A top rider that no one dislikes?

[sublimit]

I'd rate Bert De Waele above Russ Downing. Oh, and I hate him

Russell Downing won the British national champs. Was a very strong domestic rider for many years In Britain and now a Pro tour rider. A workhorse but sometimes gets the chance to go for wins and is a class rider for Sky.


I've never heard of Bert De Waele.

 

[Zoncolan]

Russell Downing won the British national champs. Was a very strong domestic rider for many years In Britain and now a Pro tour rider. A workhorse but sometimes gets the chance to go for wins and is a class rider for Sky.

You're grabbing at straws now. Russel Downing is not, nor will he ever be a top rider. End of story.

 

[Arnout]

Once again Igor Anton, and also Mosquera (I think there will be a few people who accuse him of doping, but that's based on nothing so does not count).

 

[Anonymous]

You're grabbing at straws now. Russel Downing is not, nor will he ever be a top rider. End of story.

well he's a pro tour rider with several wins this season and is well liked.
On that basis he qualifies. He's got more wins this year than Cadel Evans!

 

[happychappy]

He's got more wins this year than Cadel Evans!

But Cuddles broke his arm or wrist or something!!11 Apparently! Maybe!!!

 

[nvpacchi]

Pardon me if Thomas Voeckler has already been mentioned.

I find it very difficult to dislike him.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Russell Downing won the British national champs. Was a very strong domestic rider for many years In Britain and now a Pro tour rider. A workhorse but sometimes gets the chance to go for wins and is a class rider for Sky.


I've never heard of Bert De Waele.

de Waele is 135th on the CQ ranking, to Downing's 152nd.

de Waele was 4th at Amstel Gold, 11th at Flèche Wallonne, 14th at Brabantse Pijl, 2nd at the Tour de Haut-Var and 13th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Last year, he was 10th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, 4th in the Frankfurt May Day Race, 7th overall with a stage win in the Tour of Belgium, 4th in Paris-Corrèze and 4th in the GP Wallonie.

In 2008, he was 2nd in the GP Cholet, 10th in the Frankfurt May Day Race, 12th in Flèche, 19th in LBL, 7th in the Tour of Belgium, 4th in Paris-Bruxelles.

In 2007 he was 8th in the Tour of Belgium and won the GP Wallonie.

In 2006 he was 2nd in Omloop, 4th in E3, 6th in the Tour of Luxembourg.

In 2005 he was 5th in Omloop, 8th in Nokere Koerse, 19th in the Ronde, 8th in Ster Elektrotoer, 8th in the Tour du Doubs and 12th in the Tour of Britain.

He's got quite a long and solid bank of results, has de Waele. Downing might have more wins and have had a more visible year but overall, de Waele's list of results make it clear he's got the more impressive palmarès.

 

[hrotha]

de Waele is 135th on the CQ ranking, to Downing's 152nd.

de Waele was 4th at Amstel Gold, 11th at Flèche Wallonne, 14th at Brabantse Pijl, 2nd at the Tour de Haut-Var and 13th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Last year, he was 10th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, 4th in the Frankfurt May Day Race, 7th overall with a stage win in the Tour of Belgium, 4th in Paris-Corrèze and 4th in the GP Wallonie.

In 2008, he was 2nd in the GP Cholet, 10th in the Frankfurt May Day Race, 12th in Flèche, 19th in LBL, 7th in the Tour of Belgium, 4th in Paris-Bruxelles.

In 2007 he was 8th in the Tour of Belgium and won the GP Wallonie.

In 2006 he was 2nd in Omloop, 4th in E3, 6th in the Tour of Luxembourg.

In 2005 he was 5th in Omloop, 8th in Nokere Koerse, 19th in the Ronde, 8th in Ster Elektrotoer, 8th in the Tour du Doubs and 12th in the Tour of Britain.

He's got quite a long and solid bank of results, has de Waele. Downing might have more wins and have had a more visible year but overall, de Waele's list of results make it clear he's got the more impressive palmarès.

Preposterous. De Waele isn't even a native English speaker.

 

[sublimit]

You're grabbing at straws now. Russel Downing is not, nor will he ever be a top rider. End of story.

The man is a former national champion, Protour rider, 4 wins this year so It could be worse. It beats being a triathlete or a fitness fanatic anyday of the week.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The man is a former national champion, Protour rider, 4 wins this year so It could be worse. It beats being a triathlete or a fitness fanatic anyday of the week.

Whoa whoa whoa, hold up there, fella. No need for the attacks.

The point of the thread was about big names in the world of cycling, and that's why they initially limited themselves to the top 30 names on the CQ ranking. There is no doubting that Downing is a fine rider, or that he has acquitted himself at the top level better than anybody could have expected (which must surely be motivational news for others in the UK domestic scene). But it is a very broad definition of "top rider" that includes him, when many who don't have English as their first language or follow Team Sky or small .1 races in Belgium, will be as ignorant of him as you are of Bert de Waele. He isn't a big star in the world of cycling, regardless of whether or not he's a good rider. Ezequiel Mosquera has three Grand Tour top 5s on his palmarès, and he's hardly a "big name". We're talking about the marquee riders, the riders that everybody knows. Amets Txurruka was shot down for being too unknown earlier, and I'd lay money on more people having heard of him than Russell Downing, after his 2007 Grand Prix de Combativité and his breakaway exploits in major races like the Tour, Vuelta, País Vasco and the Dauphiné.

 

[rxgqgxnyfz]

If anything Amets Txuruka gets so much more notability points for having incompehensive and therefore -- perky name (along with many other basque riders like say Gorka Verdugo).

On that note -- i say noone had enough time to grow a grudge for Johny "Coca-Cola" Walker. Him having good looking female fans on the race helps too.
________
Uhwh warehouse

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Russell Downing won the British national champs. Was a very strong domestic rider for many years In Britain and now a Pro tour rider. A workhorse but sometimes gets the chance to go for wins and is a class rider for Sky.


I've never heard of Bert De Waele.

seriously. nobody cares about russel downing except you and perhaps his immediate family

 

[ingsve]

I would say that Downing is probably a bit too unknown so I put him in parenthesis with other riders that have been mentioned who are also too unknown to fully qualify. De Waele would also fit that category as would probably Ezequiel Mosquera as well.

I haven't decided what to do with those yet but I'm thinking that they will be irrelevant until all real top, well known, high profile, riders have been eliminated.

 

[Arnout]

I would say that Downing is probably a bit too unknown so I put him in parenthesis with other riders that have been mentioned who are also too unknown to fully qualify. De Waele would also fit that category as would probably Ezequiel Mosquera as well.

I haven't decided what to do with those yet but I'm thinking that they will be irrelevant until all real top, well known, high profile, riders have been eliminated.

Seriously, whose fault is it that you don't know Mosquera?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I would say that Downing is probably a bit too unknown so I put him in parenthesis with other riders that have been mentioned who are also too unknown to fully qualify. De Waele would also fit that category as would probably Ezequiel Mosquera as well.

I haven't decided what to do with those yet but I'm thinking that they will be irrelevant until all real top, well known, high profile, riders have been eliminated.

wtf!

 

[ingsve]

Seriously, whose fault is it that you don't know Mosquera?

I know who Mosquera is but compared to some other riders he is not as well known mostly because he rides on a small team and because of that he races 95% of his races in Spain.

He is perhaps the most borderline of all the borderlines because of his overall success in the Vuelta and other big spanish races. I'll put him in for now.

 

[sublimit]

I would say that Downing is probably a bit too unknown so I put him in parenthesis with other riders that have been mentioned who are also too unknown to fully qualify. De Waele would also fit that category as would probably Ezequiel Mosquera as well.

I haven't decided what to do with those yet but I'm thinking that they will be irrelevant until all real top, well known, high profile, riders have been eliminated.

Thats a good comment. There's plenty of riders I've never heard of and I've always been open on that.

Some of the people posting here regard themselves as being genius and superior and its sad and pathetic.

 

[Arnout]

I know who Mosquera is but compared to some other riders he is not as well known mostly because he rides on a small team and because of that he races 95% of his races in Spain.

He is perhaps the most borderline of all the borderlines because of his overall success in the Vuelta and other big spanish races. I'll put him in for now.

If you do not know Mosquera well enough, then I guess it is time that you start watching La Vuelta and stop deciding who should make the list or not...

 

[sublimit]

seriously. nobody cares about russel downing except you and perhaps his immediate family

..

Maybe some constructive comments would be good otherwise **** off.
one day you might come out with something other than the usual drivel. You can do it feller.

 

[tgsgirl]

Russell Downing won the British national champs. Was a very strong domestic rider for many years In Britain and now a Pro tour rider. A workhorse but sometimes gets the chance to go for wins and is a class rider for Sky.
I've never heard of Bert De Waele.

I know who Russell Downing is. But outside of cycling fanatics, Brits or Team Sky fans, very few people do I imagine. Hence why he probably shouldn't included in a topic called "a top rider that no one dislikes".
That's my point, I'm not saying he isn't a good rider. But he is the British equivalent of Bert De Waele, sort of, with the only exception that De Waele is for some inexplicable reason still continental. Well, that and that De Waele got fourth in a classic this year, so he's actually got better results than Downing. Seriously, someone, give this man a PT contract.

 

[luckyboy]

Moncoutie and Freire.

 

[sublimit]

I know who Russell Downing is. But outside of cycling fanatics, Brits or Team Sky fans, very few people do I imagine. Hence why he probably shouldn't included in a topic called "a top rider that no one dislikes".
That's my point, I'm not saying he isn't a good rider. But he is the British equivalent of Bert De Waele, sort of, with the only exception that De Waele is for some inexplicable reason still continental. Well, that and that De Waele got fourth in a classic this year, so he's actually got better results than Downing. Seriously, someone, give this man a PT contract.

I didnt bring Downing up on the list. I'm just defending him from the rubbish like the hazuki feller from taking a swipe at him once somebody mentioned him.

 

[royalpig180]

Peter Sagan?

 

[ingsve]

Peter Sagan?

Already eliminated.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Already eliminated.

yes by me