Are the French designing the T de France to impede Mark Cavendish this year?

[DTCwordfan]

MC has been moaning about the course this year - and possibly with good reason.

He did win today on a very difficult sprint as it finished with 800m uphill and favoured the French rider Gilbert (who came 2nd)

Any pedal-maniacs here want to comment? Wingeing Manxer or true?

[johnk]

The French probably would do that sort of thing and they do hate MC

[jomifl]

The course designer does have to be as fair as possible to all kinds of riders. It would be pefectly possible to choose a course that allows specialist sprinters to be dragged around the country by their team and win the tour. likewise too many mountain finishes would be unfair to the sprinters. I believe that there are too many riders for safety and either having smaller or fewer teams would be an improvement.

[Frank97]

I agree that they don't seem to like MC winning all the time. I thought yesterdays race was strange, they set up a sprint finish then put a climb ending 15k from the end designed to weed the sprinters out.It did make for a good days racing though so I suppose the organisers just like to mix things up. After all apart from he last day it is different every year which is part of the appeal from my point of view.
What annoys me more is that quite often the overall winner never wins a single stage.

[brionon]

Yes the French helping their Rider- Gilbert who Ain't French. Daft or Wot ?

[derekgprior]

Did you not see the interview on TV? It was stated that they could not contemplate such a great sprinter as Cav finishing his carreer never having won the Green Jersey. When pressed if the course was planned with Cav in mind he only repeated "such a great sprinter as Cav"
And so Cav won the Green Jersey.

[Euphemia]

Very French