Best Climber All Things Being Equal

[Tonton]

In modern cycling -years AE as in After Eddy, 1964 when he won the World's Amateur Championship and became the God Of Cycling-, on an even playing field (no doctors or same doctors), who do you think is the best climber of them all? Why? How much did doping impact their performance, in your estimation? Even better, rank them...

Eddy
Lucien
Bernard
Greg
Lucho
Claudio
Marco
Lance
Nairo
Other

 

[Red Lobster]

Including Lance for irony?

Hampsten should get consideration, at least we have an idea of what kind of climber he is without the gear. Moncoutie on the same basis.

ETA: just saw the "same doctors" part so yeah on that basis fair enough to include lance. Was only thinking of the other kind of level playing field when I replied. Time to get some sleep apparently.

 

[Race Radio]

No doctors? You gotta include Landis. If everyone was clean the guy would have shredded everyone

 

[whittashau]

No doctors? You gotta include Landis. If everyone was clean the guy would have shredded everyone

Care to elaborate? Was he some type of physical freak, or is this a joke?

 

[hfer07]

just for starters: How can you name Eddy and dare to discard Jose Manuel Fuente?



.....and Lance?

 

[DirtyWorks]

Care to elaborate? Was he some type of physical freak, or is this a joke?

Landis claims he won WT-level stage race clean in a very dirty era. That would put him about Edwig Van Hooydonck level of awesome in a clean peloton. Sorry, I don't remember the event.

Is it true? Maybe. Clean-ish? Likely. Dredge up a Landis thread if you want to get into it again.

Lots of great climbers left off that list. hfer07, maybe give the OP a break and put a list up?

 

[McLovin]

Bahamontes? Wasn't he eating ice cream on top of the mountains while waiting for someone just not to go downhill alone?

 

[jens_attacks]

modern cycling for me is after bernard tapie
we'll never know but just based on my feeling/instinct

pantani
quintana
lucho herrera
heras
contador
perico delgado
rasmussen

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

I couldn't make a list over riders that I've never seen racing really, but of those I've seen and if everyone used Ferrari I would guess something like

1. Pantani




2. Contador
3. Heras
4. Quintana
5. Basso

 

[Walkman]

modern cycling for me is after bernard tapie
we'll never know but just based on my feeling/instinct

pantani
quintana
lucho herrera
heras
contador
perico delgado
rasmussen

LOL

Quintana? Contador? Pantani?

Everything special with Pantani came in a jar of pills.

And stop hyping Quintana. He has had one good Tour and other than that, just a nice Giro without any real climbers to fight with.

And Contador? The guys who was on the Armstrong program back in -07 and still got his *** kicked by Rasmussen?

 

[The Hitch]

In modern cycling -years AE as in After Eddy, 1964 when he won the World's Amateur Championship and became the God Of Cycling-, on an even playing field (no doctors or same doctors), who do you think is the best climber of them all? Why? How much did doping impact their performance, in your estimation? Even better, rank them...

Eddy
Lucien
Bernard
Greg
Lucho
Claudio
Marco
Lance
Nairo
Other

No Contador or Heras or Basso?

 

[Walkman]

No Contador or Heras or Basso?

You think a clean Basso or Contador would be among the best climbers ever? :/

 

[Le breton]

Bahamontes? Wasn't he eating ice cream on top of the mountains while waiting for someone just not to go downhill alone?

Glad you mentioned him.

Post WWII, for a single climb, I can't think of anybody superior to Bahamontès.
Next? maybe Lucho.

 

[jens_attacks]

charly gaul at his best and gino bartali superior to the eagle imo

honourable mention to rene pottier and his sick raids

walkman, of course i might be wrong that's why i said "my feeling". for me, marco pantani is the greatest climber of all times. i don't know from where do you know that alberto was on lance's program btw. of course he was on jet fuel but the guy is just class, superb climber, superb style. and i got michael rasmussen on my list too. the angel of the mountains:

 

[Energy Starr]

I'd say Contador showed how much better he is than Lance. Contador beat Lance without the help of a team. As for the whole list the drugs cloud everything so much....agreed the Chicken was really good.

 

[Futuroscope]

You think a clean Basso or Contador would be among the best climbers ever? :/

Contador, yes, Basso, no.

 

[Futuroscope]

Best EPO climber = Pantani

Without EPO I don't think he would have been effective at all.

 

[SundayRider]

Impossible to know.

 

[Walkman]

Contador, yes, Basso, no.

Care to elaborate?

Basso and Contador was both ridiculously strong in their hey-days. Why do you think Basso was more dope and Contador was more talent?

 

[Le breton]

charly gaul at his best and gino bartali superior to the eagle imo
[/IMG]

Aren't you thinking of long rides with multiple ascents?

I was talking about single ascents.

 

[DirtyWorks]

I'd say Contador showed how much better he is than Lance. Contador beat Lance without the help of a team. As for the whole list the drugs cloud everything so much....agreed the Chicken was really good.

From what is understood about Chicken, his entire career was the classic "zero to hero on dope." Off his doping cycle, the guy had no results. On cycle, look out! Landis would be far superior.

You may recall his TdF run with Leinders preparing him. The story somewhere is even Lienders was trying to slow Chicken down on the doping. Zorzoli makes a guest appearance clearing the way in the same story.

 

[Tonton]

just for starters: How can you name Eddy and dare to discard Jose Manuel Fuente?



.....and Lance?

Why not Lance ?

And how can I name Eddy and dare to discard Richard?

Fuente was an all-time great. IMO not as good as Lucien though. And Lucien is not being mentioned much .

 

[Race Radio]

Care to elaborate? Was he some type of physical freak, or is this a joke?

No joke, Floyd was a freak. Would have won multiple Tours

 

[roundabout]

Landis claims he won WT-level stage race clean in a very dirty era. That would put him about Edwig Van Hooydonck level of awesome in a clean peloton. Sorry, I don't remember the event.

Is it true? Maybe. Clean-ish? Likely. Dredge up a Landis thread if you want to get into it again.

Lots of great climbers left off that list. hfer07, maybe give the OP a break and put a list up?

2nd in the 2002 Dauphine.

Two words come to mind regarding his claim that he was clean then.

Yeah right.

 

[ciranda]

From what is understood about Chicken, his entire career was the classic "zero to hero on dope." Off his doping cycle, the guy had no results. On cycle, look out! Landis would be far superior.

What is understood about him is that tests always showed he had great physical talent. This plus dedication, intelligence, work ethic and singlemindedness means he would always be at the top. That he don't have results from Paris-Nice (if something like that is what is meant) or whatever means nothing.