auscyclefan94 said:
I have been wondering if Armstrong was racing against the riders of 2006 to 2010 would he have been as successful in the Tour de France and have had as many tour wins (suggesting that other teams would of ridden more aggressively)
i guess the question I'm trying to ask is that is Contador, Evans, Schleck, valverde, sastre better than Zulle, pantani, ullrich, beloki or basso.
Yes or No? and Why?
I'll leave the comparisons to how they rode at the Tour.
Evans, Valverde, Sastre are excellent riders, but they have not exhibited the requisite horsepower to dominate on that one mountain stage that is a signature of most Tour winners. You know, the type of stage where they leave everyone in their wake and no one can catch them. Sastre did it, but only once. In his case, once was all it took. What messed him up (and have laid low many a Tour aspiration) was riding the Giro/Tour double last year. That was a mistake that a few potential contenders will make this year, also.
This is not taking anything away from their strengths as climbers, but to ride away from the field on any given mountain stage? Who from this current crop of riders can do it like Contador? Schleck is a strong rider, but his time trialing is abysmal, and he is another one that is not strong enough to leave the field in his wake on a mountain stage. He is strong enough to accelerate and ride with the front runners, but to leave them in the dust? He hasn't been able to do it as of yet. We'll see if this year is different.
Zulle was one of my favorite riders when he rode, but his second place in the 1999 Tour was marred by that crash early on. He would have been closer to Armstrong on time if not for that one mishap. As it was, we will never know because the mind works in funny ways. Armstrong was on a rampage and no one was going to get the better of him on a mountain stage or any of the time trials. But again, he always rode much better at the Vuelta than at the Tour, where he seemed to always go in without the injury problems he suffered at the Tour.
Beloki got taken out of the Tour the very year he was showing signs of coming out of the psychological fog Armstrong had the Tour peloton in, and after his crash he was never the same. So we'll never know, but I loved watching him climb.
As for Basso, he was steadily improving until Opertion Puerto laid him low for two years. Two years of his athletic prime gone. We will never know what type of rider he could of been because his progress was stunted. And we will never know how much of that Giro D'Italia was his coming of age or the fact that he was working with Dr. Fuentes. But he seems psychologically fragile and really has not shown that he can contend for a grand tour since he came back.
Ullrich and Pantani were two riders who were as different as can be. Ullrich had the horsepower but no discipline. Pantani was a gifted mountain climber who managed to time trial well enough to snag himself a couple of grand tours. Bottom line is, both had days where they could light it up like no other rider on the planet.
For me, there is a remarkable difference between the riders you are putting up for comparison, and that difference is one of panache and style. In their primes, I would take Zulle, Pantani, Ullrich and Beloki over Evans, Schleck, Valverde and Sastre. The first group were not only better riders on their good days, but they rode with more style. That is a personal preference. I just prefer watching those guys over someone like Sastre or Evans. They both give me the impression of being damp firecrackers-both promise much but do not have the strength to administer that killer blow, that one epic day that sticks in everyone's minds years after they've retired.
As it is, the only one out of the whole bunch that could have matched Armstrong mano-a-mano is Contador out of both groups you've mentioned. Ullrich never showed up with the proper training, Pantani fell apart just when he could have posed a proper threat and I think those two were the only ones with the talent to take him on and actually beat him aside from Contador.
The problem is it's February and not July. I would hate to have anything happen to either Armstrong or Contador before their showdown takes place at the Tour. Let's wish both riders the best of health and hope nothing derails this epic match-up.