Best stage racer never to podium a grand tour.

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

Iban Mayo

I was about to write the same name.

I was very much a Tour-only watcher back in those days, and every year Mayo would be hyped by the commentators as one to watch, and every year (after his Alpe stage win) he would be meh. His Dauphine results and other races are pretty serious though.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Michael Rasmussen.

If only he could time trial… I think whoever edited the Wikipedia page for the 2005 TdF said it best:

Michael Rasmussen: Defending his third place did not work out too well. Nearly everything that could fail, failed.

Rasmussen's palmares is fairly bland actually, I don't think he should make even close to a top10 in that list.

Why is it always palmares with you people? This thread asks who the best rider who never podiumed a GT was, and everybody who watched the 2007 Tour would agree that Rasmussen's top level was enormously high.

 

[spalco]

My bad, I was convinced the thread was explicitely about palmares, but I confused it with the "rank top 5 cyclists of country" thread.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re: Re:

Is it Soukhoroutchenkov?

I think it's one of the Russian riders in American Flyers.

Steve Bauer came close with no cigar.
I remember him wearing yellow for a ton of stages when he was told to give up his bike to Andy Hampsten when he flatted at a critical stage of the race.

It's Soukho.

Elsewhere, Federico Echave has 5 GTs positioned 4th to 6th but no podiums.

Then where do we stand on people like Mariano Rojas? Or, hell, even Frank Vandenbroucke?

 

[Leinster]

2 other current riders to add into the mix; Dan Martin and Bauke Mollema. Both Tour and Vuelta stage winners, top 10s in Grand Tours, wins and podiums in week long stage races and classics. They’re well up there.

 

[mode747]

Has to be Sagan right?

 

[GuyIncognito]

Has to be Sagan right?

??????????????????????

Literally hundreds of stage racers better than him have never made a Grand Tour podium
Or did you read the title as simply "racers" instead of "stage racers"? Even then, a few.

 

[tobydawq]

Has to be Sagan right?

"Best stage racer" says the header, not "best rider". Otherwise, yes.

 

[AnatoleNovak]

Re:

Phil Anderson, 5th twice in the Tour.
Pascal Simon, never higher than 7th.
Luc Leblanc

This.

 

[Vino's Mum]

Bernal ofc

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

Bernal ofc

Well, it's true that he hasn't podiumed a GT yet. But considering that he's currently riding his first it would be rather impressive if he'd already managed to podium one.

 

[Koronin]

For young riders who haven't really had a chance yet in addition to Bernal, I'm going to add Marc Soler.

 

[Singer01]

The weird thing is the more u search the more i find everyone has managed to stumble across at least one podium. It just makes LRP even more of a conundrum.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

The weird thing is the more u search the more i find everyone has managed to stumble across at least one podium. It just makes LRP even more of a conundrum.

Porte is firmly in the Gesink category. Sometimes you would swear he is jinxed. Gesink's early career was similar and unfortunately his best years were wasted except for his fourth place in the Tour when he managed to survive and do well. VDB was probably another one in that category but not with quite as much talent.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Clearly this is driven by Richie 'jonah' Porte who despite having all the gifts to be a multiple grand tour winner

I disagree.

 

[Singer01]

Clearly this is driven by Richie 'jonah' Porte who despite having all the gifts to be a multiple grand tour winner

I disagree.

A well thought out and reasoned response.

 

[Cinemaniak]

How about.... Laurent Jalabert(!!) Iban Mayo(!!!)

Perhaps Michael Boogerd should also be mentioned
Roman Kreuziger, Spilak and Roglic are on the nomination for the nearby future

 

[AnatoleNovak]

Jalabert won the Vuelta.

 

[del1962]

Port has one 6 WT stage races of wins, plus 2 more stage races

He also has forth in the tour which would have been a podium but for a mechanical

Does any non GT podium finisher come close to this, of course this all may be mute after the Vuelta

 

[rghysens]

Re:

Port has one 6 WT stage races of wins, plus 2 more stage races

He also has forth in the tour which would have been a podium but for a mechanical

Does any non GT podium finisher come close to this, of course this all may be mute after the Vuelta

Yes, Roger De Vlaeminck. But he wasn't a stage racer, so doesn't fit into the opening question.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Clearly this is driven by Richie 'jonah' Porte who despite having all the gifts to be a multiple grand tour winner

I disagree.

A well thought out and reasoned response.

His bike handling skills are not good enough over three weeks.

 

[Cookster15]

Re:

Michael Rasmussen.

Rasmussen was a KoM specialist until the 2007 Tour came along. His TT capitulation in the 2005 Tour was embarrassing. Best stage racer to never get a podium? No.

As an Aussie I say Phil Anderson. As far as I remember he never had much team support, still managed two 5th places. First non European to wear yellow and did so deep into the race. What a legend.

 

[movingtarget]

Clearly this is driven by Richie 'jonah' Porte who despite having all the gifts to be a multiple grand tour winner

I disagree.

A well thought out and reasoned response.

His bike handling skills are not good enough over three weeks.

Because Valgren slipped his chain and brought down a bunch of riders ?

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Michael Rasmussen.

Rasmussen was a KoM specialist until the 2007 Tour came along. His TT capitulation in the 2005 Tour was embarrassing. Best stage racer to never get a podium? No.

As an Aussie I say Phil Anderson. As far as I remember he never had much team support, still managed two 5th places. First non European to wear yellow and did so deep into the race. What a legend.

Yeah Phil would have to be one of them. In those days riding for a French team meant you also never received full support as an Anglo as shown when Pascal Simon attacked Phil his team mate and got yellow but never finished the Tour that year.

 

[42x16ss]

Re:

Phil Anderson, 5th twice in the Tour.
Pascal Simon, never higher than 7th.
Luc Leblanc

Phil Anderson surely. 5 straight TDF top 10s, with stage wins and stints in yellow, then there’s his stage race wins including Criterium du Dauphine, Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie. On top of this he won Amstel and had multiple podiums at Liege and Lombardia.