Best solo of this year.

[Unkown]

De Gendt, don't really understand how Contador is in this poll though other than fanboyism.

 

[robert_c]

Rabottini. He crashed with 17k to go and then he gets passed with 100m to go but still beats JRod to the line. Then he collapses/crashes into his teammates arms across the finish line. Not to mention he isn't even on a World Tour team. Ep-ic.

 

[sartoris]

De Gendt, don't really understand how Contador is in this poll though other than fanboyism.

Nice try

 

[usedtobefast]

Boonen was good.Canc was good. Berti was just crushing. i think a Grand Tour trumps those races. all worthy though.

 

[veganrob]

Voted Boonen as the best, but AC was the most enjoyable to watch.

 

[richwagmn]

Obvious Boonen is obvious

Yep. Epic.

 

[More Strides than Rides]

I was trying to remember the big and not-so big solo wins this year, so I'll edit this post as they come, starting with Will Clark early in the TDU.

Rubiano also did about 45k solo earlier in the Giro (Stage 6)
Sylvain Georges disrupted the Sagan express at the ToC, going about 45k from the finish (stage 6)

(Voeckler and Danielson both spent quality time off the front in the TDF and ProChallenge, but were helped by big early breakaways and long descents to the finish [and someone aready mentioned Voigt])

 

[shalgo]

Boonen for me, even if he was more or less copying Cancellara. The fact that Sky organized a chase behind him and nevertheless kept losing ground was incredibly impressive.

Other candidates who have not been mentioned:
Terpstra at Dwars door Vlaanderen
Voeckler at Brabantse Pijl

 

[thirteen]

Not even I could vote Vino after the PR this year

ah, but i did... it's Vino! and there won't be many more chances (except looking back)

 

[2 Square Wheels]

I voted Boonen, impressive how he kept his lead and even extended it with Sky leading the chase

Does 2km count as a solo?, because Cataldo riding away from De Gendt on the final 2km of Cuitu Nigru was impressive even if it was the slowest finish i've seen.

 

[greenedge]

I voted for De Gendt but i meant Boonen.

It was a great attack.

 

[Fidolix]

Boonen at Roubaix obviously.

But you have forgotten a rather epic solo from Iljo Keisse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dPHTMawyug

He forgot a lot!!

 

[MartinGT]

Boonen,it was class, but De Gendt a close second for the balls for going on the Stelvio, I really enjoyed his attack in the valley and then onto the climb

Some great ones this year

 

[Roude Leiw]

Boonen might be obvious, but I nevertheless voted for Contador.

You see quite regularly those kind of solos (even though Boonens might have been a notch above some others) in the classics where there is no "tomorrow" to handle.

In the stage races those become less and less frequent, esp. coming from the GC contenders. So I voted Contador, because he gave us back some old style racing and that was just awesome

 

[Netserk]

All were great but when the dust is settled and the smoke is cleared only one of these will be remembered for the ages.

Id pick De Gendt for 2nd.

Boonen would be ranked higher, but unfortunately for him Cancellara 2 years ago did the same trick against far better opposition and far more devestatingly.



El Imbatido

Difference being that Boonen could win it in a sprint, Canc couldn't, so he had to do it solo

(also the fact that it was his 4th victory)

 

[Lexman]

Boonen just having the courage to go off at 50 km's and letting Sky eat dust km after km...

No doubt about this one

 

[JimPanzen]

I don't think if you can really compare solo efforts in GT's and one day races. Boonen's Roubaix win was awesome, but so was Contador's solo especially if you see it in the context of jeopardizing your GC position in a 3 week tour.

 

[Spaniard]

It's not the same a solo in a classic than in a GT, you need cojones to launch an attack with 50km to go in a GT when you are just 28 sec below the leader and with the Bola del Mundo stage remaining

 

[personal]

Boonen or Contador.
One won the biggest classic, other won almost lost GT.

Boonen it is. He did it alone, using strenght. Contador used his strenght but domestiques too. He was more exciting, tho.

Vino was great, but he was not alone.
Cancellara's win was great, but it was on not that important race.
De Gendt did great, but it was just a stage.

 

[will10]

Terpstra in the dutch championships, but thats probably cause i''m dutch..

That was mega impressive.

 

[will10]

He forgot a lot!!

That's the whole point of a thread like this though? I doubt any one of us would've remembered every solo mentioned in the thread so far?

Although in fairness perhaps we could've done without the poll

 

[vcampbell]

I voted for Contador, because for me his solo was the best. No more, no less.

 

[therhodeo]

Voted Boonen but Keisse's was definitely the most fun to watch. Lots of emotion in it for him too.

 

[TeoSheva]

It's not the same a solo in a classic than in a GT, you need cojones to launch an attack with 50km to go in a GT when you are just 28 sec below the leader and with the Bola del Mundo stage remaining

I don't agree... Boonen in the PR had more cojones than Contador: he was the faster in the leading group, but he went alone anyway... with 50km remaining and with a full team (SKY) behind him...
Contador had nothing to loose... or almost nothing...

 

[Carols]

Since you refuse to add Rabottini to the poll (the best solo IMO) I finally decided to vote for Contador...was abstaining until the emotions wore off.

But he threw it all in to win or lose a GT...tener Cojones for sure!