2014 Season Snapshot by Rider

[barmaher]

Inspired by the "Describe a Rider in Three Words" thread, and given that we only have Beijing to look forward to, I thought I would start something new.

So each poster summarises the 2014 season of the previously nominated rider under the following headings:

High Points
Low Points
Marks out of 10
2015 Expectations

I will start with Dan Martin

High Points Second monument win. Nice second in Fleche.
Low Points Some terrrible crashes. Looked like winning La Doyenne until he fell. Equally bad luck in the Giro
Marks out of 10 7/10. On balance he would have taken a monument and nothing else if you had offered it to him at the start of the year.
2015 Expectations I expect at least one more big win from him in 2015.

Nominate Leopold Konig

 

[Ricco']

High Points Going into top-10 at Le Tour and the final time trial.
Low Points Quite invisible in the rest of the season.
Marks out of 10 8/10. Exceeded what was expected of him at a Grand Tour and was promoted to one of the best teams of the world. Must be proud of himself
2015 Expectations Work his a** off to Froome. Maybe going to a top-10 at Giro or Vuelta.

Nominate: Juan Jose Lobato

 

[trevim]

High Points: 4th place in San Remo.
Low Points: The amount of 2nd places.
Marks out of 10 8/10. Exceeded what was expected of him in the classics but I was hoping for a couple of more small wins.
2015 Expectations: Some sort of Freire'ish development being the best spanish rider in rolling courses.

Nominate: Matti Breschel (thinkin' of 4th places in big races...)

 

[LaFlorecita]

Matti

High points: Tour de Luxembourg: 2 stage wins + overall, 4th place at Worlds
Low points: DNF RVV , getting hit by a flying mattress in Oman
Mark out of 10: 7/10
2015 expectations: Domestique for Sagan in the classics, will probably get a couple wins in small races

Nominate: Zdenek Stybar

 

[greenedge]

High points: Cyclo Cross World Championship, wins at Eneco, National Champions/beating Sagan and not getting taken out at Roubaix.
Low points: Not being the OPQS who could launch Terpstra's attack at Roubaix, crashing at Eneco
Mark out of 10: 7/10- terrible crash but good season.
2015 expectations: WC in the RR, heard it here first A podium in Roubaix.

Nominate: Michael Matthews

Good thread as well!

 

[Wallenquist]

High Points Giro!
Low Points Tour..
Marks out of 10 8/10. Great season despite missing the Tour.
2015 expectations: Time to shine in classics. MSR ?

Nominate: Geraint Thomas

 

[barmaher]

High points: Cyclo Cross World Championship, wins at Eneco, National Champions/beating Sagan and not getting taken out at Roubaix.
Low points: Not being the OPQS who could launch Terpstra's attack at Roubaix, crashing at Eneco
Mark out of 10: 7/10- terrible crash but good season.
2015 expectations: WC in the RR, heard it here first A podium in Roubaix.

Nominate: Michael Matthews

Good thread as well!

High Points Pink and red jerseys, GT stage wins. Showed his versatility very well and now seems able to handle tough courses quite well.
Low Points 2nd places (in particular at the Vuelta) showed he is a fair bit off the top speedsters
Marks out of 10 8/10. He really did have a great year.
2015 Expectations I think he can go for green in the Tour. He should get a few stage wins in grand tours and maybe a minor classic.

Nominate Chris Froome.

EDIT: I will do Geraint Thomas now. Just too slow from me....

High Points Commenwealth Games, good ride in E3
Low Points Loads of crashes
Marks out of 10 5/10
2015 Expectations He really needs to win big next year. He needs a classics win. I think he can do it.

Nominate Froome

 

[pastronef]

Froome
High points: Romandie, Dauphinè stage win, Vuelta GC fight
Low points: Dauphinè defeat, crashes, his book
mars out of 10: 7/10
2015 expectations: he finished 2014 on a high note and he's preparing for the Tour 2015

I nominate Talansky

 

[barmaher]

Very generous score...who do you nominate?

 

[nobilis]

Froome
High points: Romandie, Dauphinè stage win, Vuelta GC fight
Low points: Dauphinè defeat, crashes, his book
mars out of 10: 7/10
2015 expectations: he finished 2014 on a high note and he's preparing for the Tour 2015

I nominate Talansky

High points: Dauphiné win
Low points: Abandons the tour, Anonymous Vuelta
Marks out of 10: 7/10
2015 expectations: Challenging for the top 5 in the tour and 1-week stage race win.

Nominate : Tony Gallopin

 

[veji11]

Froome
High points: Romandie, Dauphinè stage win, Vuelta GC fight
Low points: Dauphinè defeat, crashes, his book
mars out of 10: 7/10
2015 expectations: he finished 2014 on a high note and he's preparing for the Tour 2015

I nominate Talansky

For Froome this year is a setback, not catastrophic, but a setback : abandonning the tour is bad luck, but not being the dominating force he was in 2013 when confronted to the best (Dauphiné even before his fall, Vuelta) showed a great rider, but without the margin he once seemed to have. All in all can't give him more than a 5, despite results that are still very solid.

 

[barmaher]

High Points Yellow jersey and stage win in the Tour. Some very consistent results all year long. From Paris Nice all the way through to the Canadian races and WCRR
Low Points No big classic win
Marks out of 10 7/10. He maintained his progression, but he needs to win more now.
2015 Expectations I think he could do with attacking a little bit more and gambling. I think he will struggle to perform so well next season for some reason.

Nominate Peter Sagan

 

[MatParker117]

High Points Winning E3, Continuing to dominate Green jersey at the TDF
Low Points No Monument win, lack of Grand Tour stage win, World Championships Road Race, Everything else
Marks out of 10 5/10 Poor year by his standards
2015 Expectations Less successful version of 2012 Mark Cavendish

Nominate Vincenzo Nibali

 

[Jspear]

High Points: Tour win (duh )
Low Points: Spring campaign, forced out of Lombardia by team
Marks out of 10: 7/10 (great summer but underperformed everywhere else)
2015 Expectations: podium a gt, hopefully win a monument

Nominate Alberto Contador

 

[HappyLoser]

Vincenzo
High Points: Winning Tour de France, cobbles stage, Italian RR Champion
Low Points: Everything else
Marks out of 10: 6/10 Invisible
2015 Expectations: Tour de France podium spot
Contador
High Points: Winning Vuelta, T-A
Low Points: TdF crash
Marks out of 10: 9/10 Good return after 2013
2015 Expectations: Tour de France + Giro double

Kwiatkowski

 

[LaFlorecita]

Alberto

High points: Tirreno-Adriatico and especially stage 5, Vuelta al Pais Vasco stage 1 and ITT, GT number 8 (6) at la Vuelta

Low points: Crash at the TDF , losing Dauphiné on the last team because of his weak team/focussing too much on Froome

Marks out of 10: I'd say 8/10, it was his best season ever but crashing out of the TDF sucked, although la Vuelta was a great consolation. I would have liked to see him ride a little more aggressively, on most MTFs he waited till the last k.

2015 expectations: His 9th GT (Giro win), and hopefully another great year overall. Giro-Tour double is a dream

Nominate Bradley Wiggins

 

[veji11]

High Points: Tour win (duh )
Low Points: Spring campaign, forced out of Lombardia by team
Marks out of 10: 7/10 (great summer but underperformed everywhere else)
2015 Expectations: podium a gt, hopefully win a monument

Nominate Alberto Contador

Come on the guy won the tour de France in the most convincing fashion (sure the main rivals crashed) and is now part of the exclusive "winner of the 3 GTs club". Without even considering the rest of the season, it gets a 9 straight away !

 

[Jspear]

Come on the guy won the tour de France in the most convincing fashion (sure the main rivals crashed) and is now part of the exclusive "winner of the 3 GTs club". Without even considering the rest of the season, it gets a 9 straight away !

I'd say I was pretty generous. HappyLoser gave him a 6/10.

 

[del1962]

Alberto

High points: Tirreno-Adriatico and especially stage 5, Vuelta al Pais Vasco stage 1 and ITT, GT number 8 (6) at la Vuelta

Low points: Crash at the TDF , losing Dauphiné on the last team because of his weak team/focussing too much on Froome

Marks out of 10: I'd say 8/10, it was his best season ever but crashing out of the TDF sucked, although la Vuelta was a great consolation. I would have liked to see him ride a little more aggressively, on most MTFs he waited till the last k.

2015 expectations: His 9th GT (Giro win), and hopefully another great year overall. Giro-Tour double is a dream

Nominate Bradley Wiggins

Brad


High points: World ITT and ToC, top 10 P-R

Low points: Not being selected for Tour

Marks out of 10: 6/10

2015 expectationsThe track, the hour record and P-R performance

Vincenzo
High Points: Winning Tour de France, cobbles stage, Italian RR Champion
Low Points: Everything else
Marks out of 10: 6/10 Invisible
2015 Expectations: Tour de France podium spot
Contador
High Points: Winning Vuelta, T-A
Low Points: TdF crash
Marks out of 10: 9/10 Good return after 2013
2015 Expectations: Tour de France + Giro double

Kwiatkowski

Kwiatkowski
High Points: Worlds RR - good most of early season
Low Points: Over raced
Marks out of 10: 9/10
2015 Expectations: Winning LBL




Nominate : Nairo Q

 

[Jspear]

Vincenzo
High Points: Winning Tour de France, cobbles stage, Italian RR Champion
Low Points: Everything else
Marks out of 10: 6/10 Invisible
2015 Expectations: Tour de France podium spot
Contador
High Points: Winning Vuelta, T-A
Low Points: TdF crash
Marks out of 10: 9/10 Good return after 2013
2015 Expectations: Tour de France + Giro double

Kwiatkowski

Brad


High points: World ITT and ToC, top 10 P-R

Low points: Not being selected for Tour

Marks out of 10: 6/10

2015 expectationsThe track, the hour record and P-R performance






Kwiatkowski
High Points: Worlds RR - good most of early season
Low Points: Over raced
Marks out of 10: 9/10
2015 Expectations: Winning LBL




Nominate : Nairo Q

Michael Kwiatkowski
High Points: WC RR, Strade Bianche, Volta Algarve
Low Points: TdF
Marks out of 10: 8/10
2015 Expectations: Win a monument and a stage race


Nairo Quintana
High Points: Giro, Vuelta Burgos, Tour San Luis
Low Points: Vuelta crash
Marks out of 10: 7/10
2015: podium @ the Tour



Nominate Taylor Phinney

 

[Afrank]

Brad


High points: World ITT and ToC, top 10 P-R

Low points: Not being selected for Tour

Marks out of 10: 6/10

2015 expectationsThe track, the hour record and P-R performance






Kwiatkowski
High Points: Worlds RR - good most of early season
Low Points: Over raced
Marks out of 10: 9/10
2015 Expectations: Winning LBL




Nominate : Nairo Q

Nairito
High points: San luis overall, Giro overall +stages.
Low points: Crashing out of the Vuelta
Marks out of 10: 8/10, got his first GT win gives him a large score, just a shame he crashed out of the Vuelta or could have been a 9 or 10 out of 10.
2015 expectations: Will continue his progression, maybe take some one week stage race overalls, be a main player in the Tour and get a podium. Or win...?

Nominate: Fabio Aru

 

[barmaher]

Quintana

High Points: Winning Giro, podium in every stage race he finished.
Low Points: Vuelta crash and abandon
Marks out of 10: 7/10 Nice giro performance, but the field was weak and he didn't prove his doubters wrong.
2015 Expectations: I expect him to podium the Tour but to fall short of the win.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phinney

High Points: Won national champs, some nice time trials in early part of season. Great stage win in ATOC
Low Points: crash ended his season. Very disappointing in PR
Marks out of 10: 4/10 Not his fault he crashed, but I thought he would Top 5 in Roubaix
2015 Expectations: I give him another chance in Paris Roubaix. I think he can develop into an elite chrono expert.

Nominate Andre Greipel

 

[Afrank]

Michael Kwiatkowski
High Points: WC RR, Strade Bianche, Volta Algarve
Low Points: TdF
Marks out of 10: 8/10
2015 Expectations: Win a monument and a stage race

Nairo Quintana
High Points: Giro, Vuelta Burgos, Tour San Luis
Low Points: Vuelta crash
Marks out of 10: 7/10
2015: podium @ the Tour


Nominate Taylor Phinney

Taylor Phinney
High Points: Dubai Tour overall, top 10 in omloop, Cali stage win, national TT win.
Low Points: Breaking his leg, flatting on Carrefour de l’Arbre in PR
Marks out of 10: 4/10, injury greatly hampered his season.
2015: Get back to his best and recover fully from his injury. Hopefully a strong ride in the classics, especially PR. Continue to improve as a time trialist.

Nominate: Fabio Aru

 

[del1962]

Michael Kwiatkowski
High Points: WC RR, Strade Bianche, Volta Algarve
Low Points: TdF
Marks out of 10: 8/10
2015 Expectations: Win a monument and a stage race


Nairo Quintana
High Points: Giro, Vuelta Burgos, Tour San Luis
Low Points: Vuelta crash
Marks out of 10: 7/10
2015: podium @ the Tour



Nominate Taylor Phinney

High Points: Dubai, TOC Stage win, Nats ITT
Low Points: Nationals RR Crash
Marks out of 10: 3/10
2015: Podium Worlds ITT

Taylor Phinney
High Points: Dubai Tour overall, top 10 in omloop, Cali stage win, national TT win.
Low Points: Breaking his leg, flatting on Carrefour de l’Arbre in PR
Marks out of 10: 4/10, injury greatly hampered his season.
2015: Get back to his best and recover fully from his injury. Hopefully a strong ride in the classics, especially PR. Continue to improve as a time trialist.

Nominate: Fabio Aru

High Points:Giro and Vuelta
Low Points: None stand out
Marks out of 10: 9/10
2015: Finish higher in Giro


Nominate: Kittel

 

[barmaher]

OK, so I am realising the folly of my idea. It takes a lot longer to do this than to describe a rider in three words.

We now have 3 riders on the go.....Kittel, Aru and Greipel.

If you're doing them, don't nominate others please!