Domestique Dream Team

[Steampunk]

Who are the best domestiques in the world? Or your favorites? Jens Voigt is a perennial favorite. And Szmyd has been incredibly impressive in this Giro. Who else is at the top of this list of the real hard men of the peleton?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

José Vicente Garçia Acosta. Fifteen years hammering out a tempo. Never moved teams. 9 wins in his career. The only rider still out there who domestiqued for Indurain. Last Vuelta he sat on the front, km after km, and set everything up. In Paris-Nice he was the one that forced the split in the wind, and then he and José Iván Gutiérrez drove it home. He's an underrated beast.

 

[Jan the Man]

Some current riders I would throw into the mix:

Andreas Klöden
Sylvester Szmyd
Laurens Ten Dam
Jens Voigt
Gustav Larsson
Matt Hayman
Macej Bodnar
Danilo Wyss
Michael Barry
Kevin Hulsmans
Joost Posthuma

 

[nvpacchi]

Stephen de Jongh
Juan Manuel Garate

 

[Von Mises]

Szmyd fpr me, has been very impressive many years.

 

[Zoncolan]

Mark Renshaw
Chechu Rubiera
Marco Velo
Amets Txurruka
Vasili Kirienka
Jose Garcia Acosta
Inigo Cuesta

No particular order

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Oh, Kiryienka... definitely. That guy will grind away for several hours.

also George Hincapie, Jens Voigt, Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Szmyd, Zaugg (doesn't get as many plaudits as Szmyd but is still an excellent worker ant), Bernhard Eisel, Oscar Gatto (what he was doing for Visconti in the Tour of Turkey was stellar and merited inclusion on its own)...

 

[Kazistuta]

Mark Renshaw
Chechu Rubiera
Marco Velo
Amets Txurruka
Vasili Kirienka
Jose Garcia Acosta
Inigo Cuesta

No particular order

Agree with guy like Chechu, Velo, Acosta and Cuesta, but can't really see what justifies labelling Txurruca as a great domestique? In my optic he is widely known as an opportunistic break away rider...and those guys can't exactly be called domestiques.

Oter names that springs to mind is Gustov, Nicki Sørensen, Joaquin Rodriguez (in his years working for Valverde), Moorenhout, Tossato, Hulsmans, Jose Ivan Gutierrez, Aerts & Arvesen.

 

[theyoungest]

I wouldn't call Jens Voigt a domestique... he gets more than enough races where he doesn't have to sacrifice his own chances for those of others.

I like the more unsung ones, like Grischa Niermann.

 

[ferryman]

Neat thread.

Not a hard man per se and a bit deluxe in choice but I will go for Dave Millar

 

[Zoncolan]

Agree with guy like Chechu, Velo, Acosta and Cuesta, but can't really see what justifies labelling Txurruca as a great domestique? In my optic he is widely known as an opportunistic break away rider...and those guys can't exactly be called domestiques.

Oter names that springs to mind is Gustov, Nicki Sørensen, Joaquin Rodriguez (in his years working for Valverde), Moorenhout, Tossato, Hulsmans, Jose Ivan Gutierrez, Aerts & Arvesen.

Yes, Txurruka goes for breaks, but when Sammy Sanchez is in with a chance for the overall, Amets buries himself at the front.
Granted, he probably doesn't belong with the rest.
Arvesen? Only the last two years at the Tour did he do some work. Much less than O'Grady, Voigt, and the likes.
@Libertine I forgot about Hincapie. Cuddles could really use him and Burghardt at the Giro.
Szmyd is a great mountain domestique. Reminds me of someone like Piepoli.

Also, Jose Ivan Gutierrez. I know he isn't a pure domestique, but when the Caisse boys are working for Valverde/LL Sanchez and the peloton hits a false flat Gutierres puts so many under pressure.

 

[Steampunk]

O'Grady has transformed himself into a pretty impressive domestique.

 

[Jux1893]

Sérgio Paulinho.

2009 Tour for Contador. It was always him setting tempo, until the last climb.

 

[ferryman]

A wee bit OFT again but the Schlecks have young Fugslang down as their last man standing on the climbs in the TDF this year. So, sort of super domestique in the making, does that count

 

[taiwan]

HTC have done some great stuff in the Giro Stage 9, the one that Goss won, they were working all day with little to no help. Towards the end, I particularly noticed Michael Albasini burying himself on the front, and they were going so hard in the rain and crosswinds (pretty sure there were) that about 10 HTC and Astana riders just rode away, cuasing a split that could have caught many out. That Goss was able to take that stage from Farrar and Pozzato says something about his quality as a finisher, and he's been totally on message despite that the team leader's subnormal performance.

 

[liftman]

He doesn't have a lot of history but Tony Martin has been impressive lately.

 

[Notso Swift]

He was indeed.

O'grady is a good example, when Sastre was doing his TdF he was the pace maker for the first 150km of every stage, same for the Schlecks last year
Cancellara did a pretty good job as well, and Riis said at the ToC (per CN) that Fab has free reign for the prologue and would be doing it again this year.

But each of these guys (inc Martin) are protected riders at some stage, just not for a specific event, so does that make them dom's, or super dom's?

 

[ergmonkey]

Johan Van Summeren at Paris-Roubaix (this year excluded)

Matteo Tosatto (this guy never has trouble getting hired for a sprint train)

Servais Knaven (yeah, he won Roubaix, but his career has really been about shepherding Van Petegem, Museeuw, and other Classics stars at TVM and the Lefevre teams)

Pavel Padrnos (not around anymore, but my favorite diesel from the Postal days--which, admittedly, isn't saying much since I'm no fan boy)

Bernhard Eisel (not only because he's really good, but especially because he's able to sit next to Cavendish all the time without getting too annoyed to do his job)

Now, how about dubious domestiques? Vino for Ullrich in '04? Lance for Contador in '09? Hinault for Lemond in '86? Cunego/Simoni at the Giro '04? Greipel for Cavendish, back when they could still share a team bus? I guess lesser stars don't always make for good helpers...

 

[Martin318is]

Is this open to historicals as well as current riders?

When I saw the title I immediately thought of Neil Stephens and Matt White.

 

[therhodeo]

Lance for Contador in '09? I guess lesser stars don't always make for good helpers...

I like the way that reads.

 

[blaxland]

Adam Hansen and Mark Renshaw............HTC workhorses/leadout man....

 

[Michielveedeebee]

seba Rosseler
Steven De Jongh
Tossato ==> as Boonens train a couple of years ago

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Since the name of the thread is "Domestique Dream Team", why not make up a GT-team with domestiques?

Captain: Szmyd
Mountain domestiques: Rubiera, Garcia Acosta
Sprinter: Renshaw
Lead-out men: Hincapie, Eisel
Work horses: Barry, Grabsch, O'Grady

 

[lancaster]

Radioshack,

Popo, chechu, Kloeden, Horner, Levi, Zubeldia, Paulinho

all have been fantastic GT domestiques, most have had top level GT results

they're not silent sufferers at the front of the bunch, but mainly because of who else has ridden with them, all have sacrificed day after day for their team captains though.

 

[sportzchick]

Adam Hansen and Mark Renshaw............HTC workhorses/leadout man....

they would have to do double time as they cant choose between Rogers or Cav