- Jun 14, 2010
- 34,930
- 60
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Since this thread is back, after 1 and a half years, one point ill make about Lemond is that im disapointed that he didnt win the Giro or Vuelta. Lance obviously is most to blame for the "tour only" mentality, having ignored the Giro every year and claimed its all about the Tour, but if you look at Gregs era, before and after, every tour winner really went for the giro or Vuelta and won, apart from him.
Fignon won a giro and got screwed out of one, Hinault won 3 and 2 vueltas, Roche won the double
Zoetemelk won the Vuelta, and Delgado did twice. Even if you look after Lemond, Indurain won it twice, Ullrich won the Vuelta, Pantani the Giro.
So with the exceptiuon of the one off Bjarne Riis, one time winner, you have a long period of Tour de France winners, all of who actually saw Grand Tours as being more than just the Tour, apart from the 2 protagonists of this poll.
Perhaps if Lemond hadnt been shot, he would have won the giro, and if you look at his early years, he did well in it then, and unlike armstrong he actually went for the worlds. Looking at his re****s he did do a lot of other races before his accident, so pre 1989 Lemond is the upstanding more than the Tour cyclist i like.
But once he came back he was definately strong enough to win a Vuelta or a Giro. And he didnt try. 104th at the Giro before a comfortable tour win.
Cycling is more than the Tour and the worlds.
Fignon won a giro and got screwed out of one, Hinault won 3 and 2 vueltas, Roche won the double
Zoetemelk won the Vuelta, and Delgado did twice. Even if you look after Lemond, Indurain won it twice, Ullrich won the Vuelta, Pantani the Giro.
So with the exceptiuon of the one off Bjarne Riis, one time winner, you have a long period of Tour de France winners, all of who actually saw Grand Tours as being more than just the Tour, apart from the 2 protagonists of this poll.
Perhaps if Lemond hadnt been shot, he would have won the giro, and if you look at his early years, he did well in it then, and unlike armstrong he actually went for the worlds. Looking at his re****s he did do a lot of other races before his accident, so pre 1989 Lemond is the upstanding more than the Tour cyclist i like.
But once he came back he was definately strong enough to win a Vuelta or a Giro. And he didnt try. 104th at the Giro before a comfortable tour win.
Cycling is more than the Tour and the worlds.
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