Best rider of this year (2012)?

[Netserk]

Honestly I had expected the poll to be something like:
Wiggo 50%
Boonen 30%
Rodriguez 15%
others/vino 5%

Of course I voted Boonen, but I can perfectly understand those who voted for either Wiggo or Vos.

 

[CobbleStoner]

the Italians think some guy named Wiggings was on top yesterday... anybody else catch that?

 

[gustienordic]

1. J-Rod
2. Boonen
3. Wiggins
4. Sagan
5. Valverde
6. Froome
7. Luis Leon Sanchez
8. Greipel
9. Degenkolb
10. Uran
11-15. Henao, Gerrans, Cav, Contador (Beautiful riding), Costa
15-20. Moser, Hesjedal, Kristoff, Moreno, Voeckler.

 

[Netserk]

1. J-Rod
2. Boonen
3. Wiggins
4. Sagan
5. Valverde
6. Froome
7. Luis Leon Sanchez
8. Greipel
9. Degenkolb
10. Uran
11-15. Henao, Gerrans, Cav, Contador (Beautiful riding), Costa
15-20. Moser, Hesjedal, Kristoff, Moreno, Voeckler.

LuLu?

 

[Praetor]

The thing with elite women is the incredibly HUGE gap with elite men in terms of almost EVERYTHING, starting with the budget and ending with the actual performances length and whatever.

If anything, the comparison should be more with the ESPOIRS, which says a lot...

No, it's juniors actually. That's the category they usually put women in if they have to race in the same race as men.

About the poll: I don't really like Rodriguez, but he is the obvious choice for me.

 

[Parker]

The top three are the top three. I think it's hard to argue against tha.

When you get to judging the very best, it has to come down to wins rather than podiums. So, alas, Rodriguez has to finish third.

The other two are hard to separate. Classics are less controllable than stage races, but Wiggins won every thing he tried to. It's toss of the coin time.

I'll go for Wiggins as there is nothing more he could have done. Boonen, on the other hand, ascended into the pantheon of the cycling gods - the greatest cobbles rider of all time.

(Wiggins will win the Velo d'Or as that's a French award and he won French races)

 

[Praetor]

If Wiggins is elected best rider of the year, I wonder what kind of clip they will be showing. You know, his defining moments, which apparently weren't just some time trials.

- Wiggo freewheeling in the background while others are sprinting for a win
- Wiggo behind a bunch of Sky riders
- Wiggo staying behind Froome while others are attacking
- Wiggo yelling at Froome, begging him to wait

It will be really, really tough to make an equally spectacular clip of Boonen and Rodriguez.

 

[Richeypen]

1. J-Rod
2. Boonen
3. Wiggins
4. Sagan
5. Valverde
6. Froome
7. Luis Leon Sanchez
8. Greipel
9. Degenkolb
10. Uran
11-15. Henao, Gerrans, Cav, Contador (Beautiful riding), Costa
15-20. Moser, Hesjedal, Kristoff, Moreno, Voeckler.

Lol, why so low?

 

[Izzy eviel]

For me, Wiggo is the best male rider this season. If Boonen had won the WC, i'd have picked him, but he's had a quiet second part of the season. J-Rod 3rd obvious, but I think Nibali deserves a mention. Always seems there or thereabouts.

Best female rider not called Vos - Stevens.

 

[El Pistolero]

For me, Wiggo is the best male rider this season. If Boonen had won the WC, i'd have picked him, but he's had a quiet second part of the season. J-Rod 3rd obvious, but I think Nibali deserves a mention. Always seems there or thereabouts.

Best female rider not called Vos - Stevens.

He won the Belgian nats, Paris-Brussel, World Port Classic and a hard stage and the WC TTT.

I agree Wiggins is the best this season, but Boonen did ok in the second half of the season considering he didn't ride a GT.

 

[Parker]

If Wiggins is elected best rider of the year, I wonder what kind of clip they will be showing. You know, his defining moments, which apparently weren't just some time trials.

Maybe it's not great for the highlights reel, but time trials are as simple as racing can be. Who is the fastest from A-B? It may not be spectacular, but it's possibly the most 'pure' test of a cyclist.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

They could show his from-out-of-nowhere sprint win in Romandie. That was impressive. And some footage of him leading Cav out whilst in the maillot jaune. The yellow jersey of the Tour de France pulling leadout duties is not something we see that often. Last time I recall was Kim Kirchen for Cav in 2008.

 

[cineteq]

Rodriguez:
1st Fleche Wallonne
1st Lombardia
2nd Giro (plus stages and points jersey)
3rd Vuelta (plus stages)
and stages in BasqueCountrytour(2nd) and Tirreno

Here's your winner, close 2nd Boonen, distant 3rd Wiggins.

 

[cineteq]

If Wiggins is elected best rider of the year, I wonder what kind of clip they will be showing.
- Wiggo freewheeling in the background while others are sprinting for a win
- Wiggo behind a bunch of Sky riders
- Wiggo staying behind Froome while others are attacking
- Wiggo yelling at Froome, begging him to wait

The most memorable, for me, is the highlighted one.

 

[Afrank]

The most memorable, for me, is the highlighted one.

And it was the most common one .

 

[Mad Elephant Man]

Wiggins is NOT the best rider of the year, not by a million miles.

 

[El Pistolero]

Here's your winner, close 2nd Boonen, distant 3rd Wiggins.

Rodriguez can never be the best, he was too much of a coward in the Giro for that.

 

[ILovecycling]

If Wiggins is elected best rider of the year, I wonder what kind of clip they will be showing. You know, his defining moments, which apparently weren't just some time trials.

- Wiggo freewheeling in the background while others are sprinting for a win
- Wiggo behind a bunch of Sky riders
- Wiggo staying behind Froome while others are attacking
- Wiggo yelling at Froome, begging him to wait

It will be really, really tough to make an equally spectacular clip of Boonen and Rodriguez.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6V903cfYFo&feature=relmfu
Minute 2:30
This is the funniest moment of the season...Brad where are you

 

[Pentacycle]

Rodriguez can never be the best, he was too much of a coward in the Giro for that.

By those standards Boonen would automatically be rider of the year because of Wiggins' overall cowardness.
What did Boonen win besides Roubaix that wasn't a sprint?

 

[Gloin22]

By those standards Boonen would automatically be rider of the year because of Wiggins' overall cowardness.
What did Boonen win besides Roubaix that wasn't a sprint?

What ?

Wiggins DID NOT NEED to attack. No-one was stronger than him ( except him team-mate of course ) So where's the need to attack ?

IF you're leading the GC, why would you attack ( from position of Wiggo was in ? ). That's not cowardness at all...

Purito is, as he failed to win the Giro because of that...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

By those standards Boonen would automatically be rider of the year because of Wiggins' overall cowardness.
What did Boonen win besides Roubaix that wasn't a sprint?

Tom Boonen 2012:

Stage 7, Tour de San Luís (San Luís - San Luís)

Stage 1, Tour of Qatar (Barzan Towers - Doha Golf Club)

Stage 4, Tour of Qatar (Al Thakhira - Madinat Al-Shamal)
Boonen headed a group of 5 who came to the finish together, with another nine stragglers from the group at various intervals before the bunch at 54"

GC, Tour of Qatar
mostly due to the TTT, the sprint win and the aforementioned stage 4 win due mostly to echelons

Stage 2, Paris-Nice (Mantes - Orléans)
arguably not a sprint as the bunch was reduced to 21

E3-Prijs Harelbeke

Gent-Wevelgem
arguably not a sprint as a number of reduced groups came to the line, Boonen's group being of a maximum of 27

Ronde van Vlaanderen
Boonen won by outsprinting the other two, sure, but this was quite clearly not a sprint win

Paris-Roubaix
as you already mentioned

National Championships Road Race (Geel - Geel)
Boonen winning from a group of six, the bunch coming in at 16"

Stage 1, World Ports Classic (Rotterdam - Antwerpen)

GC, World Ports Classic

Paris-Bruxelles

 

[Pentacycle]

Tom Boonen 2012:

Stage 7, Tour de San Luís (San Luís - San Luís)

Stage 1, Tour of Qatar (Barzan Towers - Doha Golf Club)

Stage 4, Tour of Qatar (Al Thakhira - Madinat Al-Shamal)
Boonen headed a group of 5 who came to the finish together, with another nine stragglers from the group at various intervals before the bunch at 54"

GC, Tour of Qatar
mostly due to the TTT, the sprint win and the aforementioned stage 4 win due mostly to echelons

Stage 2, Paris-Nice (Mantes - Orléans)
arguably not a sprint as the bunch was reduced to 21

E3-Prijs Harelbeke

Gent-Wevelgem
arguably not a sprint as a number of reduced groups came to the line, Boonen's group being of a maximum of 27

Ronde van Vlaanderen
Boonen won by outsprinting the other two, sure, but this was quite clearly not a sprint win

Paris-Roubaix
as you already mentioned

National Championships Road Race (Geel - Geel)
Boonen winning from a group of six, the bunch coming in at 16"

Stage 1, World Ports Classic (Rotterdam - Antwerpen)

GC, World Ports Classic

Paris-Bruxelles

The point I was trying to make was whether you're not attacking much or having mostly sprint victories shouldn't be important, it's the overall quality of the season that counts. It's about competing at a high level from February to October and getting important wins all year long.

Both Boonen and Rodriguez have done that, the only difference being that Purito rode 2 GT's on a high level while Boonen was riding smaller stage races and classics. Boonen should've had a GT stage victory imho to top Ridriguez.

 

[rghysens]

And I wouldn't accuse Boonen of cowardly behaviour in the E3-prijs either.

But my rider of the year is... Wiggins.

I don't like him at all, neither his racing style, but he still is the most succesfull racer of 2012. Rodriguez second and Boonen third.

 

[pdluz7]

I think the 2012 season (I did not watch the spring classics)
1. Were present and achieve their goals.
Joaquin PURITO Champion UCI World Tour
Philippe Gilbert Champion World
Tony Martin Champion World ITT
Alberto Contador Champion Spanish Vuelta
Wiggins Champion Tour de France and olympic ITT. (In Portuguese "engoli seco")

2. Arrived and won
Ryder Hesjedal champion Giro d'Italia
Vino olympic champion road.

3. big loser (Maybe another topic)
Mark Cavendish was not Olympic champion, and neither disputed the points jersey in the Tour de France

 

[JRanton]

Purito needed to win a grand tour to take this. Sorry, but you can't lose the Vuelta in the way he did and be named best rider of the year (lost the Giro on the last day too). I'd put both Boonen and Wiggins above him.