatic.
I'll give you Bouhanni's just moving in open space but wow the guy is all over the place!!!
@@willmc4403 I think Cees Bol had plenty of room and really was not endangered by Sagan even though he did move all over the road. I think Cav gets pretty close to Merlier's front wheel and that's the first thing that endangers him and makes him take evasive action before he has to deal with Philipsen's back wheel. I also think Cav deviates from his lane significantly more than Philipsen. I really don't think Bouhanni was doing anything weird so the last comment kinda confuses me, he stays in the slipstream as long as he can and then tries to jump to Philipsen's left and then jumps left again because he sees Philipsen coming towards him all in clear air
Certainly kind of iffy. I don’t think the move was malicious or designed to hinder. Nor do I think it affected the outcome. I don’t know why it was done, it would have been more advantageous in every respect to hold the line. It’s possible the rider peeling off affected his balance and there was an over compensation. But Cavendish has been more than a little touchy-feely in sprints before without cause, so who knows.
At least you're questioning it. Eurosport guys have gotten a bit tiring to listen to anything regarding Cavendish.
@Lanterne Rouge brutal
Loving it!!
Cav was the only one with his head up...
Possibly the commisaires saw this, as well it wasn’t a switch.
If the alpencin riders had their heads up, they might have tactically made the gallop difficult for cav?
Either way cav looked more fresh...I still think he would have came round...
The white line straightens out approaching the finish line. If you ignore all that and use the barriers as a reference it seems pretty clear to me Merlier and Philipsen were both drifting right at least as much as Cav was going left (if not more)
Never been a Cav fan but, gotta admit, I'm tickled to see him get his mojo back. He looks fearless again.
Seems the Doping issue cool down a bit and now were seeing monstrous feat again! They have new untraceable juices again? I will need that on my Next race.
It looked like Cav was actually trying to get into Phillipsen’s wheel but Merlier was still sprinting and not slowing like a normal lead out so he ends up nearly chopping him. As you say I think it’d be harsh to relegate here. Also Alpecin’s decision to go for Phillipsen is so odd. He’s clearly significantly slower than Merlier.
So do you feel it is Merlier's fault? Just curious.
@@fuzzybee3788 nah... this like of thinking shifts more towards honest mistake instead of pure malice. I don't agree though. Cav has always shown disregard towards lesser riders that dare challenge him.
Mark finally taken the special sauce
I have seen Cipollini, the tasmanian demon, Steels, Baldato and I have to say, very educated sprint from Cav..
Love watching Mark Cavendish
Great analysis. Keep up the good work.
Cav is a very experienced racer and a track racer, he knows exactly what he is doing and what he is likely to get away with. CAV IS BACK!
best in the business for analysis. Even my grumpy old man says so "that fookin aussie talks more sense than the wife"
Great insight and analysis
Good to see that cav can still win without complete dependency on morkov. Also, i wonder if fenix needed to use merlier to successfully execute the sideways leadout shut down attempt, because maybe phillipsen wouldnt have been able to(?)...
Great racing regardless.
Flawless breakdown
Philipsen and Cavendish both come across the same amount towards the center line of the road shutting out Merlier. I think the question we should be asking is why Merlier kept sprinting so hard?
And why shouldn't he? This is his prerogative.
@@cutekitten9856 I'm alluding to the weird team dynamics, Merlier being the faster sprinter but being made to do the leadout
Fenix have two fast guys.. but neither are as fast as Cav.
@@adamhindle9215 would love to see Merlier vs Cavendish head to head in the next sprint stage, would be a lot more interesting
Here is my analysis...
That was a great freaking finish.
Both Phillipsen and Cavendish, deviated. It’s as if they met in the middle somewhat. It didn’t effect the result though, so doesn’t deserve a DQ. Otherwise you would have 5/6 DQ’s every grand tour...
DQ and relegated aren't the same.
And you'd have that once... After that, everyone would know where the line is and not cross it. At the moment, the line is "was there a crash?", and if not, the UCI turns a blind eye
@@GDF07 Relegation only works if the fastest guy in the sprint suffered interference. In this case, Phillipsen wasn’t the fastest and deviation didn’t cost him any places.
And then sure enough sprinting would become safer eventually
Perfectly good ! Eddy would be happy with it!!
what? so little mention of GVA and Kluge? They were crushing it at like 60kph at times. They deserve more props!
it's a video specifically about Mark Cavendish, how can you complain that he didn't talk about others more?
That's why they do a Podcast video first 🤦 Get on it 👍
Love your analysis of each stage it really gives a more detailed view than you get from the broadcasters
What's frustrating about the non-relegation is that currently everyone is throwing their toys out the cot over the unsafe nature of the sport, and how dangerous the route was on stage 3, and how the UCI needs to do something - to the point that the riders literally protested that the UCI needs to do something to make the sport more safe.
But if the UCI actually did something and enforced their rules in the sprints and relegated Cav, people would loose their minds. If the riders are being consistent, they should protest tomorrow to have the UCI enforce the rules that are in place to keep sprints safe too, which would probably mean relegating Cav and at least relegating Morkov (although that would mean nothing, they'd have to DQ him to punish him). But they wont. Unless there's a crash (or your name is Sagan or Bouhanni), you can do whatever you want in a sprint without repercussions.
Some people laughing about the protection of 6th to 10th place finish, but those points are so valueble. You get 10 points for 6th, 9 for 7th, 8 for 8th, 7 for 9th, and 6 for 10th. Every point counts.
Well, if you want to DQ Cavendish then you have to DQ Philipsen certainly as well, who clearly did the same. They both swerve in front of Merlier in exactly the same way, except that Cavendish being faster, wins out. In fact I think I saw other riders do much the same further back as they were approaching. So why is the discussion only focused on Cavendish?
Or is it Merlier suddenly slowing down as lead out in the middle of the road right in front of all the sprinters and the goal line who might be considered a danger?
If thats the case
Ban them all rules are there to be enforced
Definitely!
It didn't look like enough of a deviation to me for relegation. JMO
This might be an unpopular opinion but I think the whole thing is accentuated by Merlier's sprint just dying at that moment which makes it seem more egregious than it actually was.
well we all know if this was sagan,he would have been relegated to last place without any points from this stage,so there goes your answer
Mark Cavendish plays dirty and has done so for a long time. He plays fast, loose, endangering others and causing injuries but he has a knack for toeing the line so he gets away with shit all the time. Just another case in point in this video.
i watched hilights and that was the 1st thing i saw and wondered why no one mentioned it? he def changed his line - i think he should have been relegated EDIT: iv just taken a 2nd and 3rd look, it doesnt look as bad as i first thought.
Brilliant analysis and humour as usual. Thx. Re Cav. I think it’s reasonable that when a sprinter goes balls out and is staring at the ground literally a few metres in front of him, that he assumes that lines that were in the centre of the road 100 m ago, still are. Hence his deviation to the left. But not in his head or intention. More detail planning and attention required by the UCI. Another subject.....
In a word, NO. To all of you looking for excuses to slam Cavendish; give it a rest.
Steve
Looked like Cav was deviating, but when you look at Philipsen he was deviating as much in the opposite direction.
I'm still trying to understand your logic of how it would be unfair to Cav to actually enforce the rules he has made a career out of breaking.
Another one for the LR pantheon, containing at least 10 truly hilarious quips as well as the usual outstandingly quick yet deep insight. Anyway, Im off to look for a nine year olds’ swimming carnival..see if I can get that ribbon.
Congratulations to Cavendish@!
YesSiRr!! Mate.. your pretty Awesome at this Bike riding/racing stuff! I'm a Fan! Lol!
Nah....this was a regular sprint...we all have seen way worse!!
That is experience, not a blatant sprint deviation... but it totally there :)) Cav looks like he is back.
The race organisers should paint some straight yelow lines on the road in the last 150 meters or so, about 1,5 meters apart. You are only allowed to get out of your lane when there is another rider in front of you in the same lane.
Agreed!
really mind boggling how mvdp hasn't even been given a shot as the sprinter
Sagan got robbed is the only thing im saying. If alpecin is allowed to cut that much infront of sagan and others even there own team, see finish sprint, endangering them, and not getting punishied then idk why Sagan got dq several times for the same. U cant say its inconsistent to dq cavendish because it was inconsistand all the time.
I was not expecting the amount of "soft" roasts at the end. Great stuff!
Also, I agree that there was deviation, but a relegation would not be in keeping with prior rulings, and therefore stangely unfair.
0:51 savage
I think you are incorrect. As you have chosen to assume the right hand side barrier, as seen in the overhead shots, is the one all the rider have to remained parallel to. However, the barrier on the left hand side is the one that some, including Cavendish, remained parallel to. Again from the overhead shot, the left and right hand barriers appear to widen out as they get closer to the finish. With some following the right hand and some followed the left which inevitably resulted in crossed paths.
I say no. We're getting too handsy with the dq's imo. Is Rickaert's move into Morkov any less dangerous? The sprint lane rule is crap unless they provide lanes into the finish... but they won't because it's more exciting to watch the sprawl. More fun for the racers too. Like the wild west out there
The rule is only applicable when cyclists are "sprinting". So Rickaert is not breaking this rule when he moves into Morkov
@@ayushprasad5386 I didn't say Rickaert was breaking any rule. From experience I would say the kms leading into the sprint are nearly as dangerous as the sprint itself and taking more risk in the run-in is rewarded with better positioning. I am saying its lame racers can put each other in equal amounts of danger for the kms leading into the sprint
Thanks for the analysis mate. Makes this Brissy lockdown more bearable.
Welcome to our past year! Cheers from Victoria!!
Nairoman won
The only legitimate Green jersey wearer in decades
@@Sampsonoff only a fool would bet against him winning on the champs elysees
Porque no es un ciclista
@@joewakelin198 well cavs clearly faster matey
@@tomgould9542 try and take a joke bud
CLEAN SPRINT!
When you let these things go, it will eventually end in a massive crash.
Max C, Or why not just allow body armor and swords and turn bike racing into a real spectator sport
@@LETSTALKENTERTAINMENT ok tough guy, this wasn't rubbing mate, he was not fighting for a wheel or a better line for himself. His action did not improve his run to the line, only thing it did was illegally cut across the line of another rider. Cav is well known for this. Its documented throughout his career.
@@tomruth9487 thats a great idea mate, it will be like mario kart. have a little button to release lubricant on the rider drafting you etc lol and pepper spray when a team doesn't want you to break their train... seriously though, Cav is notorious for coming off his line, and when they let these things go, it only means it will continue, and eventually someone will pay the price. Its easy for us to sit here and say rubbing a'int racing, I am retired from bike racing, it's not my neck on the line. Look at what happened to Jus Williams recently, eventually you or someone will pay the price.
So what? Who cares?
@@maxvain, I have to agree with you. I too am an x bike racer. Not sure how far back you go, but I started racing before there were professionals. Doping was unknown. If you won a race, you might get a trophy that was real metal and had a walnut base. Or maybe a medal. Then later, prizes started, you might win something that a bike shop couldn't sell. Every once in a while there was a cash prize. Or you might win a case of some product that a sponsor sold. Then pro cycling happened, I never made that cut, but some of my friends did. And of course, it then became so important to win. Your future depended on it. It's hard because only one person can win. I never felt I had to win, I guess I was more interested in the training and the social aspects of riding with a group, going fast, pace lines, getting ready for the sprint and all the psychology involved. You made a lot of friends training and racing together. This year we have the Olympic Games again. I like the word, "games", maybe that's really what it should be just a game where winning is just a small part of a great sport.
All so easy in hindsight with slow stop start motion. At 65kph full bore heart pounding, throat burning full on max power output the riders in that scenario won't have the the thoughts of what is fully going on around them. Cav would have assumed he was ahead and with that diagonal line would have easily construed his vision.