Cav - next year?

JeffP; Cav'll be on a Dura-Ace 10-speed cassette starting with an 11 and then a bottom of 21, 23 or 25 depending on how big the lumps are on the way. For proper mountains there are combos bottoming out with 27 and one hears tell of pros even using 'compact' chainsets with a 34 tooth inner chainring for mountain stages. David Millar at this year's TDF (or was it the Giro? I forget) was a bit of a celebrity for using a 30-something SRAM cassette with one of their mountain bike gear mechs but that was because he had to use a 39-tooth inner ring at the front. Must find out why...

question on gearing: any idea what Cav's gearing is during the sprint stages and on Mtn stages whats the typical rear cog for the climbers

@stumps: Ah I didn't know that Swift is so close with Cav. I just thought they would have too many sprinters.
At the moment Sky has Swift, Henderson, Sutton, Appollonio and Boasson H. which is quite a lot. So if Cav comes there will be two more - him and Renshaw - and when Cav participates in a race hes the leader so theres not much space for the rest. Would be logical if Henderson and Sutton move to Green Edge cause they want 70% Aussies in their squad.

I can't see how a team could support both Wiggins and Cav. It would be a great shame for such a good team as HTC to be broken up, but I guess that's the way of things. So pleased to see him in the green jersey at long last.

Cav tweeted that he liked the Europecar kit, during the tour, probably 'cause it's green though

I'd have thought if htc do split up Goss would want to be the focus of sprinting in a different team. Hes won MSR and looks like a sprinter in the Thor mould, big guy who can fight over some hills and still sprint.

When the British Champs was on in Northumberland Cav was deep in conversation with the Sky bosses prior to the friday night criterium. Ok he knows them all from the track but it certainly makes you think.

If he comes to Sky then i can see Renshaw and Eisel coming with him and Sky will release some of their less successful / older riders. It will give him a lead out team of Renshaw, Eisel, and G. Not bad !

The way i see it and it may just be me, but it all depends on the rider he wants to be

Does he want to do a Zabel and keep winning back to back green on the Tdf?

Or does he want to expand and become more of a classic/sprinter/track all round kind points guy like Zabel was

Cause if his only goal is to keep winning green, stick with HTC, if he wants to get out and win more and more, move somewhere else

Might all just be contract talk, depends on a sponsor for HTC. The Cervelo mess ended up ok. Reminds me a little bit of Frans Klammer in the late 70s, changed skis for the wrong reasons, was never the same skier. This is what worries me about Cav, why would you change a winning formula, what can he possibly gain?

Nah i think Cav would just replace Swift and take one or two with him, Bernie Eisel for sure

I think this may be a domino effect.

If HTC do not find a sponsor and dissolve, but they have got to be a good bet for somebody, being about the worlds top team. Then Cav goes to Sky, he will want to take Renshaw, but he is being linked to this new Australian team, so maybe Goss goes to Sky too, and Wiggins leaves, because Sky then become a stage and sprint team. Quickstep would be a poor move

I think if HTC can keep some of the team together he may stay, but i think its well known he's off to sky

Where ever they go I hope they stay together, the team work so well together they deserve that much, hopefully another sponsor will step in for them.
Fantastic having Cavendish in Green only hope the British Media give him decent coverage for it.

Never going to go to quickstep