After his crash 33 kilometers from the finish he was heard saying:

“I don’t want to use this *f##k* bike! What the *f##k* is wrong this bike!” he said, furious at seeing his chance of a second consecutive stage win pass him by. Cavendish started the stage on a limited edition Specialized Venge outfitted with brand new SRAM HydroR hydraulic rim brakes and Zipp wheels.

The quote is from velonews........too early to tell but he was using proven frame and wheel technology.....but new brake technology.....any bets on what he doesn't like being told to use?????

If I'm wrong that's ok - bottom line is some sponsor is causing him as a "poster child" to ride some gear that he feels is a detriment.......

Is this the accompanying picture?

Mark Cavendish is known for his temper. I love my bikes, but if something goes wrong I yell at it too.

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I like Spanish bikes and cars. Riding an Orbea Orca and a Seat Ibiza.

The bike he started the stage and crashed on did not have the HydroR brakes. They were on the spare he switched to.

Yeah shoddy reporting from Velonews. In fact Cav has been using his regular Venge since stage 2

Also the picture of him shouting is because the car went past him without realising and was stopped at that moment. Yesterday Quickstep had radio issues due to a stuck button on a rider's radio jamming the channel so Cavendish had no way to let the car know he had crashed.

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"Step forward the climber and all those who worship at the altar of lightness" - R. Millar

i never do that. i'm too afraid they'll turn against me in revenge and e.g. puncture far away from home.. i believe respect is to be mutual in this sort of relationship, better not to piss off one another

Not the first time he's had a Sram part fail at a crucial moment. I did like watching him recover from that fall though. And what is with Phil this tour making a lot of funny mistakes about teams like Cannonball and Quick-Stop? lol

edit - I guess I shouldn't assume it was a sram part but I can't forget that CaVENGEdish ad with the chain off the rings. Even though he won that, I.m sure he was not happy about the chain.

Love this story. Hope to see more of it played during the rest of the Tour.




Radio "issues." More like a teammate fed up with the whinny bi#ch.

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"Sacred to the god Aesculapius"

I would also be disappointed if I had to ride a specialized with sram and zipps.

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Hucken The Fard Up !
Colnagos : C50 ST01 - Master 30th AD10 - C40 Mapei WC

Looking over posted pics that appears it might be the case.......so besides that the HydroR brakes seem to reserved for being photographed on the team car but not a 1st choice for racing - any ideas what caused the high level of anger over his equipment?.....the plot thickens!!!

i read elsewhere that the stem had twisted off-centre. nothing to do with any specific parts or manufacturers.

whole thing feels like a bit of a beat-up :\ makes for good copy though...

So really it was an issue with the mechanic not tightening the stem bolts then?

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"It never gets easier, you just go faster..." - Greg Lemond

"I enjoy climbing...I enjoy seeing people disappear behind me." - Robert Millar

Considering he had crashed, perhaps that caused the steerer to be off-center?

I can say from my own experience that crashing in a race 4 of my 5 crashes have resulted in either a hood moving or stem off center or broken frame. Hitting the bars on a surface at 20mph plus gravity is going to be more than 5n-m (whatever it is to tighten a stem). Obviously not always the case but its not like surprising that the bars would move and a pro would prefer a bike change.

Notice the transformation is remarkable:

1. Start as a talented young hungry infant with the appetite to win
2. Train harder than you have ever done before
3. Win almost everything you set out to win
4. Sign a large contract and be everyone darling
5. Become world champion and break records
6. Receive world wide fame and become athlete of the year in your country
7. Make obnoxious demands since you are a star now
8. Have every one wipe your ass since you are entitled.
9. Become an overgrown infant throwing temper tantrums any time something does not go your way.

And there you have it a complete transformation.

From here on out skys the limit.

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I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree