Best Sprinter ever

[orangerider]

The poll says fastest, but the thread is discussing best, which is it?

I think Kittel is faster in a drag race than Cav, but there is no way he's a better sprinter.

As for the best sprinter of all time, I'd probably say Zabel based on his results, but I would be very surprised if in five years time Cav hasn't gone past him.

Agreed. There's plenty of guys who have more top end but don't produce the road sprint results for whatever reason. Key example is Theo Bos - one capable of going against Chris Hoy is a whole different league. But Bos just sucks on the road sprints, mostly because he wastes energy and doesn't position good at all.

 

[42x16ss]

Abdoujaparov.

None else even approached his recklessness, even Jalabert. On occasion some riders wouldn't contest the bunch sprint if they were too close out of fear

 

[42x16ss]

Fastest or Best???

Fastest = Abdu
Best = Maertens

I think you mixed up "fastest" with "most dangerous"

 

[42x16ss]

As an overall rider, Kelly by far. I don't really think he belongs in a list of best sprinters though, as he was a total all-rounder. May as well include Jalabert (though he isn't as good as Kelly of course). Abdou I have a lot of time for as one of very few genuine pure sprinters who could win a mountain stage at the Tour by attacking the break uphill, but Maertens and Cavendish are the obvious choices. I'd still tip the balance in favour of Maertens, but given his age Cavendish has plenty of time to redress that.

I also suggest honorable mentions in the "other" category for those who haven't been mentioned yet for Olaf Ludwig, André Darrigade, Délio Rodríguez and Miguel Poblet.

What about Tom Steels? He throws a mean water bottle as well.

 

[jens_attacks]

cipo, easily.



.........

 

[S2Sturges]

If you say fastest, than a track sprinter is your answer
I think Maertens is definitely better than Cav as he won pretty much everywhere in his good years

Freddy was amazing a sprinter, as was Van Looy and Zabel.. Cippolini ruled because he was the first to really get a train going to set up the sprints, a now standard practise.. Cavendish is alright,but I think Sagan will be better. At least Sagan can go up a hill...

 

[Ruby United]

The poll says fastest, but the thread is discussing best, which is it?

I think Kittel is faster in a drag race than Cav, but there is no way he's a better sprinter.

As for the best sprinter of all time, I'd probably say Zabel based on his results, but I would be very surprised if in five years time Cav hasn't gone past him.

It's a bit of both

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Cav now just has over 50% of Zabel's victories, and people declare him the best ever.

Freddy Maertens was at 248 btw, but there were some Time Trials in there too (edit: and 53 criteriums (not sure what exactly is meant by that), 13 GCs and 4 point classifications)

 

[Bexon30]

Cav now just has over 50% of Zabel's victories, and people declare him the best ever.

Freddy Maertens was at 248 btw, but there were some Time Trials in there too (edit: and 53 criteriums (not sure what exactly is meant by that), 13 GCs and 4 point classifications)

I voted Cav even though Zabel was the most successful I've seen. Abdujaparov was the most entertaining I saw. Cavs 'turn of pace' is seriously quick.

 

[spalco]

I think Cavendish is getting there. Hard to compare eras though, and a rider like Cavendish to obviously more "complete" cyclists like Maertens, Zabel and Sagan.

I really don't think for example that Sagan will ever be a better sprinter than Cavendish, because he'll focus on different things eventually.

And Abdu, as awesome as I assume it must have been to watch him live at the time (which I didn't) would not have a place in the modern peloton with his suicidal/homicidal style.

 

[Gloin22]

There's a difference between complete sprinter and FASTEST sprinter as asked by the OP. Some people here might not notice the difference I think so far

Hard to compare though, but I'd say from pure speed Cav is the fastest, unstoppable. I guess from speed perspective Cipollini came second.

 

[SafeBet]

There's a difference between complete sprinter and FASTEST sprinter as asked by the OP. Some people here might not notice the difference I think so far

Problem is that the thread title and the poll question are different.

 

[webbie146]

Cavendish is the best, especially this sprint in the last tour was just amazing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irya5ZSJT2E

 

[happytramp]

Cav, he's already got the palmares capable of rivaling the other best sprinters of all time.

With one Green Jersey? Sure Sean Kelly has four of those and he's not even a sprinter.

 

[spalco]

With one Green Jersey? Sure Sean Kelly has four of those and he's not even a sprinter.

Well, as people keep pointing out, the points' jersey is not a sprinters' jersey, otherwise Cavendish would certainly win it in this Giro (which looks unlikely), so it has only marginal relevancy to this discussion.

Winning on the Champs Elysees four years in a row - that shows someone's a champion sprinter.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Lots of different things being conflated here.

Fastest sprinter; Best sprinter; Best rider.

May or may not be the same people.

Personally I'll take Cav for the first 2. The first classification is an unverifiable, but theorectically quantifiable contest. 2nd is a personal judgement of who would win most often if they all went up against each other 100 times at the end of a GT sprint stage. Final classification brings in all the other elements which make Zabel, Freire and Maertens very different and more versatile riders to some others on the list.

 

[happytramp]

Well, as people keep pointing out, the points' jersey is not a sprinters' jersey, otherwise Cavendish would certainly win it in this Giro (which looks unlikely), so it has only marginal relevancy to this discussion.

I respectfully disagree. Most riders on the list have multiple Green Jerseys. (Mario has 3 at the Giro) I'd still say it's seen as the greatest prize for sprinters.

 

[spalco]

Well, either it's one or the other. If it's a sprinter jersey Cavendish should win it this year (although he probably won't).

And Cipollini - how many flat stages were there those years? With 10 flat stages every year, Cavendish would win the points jersey easily too.

 

[hrotha]

Kelly? McEwen? Freire? Seriously?

 

[Franklin]

The best measuring stick is Palmares. We can nix all classics not won in a sprint and Mountain stages (hello Kelly and Freddy^^)

That makes the list very short indeed:

Cavendish:
12 Giro
23 TdF 1 Jersey
4 Spain 1 jersey

Zabel:
12 TdF 6 jersey
8 Spain 3 jersey

Cipolini:
42 Giro (3 jersey)
12 TdF
3 Spain

Petacchi
22 Giro (5 dq) 1 jersey
6 TdF 1 jersey
20 Spain 1 jersey

Quite frankly this means Cav isn't there yet (he will get there though). Cipo won 18 GT stages and 2 jerseys more than Cav. Sure, a TdF stage is more important, but 42 Giro stages is eyewatering. In fact a case could be made that Cav has not really passed Ale-jet in palmares.

Zabel is a special case. I'd say he's not the best sprinter as his speed was never the best of his generation. In a match up with Cipo he was usually second best. It was just that he was motivated to stay the course where Cipo went home after the first stages.

 

[TRDean]

I know he isn't the fastest or best by a long shot...but I thoroughly loved the riding of Etienne de Wilde!!

Best is probably Cav...but it is almost impossible to make an accurate comparison between the different times.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

snipped..

And Abdu, as awesome as I assume it must have been to watch him live at the time (which I didn't) would not have a place in the modern peloton with his suicidal/homicidal style.

hey, Abdou was pro safety, he often used a helmet you know.

 

[burning]

The best measuring stick is Palmares. We can nix all classics not won in a sprint and Mountain stages (hello Kelly and Freddy^^)

That makes the list very short indeed:

Cavendish:
12 Giro
23 TdF 1 Jersey
4 Spain 1 jersey

Zabel:
12 TdF 6 jersey
8 Spain 3 jersey

Cipolini:
42 Giro (3 jersey)
12 TdF
3 Spain

Petacchi
22 Giro (5 dq) 1 jersey
6 TdF 1 jersey
20 Spain 1 jersey

Quite frankly this means Cav isn't there yet (he will get there though). Cipo won 18 GT stages and 2 jerseys more than Cav. Sure, a TdF stage is more important, but 42 Giro stages is eyewatering. In fact a case could be made that Cav has not really passed Ale-jet in palmares.

Zabel is a special case. I'd say he's not the best sprinter as his speed was never the best of his generation. In a match up with Cipo he was usually second best. It was just that he was motivated to stay the course where Cipo went home after the first stages.

Being a good sprinter is about getting to the finish then winning. A track sprinter would be the best sprinter of all time but he wont be able to win anything on the road as he wont have enough endurance

 

[JimPanzen]

Cavendish:
12 Giro
23 TdF 1 Jersey
4 Spain 1 jersey

Zabel:
12 TdF 6 jersey
8 Spain 3 jersey

This is why Cav isn't the best (yet) but Ede is. Let's not forget 4x MSR on Zabel'S side.

 

[Morbius]

This is why Cav isn't the best (yet) but Ede is. Let's not forget 4x MSR on Zabel'S side.

If numbers of jerseys are the sole measure of a sprinter, what about Merckx? He won 6 GT points jerseys (3 Tour, 2 Giro, 1 Vuelta), but no way you could consider him a better sprinter than Cav.