Cavendish rues failure to win road race
Mark Cavendish revealed his frustration after the men's Road Race
Great Britain's Mark Cavendish expressed frustration that rival teams were content so long as he did not win the London 2012 Olympic Games road race.
The 27-year-old world champion from the Isle of Man finished 29th, 40 seconds behind, as controversial Kazakh Alexandr Vinokourov triumphed on The Mall, with Colombia's Rigoberto Uran second and Norway's Alexander Kristoff third.
Cavendish told BBC1: "It seems like most teams are happy not to win as long as we don't win.
"It's the story of our lives in cycling. "It shows what a strong nation we are. We've got to take the positives from that and take it as a compliment."
Cavendish, a winner of 23 Tour de France stages, was among the favourites for the 250-kilometre event, which included nine ascents of Surrey's Box Hill. He had described Britain's five-man squad as the "dream team", featuring Tour winner Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, David Millar and Ian Stannard.
All four had ridden in support of Cavendish when he won the World Championships road race in Copenhagen last September, but this task was tougher, according to Millar and Wiggins.
And despite phenomenal support from his four British team-mates a late breakaway stayed clear and Vinokourov, who served a two-year ban until 2009 for blood doping, won the sprint for the line.
Cavendish was unhappy the likes of Australia and Germany, who had sprinters in their teams, were reluctant to pursue the breakaway.
He added: "It's bitterly disappointing. There's 70 guys in our group at the finish, I don't understand why there's (only) three guys riding. It doesn't make sense.
"No-one wants to help us. The Australians sit there. They always just ride negatively... they're happy to see us lose."
To those who do not understand, Cav was moaning about the other nations that did not have any of their men in the break. In cycling the front man will be using 30% more energy than those drafting behind them so will only be able to do a certain amount of work before they are spent . The nations without a man in the break should have had a vested interest in helping bring the break back in as they had no chance of winning at all just sitting on the wheels of the brits. Their gameplan was that they hoped the brits would reel in the break but in the process, tire themselves out. This would have then left Cav to fend for himself leaving the rest of the teams with extra men to lead out their sprinters at the finish.
Teams such as Germany should have helped much earlier and had the confidence to back Greipel (their sprinter) against Cav at the finish.
It was a task too far. Cycling tactics are always like that: the strong have to do it. The break shouldn't have happened and the 'dream' team should have been awake to the danger. They weren't.
It puts the media in its place of not knowing anything about much that is sporting at all. It prefers the hype and fantasy to the reality.
My final comment is that the Olympics is really about losing, as all sport is. One winner and the rest fail. But they just don't get that.
Mark is right - too many teams preferred to see him lose rather than give him a chance to win. People who don't understand cycling, will never understand. Too many idoits are making comments that really have no point.
Not sure why many of the riders even took part, Normaly if the peleton are working together then you can chase down 1 minute every 10km - if they are working. In the Tour De France Cavendish would have 8 team members to get it back to a bunch spirit, today he had 4. Team GB had to have other teams willing to work, but they are suppose to be professional cyclists. 95% of them had no intention to work once the brake away formed.
I would rather die know I wasn't good enough, than I never had a chance to know. People like Andre GREIPEL, will never know if he was good enough if it had come back to a bunch sprint. I think people like Tony Martin (Germany) Cav's old team mate from HTC was looking to work, but thats about it.
Anyone who slates team GB and the missile, I think would be better off not saying anying.
I am hoping for Nicole Cooke will bring the gold home, she is so talented and after I met her then I have a slight crush on her, but don't tell Vicky Pendleton please :-)
Face facts. You were not good enough.
Like all you over financed idiots you failed to deliver.
The worst of British sportsmanship came through when the race commentator expressed shock at the fact the crowds were applauding a foreigner."Why are they applauding him. He is not British". And then later the idiot that interviewed the winner thrust the mike at him and said, "We did not want you to win, but anyway, how do you feel".
From that moment on my allegiance switched from Team GB to anything but Team GB.
The Olympics is not what you want and think is yours by right.
It is about who is good enough on the day.
YOU WERE NOT, BY A LONG CHALK, SO STOP BLAMING OTHERS.
To the daft cow that pops into every topic to tell us how she finds her blokes.
I am prepared to hold my nose and give you a right seeing to in the middle of the road, right outside Buckingham Palace, to the sounds of the Royal Trumpeters even if you promise to put two used cement bags over you head before I start. I do not want to lose my breakfast.
OK ?
After that, please shut up.
Mark,
You are still the best in the world,unfortunately the tatics did not work today. As you say it is a compliment that the other riders do not want you to win but you certainly showed them the way in the Tour de France.You have already done us all proud from that alone and your other fine wins.Look forward to seeing you in your next race.All the best in your future race (s) We are proud of you and the team.
Never seem such an example of a bad loser. "Everybody was against us" , " balh blah blah. Great Olympian value of congratulating the victor, didnt see much of that by Cavendish either.
Maybe if he had peddled a bit harder and faster, kept up then he could have done better.
SORE LOSER, DISGRACEFUL ATTITUDE.
