Best current rider without a winning weapon?

[ingsve]

The discussions about best this or that made me think about all those riders that don't have a winning weapon to be best at.

In order to win in cycling it's best to have a winning weapon that you can focus on to get your wins. The most common winning weapon is of course a fast sprint. Another way is to simply be very explosive uphill and a third main winning weapon is to be a superb time trialist. Most victories comes down to one of these three factors.

But what about if you are the textbook diesel that isn't explosive or fast and can't time trial with the best of them. Then you need to word very hard for every single win you can get.

So, out of the current pros, who is the best rider that doesn't have a winning weapon to give him victories? Any ideas?

 

[Altitude]

Evans is the first to come to mind. Strong climber (can follow wheels with the best of them), strong TTist, decent sprint (generous), but doesn't have the ace card to play.

 

[karlboss]

Was making a list of names and noted that they were contenders at the tour of california.

Edit: possibly true of many GC racers

 

[M Sport]

Evans is the first to come to mind. Strong climber (can follow wheels with the best of them), strong TTist, decent sprint (generous), but doesn't have the ace card to play.

Ditto, very strong all rounder but no dominant attribute.

 

[Anonymous]

Hushovd.

Cant sprint (anymore) cant climb, cant tt, but still wins races and jerseys. 2009 green jersey being a prime example.

 

[yourwelcome]

Hushovd.

Cant sprint (anymore) cant climb, cant tt, but still wins races and jerseys. 2009 green jersey being a prime example.

Is Hushovd's sprinting really truly that bad now? I kind of think of him as very strong, plus still having a sprint that will do the job whenever the A-list is not there or even if the A-list is just unlucky or having some issues with their train.

 

[Polish]

If you do not have a "winning weapon", then you need to be an "
opportunist"

Jens....Voeckler.....King....DuDu from the past

 

[pedaling squares]

I wouldn't say that Hushovd cannot sprint, he just cannot expect to beat the top 4-5 sprinters at their game. Apart from the truly elite, he's still one of the best.

For a GC race I agree that Evans is perhaps the best without a truly dominant attribute. Unfortunately for him, that is no longer good enough to get him on the podium. If you only read certain publications, it's Lance Armstrong - no longer a strong climber, not a top TT artist, certainly not a sprinter, but he manages to get an inordinate amount of media and fan attention.

Sorry for bringing this name into the thread so soon. Shame on me.

 

[Anonymous]

Kolobnev. Hammond. Flecha should win more. Hoste. Frank Schleck.

Good question. There are lots of guys that are always in the thick of it but don't win much.

 

[ingsve]

Is Hushovd's sprinting really truly that bad now? I kind of think of him as very strong, plus still having a sprint that will do the job whenever the A-list is not there or even if the A-list is just unlucky or having some issues with their train.

Of course he can still sprint. His sprinting in the tour was not at his best because he had been out with a collar bone break right before the tour and that ment he couldn't prepare by sprint training like he usually does to get the right speed in his legs before the tour. He's not in the top 5 sprinters in the world but he's still fast.

At any rate he sprints well enough as it is to beat most other riders so it's still a winning weapon. It just depends on the situation.

 

[scribe]

Of course he can still sprint. His sprinting in the tour was not at his best because he had been out with a collar bone break right before the tour and that ment he couldn't prepare by sprint training like he usually does to get the right speed in his legs before the tour. He's not in the top 5 sprinters in the world but he's still fast.

At any rate he sprints well enough as it is to beat most other riders so it's still a winning weapon. It just depends on the situation.

That's right. Thor thrives in many situations where the top sprinters don't/can't make the selection or break. That capability makes him a considerable with weapon.

 

[MrContador]

Hmm, no winning weapon? Guess we can rule out Contador and Flecha then. D)

But seriously, Luis Leon Sanchez maybe?

 

[blaxland]

My pick is Ryder Hisjedal....Ok climber,Ok Time Trialler....But still seems to win races.

 

[meandmygitane]

For this year (and maybe because of what Philippe Gilbert said) Filippo Pozzato.
Granted he won a stage of Giro d'Italia. But everything else it seems that he just sat and wheelsucked and then failed to take the sprint.
Maybe he has just "dulled" his winning weapon.

But otherwise, if you haven't got a winning weapon - wheelsuck or breakaway!

 

[Marcus135]

Has to be Cadel, he is not great at any one of the three yet still manages to win. He is just a general all rounder yet is not extremely strong in just one area like most other riders.

 

[Jan the Man]

Vinokourov?

 

[thrawn]

I'm gonna say Cadel. Kreuziger to take over this mantle in the next year or two.

 

[aussie#1]

cadel is the first person who comes to mind is good at climbing/time trials but not the best and ok sprinter for a gc guy but there are better also frank schelck

 

[Fester]

Yeah, Cadel Evens isn't has no winning weapon. Can't climb, can't TT. He only manages second in a grand tour...

I can't imagine what you think of his gregarios! Not worthy to be walked on.

Simply put: You can't say Cadel has no weapon when he obviously has. He just hasn't consolidated things into a GT victory.

 

[Marcus135]

Yeah, Cadel Evens isn't has no winning weapon. Can't climb, can't TT. He only manages second in a grand tour...

I can't imagine what you think of his gregarios! Not worthy to be walked on.

Simply put: You can't say Cadel has no weapon when he obviously has. He just hasn't consolidated things into a GT victory.

I think you are missing the point of the whole "Weapon" idea though. We are not slamming Cadel saying he is a bad rider we are just saying that he is not the best at one aspect of the sport... which hes not. He is good at all parts and therefore has placed 2nd in a grand tour as well as many other great victories.

If you say that he has a weapon, which you do, then what is it? He is a good at at all aspects of the sport yet not one to be remembered for (you wont remember him for climbing like you will Schleck for example).

 

[ingsve]

Ya, Cadel might be it. I think the closest to a winning weapon he has is his time trial but perhaps he has lost a little strength in that department now. He has won some time trials in his day even at the Tour but it's not as sharp a weapon as for the real time trial specialists.

Another name I'm thinking of is Thomas Voeckler. He certainly doesn't have a winning weapon. Every win he gets he is basically alone at the finish or he manages to beat some other single non-sprinter in a showdown. All his wins are very hard earned. Come to think of it that seems to be true for a lot of popular french riders, Moncoutie, Casar, Fedrigo, Vogondy, Le Mevel etc.

I think Pozatto is still fast enough to call his sprint a winning weapon. Many of his wins comes from winning sprints in either small groups of 20-30 riders or in reduced bunch sprints.

Kolobnev as someone mentioned is also a good candidate.

 

[insideout leadout]

Roman Kreuziger is on top of my list.

 

[hrotha]

How about someone who's never actually won anything? Like Van den Broeck?

 

[insideout leadout]

Another name I'm thinking of is Thomas Voeckler. He certainly doesn't have a winning weapon. Every win he gets he is basically alone at the finish or he manages to beat some other single non-sprinter in a showdown. All his wins are very hard earned. Come to think of it that seems to be true for a lot of popular french riders, Moncoutie, Casar, Fedrigo, Vogondy, Le Mevel etc.

I think Pozatto is still fast enough to call his sprint a winning weapon. Many of his wins comes from winning sprints in either small groups of 20-30 riders or in reduced bunch sprints.
.

If Voeckler is alone to the finish...he did something right...he attacked. Attacking is a winning weapon too just ask Gilbert.

Fedrigo and Casar can sprint at least as good as Pozzato. Winning at TDF is very hard and they've done it a couple of times in small sprints.

 

[Nick C.]

Flecha always comes to mind on this.