Biggest Upset in Cycling History

[Cannibal72]

Last night, we saw what was probably the greatest surprise in the modern history of sport; I don't think any other winners have come close to the 5000-1 odds offered on Leicester to win before the season started. So what do people think was the biggest surprise in the history of cycling? Obviously, a lot of this is inevitably tied up with clinic stuff, but I'd still be interested to see what people consider to be the biggest surprises in cycling's long history. Hayman's Roubaix is surely the most surprising monument win of the past decade; what about previous eras and other races?

 

[Squire]

At the time, maybe Freire in Verona.

 

[Red Rick]

Wiggins Tour podium 2009?

 

[Alexandre B.]

Pereiro losing more than 30 minutes in the Pyrenees and winning the Tour.

 

[FilipeFD]

Horner to win Vuelta

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Christophe Agnolutto winning the 1997 Tour de Suisse.

 

[laurensde+]

Walkowiak

 

[jsem94]

If I'm to remember some real long odds:

Hayman PR was 800/1 at some bookmaker according to some source.
Pereiro 2006 was 100/1.

I wish I knew the odds of Freire's Verona win.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Cobo in the Vuelta?

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Wiggins Tour podium 2009?

Wasnt it 1.AC, 2. Schleck, 3. Armstrong?

 

[SafeBet]

Berzin in the 1994 Giro should be mentioned.

 

[hrotha]

Re:

Berzin in the 1994 Giro should be mentioned.

No way. Guy had a monster spring season.

 

[Echoes]

12 posts, 8 stage races mentioned.

 

[veji11]

Walkowiak and Pereiro style tour winners come to mind. Walkowiak more though because he did really win it on the road, not after the other rider got DQed.

 

[Eshnar]

12 posts, 8 stage races mentioned.

Only stage races can compare with a league win. One-day races upsets are much more frequent, a bit like cup wins.

 

[veji11]

12 posts, 8 stage races mentioned.

Only stage races can compare with a league win. One-day races upsets are much more frequent, a bit like cup wins.

Exactly, wins like Jacky Durand's on the tour of Flanders 92 (?) for example happen and have happened before, whereas on a stage race there are 20+ stages and 8/10 big decisive ones (mountain or ITT) for the big bosses to assert themselves, that's what makes a Walkowiak/Pereiro win a lot more "upsetting".

 

[Guybrush]

van Avermaet winning 2016 Tirreno Adriatico

 

[Echoes]

At least some posters openly admit to despising the classics now. There's progress.

 

[trucido]

Sagan ToC'15.

 

[hrotha]

Re:

At least some posters openly admit to despising the classics now. There's progress.

But you hate progress

 

[classicomano]

Oliver Zaugg.

 

[veji11]

Re:

At least some posters openly admit to despising the classics now. There's progress.

How stupid a comment is this ????

Sorry mate, I love classics but bein one day races they are more open to outcomes that deviate from the mean, ie upsets, than a race of 21 stages where one would thing the mean would reassert itself. This is why a very unlikely outcome is well, considerably more unlikely in a stage race !!

What on earth don't you understand about this ?

If what you want is me to tell you that Jacky Durand's win in RVV is the greatest upset in the history of cycling, well I am sorry but it is just not true...

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

At least some posters openly admit to despising the classics now. There's progress.

Where did Eshnar say that he (?) despises the classics? He simply pointed out that a random guy winning a classic is not as big an upset as random guy winning a stage race. After all; "randomly" winning a classic simply requires good legs/luck on one specific day, whereas winning as stage race requires good legs/luck for up to three weeks.





(Eeeh... Eshnar... you are a "he", right?)

 

[Eshnar]

Re: Re:

(Eeeh... Eshnar... you are a "he", right?)

yep

 

[rghysens]

Walkowiak, Froome vuelta 2011, Gwiazdowski, Zaug, Hayman