The Tour de France attracts more spectators than other sporting event in the world - it's a massive sporting spectacle.
I agree with you but not millions of Brits, who are the ones who vote for the award.
I take your point on Hamilton but hopefully you get my drift.
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Who do you want to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2011?
- Thread starter The Large One
- Start date
I thought it was only the Europeans.
Part of my 'pre bedtime dis everyone else' caper.
Agree with all four of those.
Horton's halftime iceberg
Blooming Marvellous
CAV is unbelivable, if he does not win from this list and goes on to take Gold in the Olympic road race next year (he has already won the test event), it will be a travesty and he may need to change his nationality to French/Italien to be truely apreciated by a wider public or one that understands how amazing he is within cycling.
Spiros
Well-known member
But every time he won a Tour de France stage and then when he won the green jersey at the end of the tour it got featured as a headline item in the sports section (at least) on the news on BBC and ITV. Do you not watch the news either?
For me it has to be Cavendish, as no-one else has done so much in a single year to put their sport in the public eye. His achievements in cycling are significant, not just in British terms but in terms of the sport generally.
OK, here we go:
Mark Cavendish. Never heard of him
Darren Clarke. Never heard of him.
Luke Donald. Never heard of him.
Mo Farah. Never heard of him/her.
Dai Greene. Never heard of him.
So that's five out of ten I don't know.
Admittedly I have no interest in any sports beyond football and cricket, but if those names have done anything worth winning this dubious award surely I should have heard their names?
MattBackHome
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 12,008
I'm swaying between rats arse and flying f*** at the moment.
Manx Shearwater
New member
Cavendish.
But I'm biased.
And my cousin used to be his trainer.
But I'm biased.
And my cousin used to be his trainer.
This. He won't win though, cyclists never get the recognition they deserve. It will be some golfer probably, because winning a single major seems to be considered a greater achievement than winning a World championship and owning the Tour de France sprinting stages. Lets not forget as well this the first time in 46 years a british cyclist has won the worlds.
The British cycling team should be the Team of the year too, that ride in the worlds was a phenemonal show of strength. The only team that comes close is the England cricket team but India were so poor I don't think you can give it to them. As Cav said at the time "There could not be another result after the way the guys rode today".
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Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo
I believe in Joe Hendry
- Oct 4, 2003
- 12,925
Chris Hoy won in 2008, a cyclists best chance of winning is an Olympic year as minority sports will get more coverage if someone wins a medal in them. Cavendish winning this year would be a suprise, if he had a good showing at 2012 he'd have a much better chance this time next year.
That said Cavendish is showing as the bookies favourite at the moment.
Horton's halftime iceberg
Blooming Marvellous
Trouble is he is suddendly up agaisnst Chris Hoy next year who will probbaly break loads of Olymipic records, plus loads of feel good home medal winners in track field, rowing, boxing etc etc.
The olympic road race will be tough to win, GB will only have five riders (I think) so won't be able to control the race like they did in the worlds. Plus with Cav joining Sky I expect him to do the whole of the Tour leaving him little recovery time for the Olympics, as it should be, see my signature for how important the Olympic road race is in pro cycling circles.
Olympics and track cycling are different though. On the track the Olympics are the big thing, on the road this is just not the case. Hoy's win was to do with being a multi gold medalist (not really anything to do with which sport he competed in), something Cav will not achieve unless he changes his whole career and training regime. Something he will never do as he just loves the pro road circuit too much.
Early prediction, Hoy will win the sprints through sheer force of will, but nothing else. He is too old and there are too many other good riders who have learnt from GB over the last four years.
Common as Mook
Not Posh as Fook
- Jul 26, 2004
- 5,646
England are top of the tree in a MAJORITY sport. This happens very rarely (RWC 2003) so obviously it should be Cook or Strauss with the team award going to the England Cricket team.
I feel for Cavendish, but unfortunately cycling is a minor sport in this country and is more to do with endurance and fitness that actual skill.
I feel for Cavendish, but unfortunately cycling is a minor sport in this country and is more to do with endurance and fitness that actual skill.
Blues Rock DJ
New member
The words 'Murray' and 'Personality' do not exactly run off the tongue.................couldn't care less personally, but wonder why a) no ladies and b) for 2nd year running (I think) no footballers ?
Seagull Steve
SWC
I know it is a prestigious award, but I really don't care who gets it. When Giggs won it for doing nothing out of the ordinary that particular year, and then went on to shag his brothers wife and others. I think it lost a lot of its value.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,698
In cricket terms it doesn't get better than winning the Ashes down under and brownwashing the Indians 4-0 in the summer. Cook was the rock on which those feats were founded. However, the 5-0 one day walloping we got in India when he was captain will count against him.
My top 3:
1. Cook
2. Cavendish
3. McIlroy.
My top 3:
1. Cook
2. Cavendish
3. McIlroy.
keaton
Big heart, hot blood and balls. Big balls
- Nov 18, 2004
- 10,192
This is quite interesting, list of the papers and magazines and who they voted for.
Quite odd that Nuts and Zoo get the same amount of say in it as the papers.
And some pretty odd nominations : Rooney, Parker, Bale?
Manchester Evening News' list features Berbatov, Glenn Chapple, Vieira, Scholes, Yaya Toure
xhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/sports_personality/15895642.stm
Quite odd that Nuts and Zoo get the same amount of say in it as the papers.
And some pretty odd nominations : Rooney, Parker, Bale?
Manchester Evening News' list features Berbatov, Glenn Chapple, Vieira, Scholes, Yaya Toure
xhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/sports_personality/15895642.stm
Manx Shearwater
New member
If they are really going on 'personality' (and I realise they aren't) then they should have at least stuck Balotelli in there for a laugh!
Vatican Citys No.2 Keeper
Rebels & Albion
Got to be Cook IMO, Had fantastic year, inspiring performances time after time down under and against India. Wouldn't rule out McIlroy being in the top 3 after the way in which he took the US Open title, but then I thought McDowell was in with a shout last year after winning same title as Rory, and sinking winning putt for Europe in the Ryder Cup so what do I know!!
Cook gets my vote, although I doubt it will go to a cricketter. Had no idea Cavendish was such a strong favourite. Rory McIlroy seems to be a real media favourite these days so he must be up there, but to be honest I really pay no attention to golf, cycling or athletics.
Any winner other than the England (Test) Cricket Team for the team of the year would be an absolute farce.
Any winner other than the England (Test) Cricket Team for the team of the year would be an absolute farce.