Best 21 and Under Rider ever?

[Juan Pelota]

The recent success of Bernal, at the tender age of 21 got me wondering. Who is the best 21 and under rider ever?

I'll list the riders most impressive wins 21 or under

Lance Armstrong

1st place World Championships
1 TDF stage win

Peter Sagan

3 Vuelta stage Wins
Tour De Polognia GC
2 stage wins Tour De Suisse
2 stage wins Paris-Nice
3 stage wins Tour of California
1 stage win Tour De Romandie


Greg Lemond


1st GC dauphine
2nd WCRR
3rd GC Dauphine (at age 19!)
1 stage Tirreno-Adriatico

Merckx
1st Milan San-Remo

Andy Schleck

2nd place Giro GC
Personally, I have to go with Lemond or Sagan. There may be some other guys long ago...but that's what I have for the modern era. Am I forgetting anyone?

 

[8472]

Coppi had a Giro win at 21.

 

[rghysens]

Rik van Steenbergen won 2 RVV and 2 Belgian championships before he turned 22. That was during WW2, however.
Jempi Monsere won Lombardia and the WCRR before turning 22.

Eddy Merckx also won a second MSR, the FW and 2 giro stages before turning 22 (or are we only discussing results before the year they turned 22).

Francois Faber won 4 tour stages (with a 2nd place in gc) and Lombardia at age 21. In addition to that he also had a 3rd place at Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Tours. But it was 1908.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Modern era? Giuseppe Saronni. All time? Still Saronni, but closely followed by Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx

Here are Saronni's wins while 21 and under:

2x Trofeo Pantalica
Giro della Sicilia
Giro del Friuli
Giro del Veneto
Giro di Campania
2x Tre Valli Varesine
Tour d'Indre-et-Loire
Coppa Agostoni
Giro di Puglia
Ruota d'Oro
Trofeo Baracchi
GP Midi Libre
Zuri Metzgete (very big race no longer held)
Tour de Romandie
Tirreno-Adriatico
Giro d'Italia overall + points + 6 stages

Plus stage wins and overall podiums at too many major races to count including the world championships and Milan - San Remo

 

[rghysens]

I think we have a winner here. Unless Bernal would win the vuelta, wcrr and Lombardia this year.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Ullrich and Cunego were 22 in 96 and 04 respectively right?

 

[SafeBet]

Saronni by a mile.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Olaf Ludwig (who'd won 9 stages and every minor classification bar the GPM, and podiumed the GC of, the Peace Race by 21, along with several stages of the DDR-Rundfahrt and an Olympic silver) and Catherine Marsal (who'd won the World Championships and the two most prestigious stage races in women's cycling at age 19) merit a mention.

 

[Juan Pelota]

Re:

Modern era? Giuseppe Saronni. All time? Still Saronni, but closely followed by Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx

Here are Saronni's wins while 21 and under:

2x Trofeo Pantalica
Giro della Sicilia
Giro del Friuli
Giro del Veneto
Giro di Campania
2x Tre Valli Varesine
Tour d'Indre-et-Loire
Coppa Agostoni
Giro di Puglia
Ruota d'Oro
Trofeo Baracchi
GP Midi Libre
Zuri Metzgete (very big race no longer held)
Tour de Romandie
Tirreno-Adriatico
Giro d'Italia overall + points + 6 stages

Plus stage wins and overall podiums at too many major races to count including the world championships and Milan - San Remo

Great call.