Best TTers past or present?

[Fowsto Cope-E]

From what I've picked up from old cycling videos:

1. Merckx (wasn't quite the best climber of his time but still managed to win an impressive number of GTs)

2. Anquetil (9 GP des Nations)

3. Coppi (they say that once he broke away from the peloton, no one would ever see him again. If I remember right, he once esentially tted the whole Giro di Lombardia and won easily)

 

[Carols]

Indurain
Merckx
Anquetil
Cancellara
Armstrong

 

[gustienordic]

Michael Rodgers has to be up there; World Champ 2003, 2004, 2005. Thats pretty impressive.

 

[jordan5000]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmR9k8UAohs

Different times indeed. Yet the specialist of the decade called Lance Armstrong got destroyed by Indurain.

That was in 1994, far before he became a great time trialist.

 

[jordan5000]

Michael Rodgers has to be up there; World Champ 2003, 2004, 2005. Thats pretty impressive.

Sorry, I forgot about him!

 

[Afrank]

All of the 5 time tour winners can be considered some of the best time trialists of all time. I'd say Big Mig for best ever, the pure climbers could take maybe 10, 20 seconds out to him in the mountains then he would take 3 minutes out of them in the TT.

 

[Martin318is]

It is special for someone to win a 4k prologue in Holland, a 30k one in Spain a week later, then a 50k one 2 weeks after that in Switzerland.

It is a different age, and Cancellaras dominance, when hes on form is something really special.

Thats not the point people are arguing - yes, Cancellara is special in the modern era. He is putting out these TT performances while also working hard for his leader the rest of the event.

Many of the others mentioned have performed similar achievements in any one year, and some of them have continued to do that year on year while also focussing on riding for stage race wins.

You earlier said you didn't see Indurain race. I suggest you get some video of the 'old days' to see how utterly scared the entire field was of him every time he clipped into his TT bike. Coppi also was known as someone that if you gave him a 10 yard lead, you would never, ever pull it back. The TT prowess of Merckx stands for itself, etc.

It is similar to the statement that Fabian would break the hour record. Hmm, interesting, but he hasn't actually even tried it has he... Personally, to call Fabian the greatest he will need another few seasons of dominance.

 

[hfer07]

Since I'm from the Golden era of Cycling - I have to start with Hinault, Lemond, Kelly & Fignon. from there in the early 90's is all about BIG MIG-even with Rominger trying so hard to get near-he was no match to the imperious Spaniard against the clock.
fast forward we have the LA years-which are difficult to chose a few knowing what happened back then (clinic wise) so I'd say Ullrich & DZ are the ones with the most innate talent rather than "enhanced" in the case of LA. & last we have Cancellara, whose dominance in the ITT was clear over the last 4 years.

 

[blaxland]

Definantly Migual Indrain(Big-Mig)he was just awesome to watch...

 

[UpTheRoad]

Chris Boardman deserves a mention.

 

[kablebike]

Awesome question

I am pretty new to cycling (early 1990's) but I do remember the LeMond/Fignon dual at the Tour. I was a grade school kid and my teacher set up the tv in our class to watch...that guy was way ahead of himself exposing us to stuff like the Tour back then in western Canada (although Alex Stieda and Steve Bauer were busting down the media doors for the sport back then).

Showing my age, I have to go with Indurain. Dominant is probably understating his TT abilities. Lots of older riders like Coppi, Anquetil (GP Les Nations), Merckx, etc. Awesomeness...alone on a bike with the wind.

 

[Midnightfright]

Why are we still debating this doesn't anyone else realise we have entered the era of Taylor phinney

 

[Bavarianrider]

No particular order.

Inurain,Ullrich,juiced to the max Armstrong, Olano. And when in a few years Martin will be up there too.

Cancellara is vastly overrated.

 

[c&cfan]

No particular order.

Inurain,Ullrich,juiced to the max Armstrong, Olano. And when in a few years Martin will be up there too.

Cancellara is vastly overrated.

you are the german ACF (sorry for the insult).
he has a problem with contador and valverde because they were always beating evans so he spams threads with irrational posts and your problem with cancellara is because he was always beating martin. take it easy and enjoy..

Let's see if martin is good enough to awake the monster again.. it all depends on cancellara, no one (even you) can argue that the raw talent and class is on cancellara's side.. the best TTer ever, together with miguel.

 

[El Pistolero]

you are the german ACF (sorry for the insult).
he has a problem with contador and valverde because they were always beating evans so he spams threads with irrational posts and your problem with cancellara is because he was always beating martin. take it easy and enjoy..

Let's see if martin is good enough to awake the monster again.. it all depends on cancellara, no one (even you) can argue that the raw talent and class is on cancellara's side.. the best TTer ever, together with miguel.

Cancellara was 26 years old when he was WC TT for the first time. Just as old as Tony Martin is now. Before that, he got beaten by guys like Michael Rogers lol.

 

[McLovin]

Cancellara was 26 years old when he was WC TT for the first time. Just as old as Tony Martin is now. Before that, he got beaten by guys like Michael Rogers lol.

Easy with Rogers, ok? I try so hard to be his ACF. He was the first ever triple (consecutive) world champ, beating by minutes guys like Cancellara, Leipheimer, Vino, Zabriskie, Wiggins, Julich, Menchov etc etc.

le: I forgot to say, he wasn't even 26 when he got his 3rd one.

 

[hrotha]

That was in 1994, far before he became a great time trialist.

http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1978_2005/tdf1994_9.php
What about Rominger (2nd, +2:00), De las Cuevas (3rd, +4:22), Marie (4th, +4:45) and Boardman (5th, +5:27)?

Although to be honest while Boardman was probably one of history's top prologue specialists, he wasn't so incredible in long ITTs. He was still very, very good, of course, but I wouldn't say he was at the same level as some of the names that have popped up in this thread.

I've never seen anyone destroy everyone as hard as Indurain (I started watching cycling in the early 90s). It must be said however that ITTs were longer back then - maybe Cancellara or Martin would get similar results if they were doing 65 km-long TTs regularly.

Michael Rodgers has to be up there; World Champ 2003, 2004, 2005. Thats pretty impressive.

Hahaha.

 

[Nick C.]

I think it comes down to Anquetil and Indurain. I haven't looked at Merckx's results in TTs to say whether he belongs in the mix. Coppi, LeMond, Hinault all figure in. Presumably some on the hour record holders like Roger Riviere (sp?), Ferdinand Bracke, Old Ritter and Moser deserve at least a name check. Der Kaiser and Lance 2.0. Rogers is a strange case. He always disappoints in the GT TTs or at least does not put up the results of a triple World champ, which IMO should be no worse than 5th if it not a mountain TT. For now Cancellara and Martin are the best.

 

[just some guy]

I just don´t get how you can compare guys riding 90 + km on steel bike verse 55 km on full carbon in time trial position.

Something like this needs to be broken into pre and post Lemond imo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyvwtOQYQ-E

 

[sublimit]

Indurain was something else, capable of battering other great riders into oblivion.

I go with others like Rominger, Ullrich and Cancellara as a step behind. Dave Millar most stylish tester but maybe not the quickest but pretty good, Tony Martin is capable of being an all time great in time IMO.

 

[Old School]

Big Mig all day! LeMond, Hinault on the list as well...not saying they are top 3, taking the Old School guys into account.

Like already said, different technology these days, steel vs. carbon fiber...aero helmets, disk wheels....tough to measure.

Kinda like the 1960 muscle cars vs. today's high HP cars.

 

[vladimir]

http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1978_2005/tdf1994_9.php
What about Rominger (2nd, +2:00), De las Cuevas (3rd, +4:22), Marie (4th, +4:45) and Boardman (5th, +5:27)?

I agree fully with Indurain, but I think his display in 93 was even more impressive. If my memory isn't totally blurred Laurent Fignon started 6 minutes ahead of Mig and really fancied his chances for an overall win. His morale must have taken one hell of a beating when he was passed by Mig in the final kilometer

 

[Peccio89]

Anquetil was the best.

 

[Magnus]

Merckx broke the World Hour record of Fausto Coppi

Ole Ritter held the record before Merckx.

 

[Cobblestoned]

I just don´t get how you can compare guys riding 90 + km on steel bike verse 55 km on full carbon in time trial position.

Something like this needs to be broken into pre and post Lemond imo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyvwtOQYQ-E

Full agreement.

It's impossible to vote/rate riders who were competing in different eras and pick something like an overall winner.
I would even seperate pure TTers from great TTers competing in a GT.

Cycling doesn't need that and it doesn't make any sense.
People come, people go. Every decade had its best.
The only thing that is clear is that Eddy is the greates rider ever. And will always be.

Anyway, bring back long TTs. 100km should be ok.