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Dominating Riders of the 2020-2029 decade

Yes, that's right. The other thread is about looking back, this is about looking ahead, and try to predict who'll be the dominating riders of the decade we're about to enter.
It can both be already established riders like Bernal, Pogacar, Evenepoel, or Dygert-Owen.
Up-and-coming riders like Simmons, Tiberi, or the Bäckstedt sisters.
Or even riders most of us haven't even heard of yet; if there's some 15-year-old kid at your local club you think could do pretty well, feel free to nominate him and if by the end of 2029 he's the defending Tour champion, I'll get you a beer! :beermug:
 
If you're looking at the entire decade, you're probably looking at riders who aren't at the peak of their careers yet, and some of them will barely be known at this point.

That said, the obvious choices right now are Bernal, Evenepoel, Pogacar, Van der Poel and Valverde.
 
If you're looking at the entire decade, you're probably looking at riders who aren't at the peak of their careers yet, and some of them will barely be known at this point.

Hence the bit about random 15-year-old kids. I mean, back in 2009 I don't think many could have predicted that some - at the time - 12-year-old kid would be the defending Tour Champion by now. However, there could have been someone over in Colombia going "You know what? That kid, Egan, he's pretty good. I'm predicting big things from this kid."
And of course nobody could have predicted the kind of cycling success Evenepoel seems to be on the verge of getting back in 2009, because he hadn't even started yet.
 
There are certainly the obvious favorites. I'd also throw in Alaphilippe, although he will wind up straddling two decades. If he wins a couple of other monuments, which I think he can, and continues to thrill in the Tour, then he will definitely be in the conversation. But...If I had to bet on one rider it would be Bernal. He's like a slightly better Nibali to me, and he's just scratched his one-day potential. A "slightly better" Nibali would have won a lot more big races, not that he isn't a Top 5 "rider of the 2010s" already...

I can't quite get behind Remco, because I just don't think he'll ever win a GT, which I think in the next decade will be dominated by South American climbers. MVDP will burn out, I'm afraid. I'd be surprised if he races 5-6 more years.
 
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Hence the bit about random 15-year-old kids. I mean, back in 2009 I don't think many could have predicted that some - at the time - 12-year-old kid would be the defending Tour Champion by now. However, there could have been someone over in Colombia going "You know what? That kid, Egan, he's pretty good. I'm predicting big things from this kid."
And of course nobody could have predicted the kind of cycling success Evenepoel seems to be on the verge of getting back in 2009, because he hadn't even started yet.
It's also an arbitrary cut off poitn, with guys like Dumoulin and Roglic hitting unfortunate timings, like Contador a decade earlier.
 
The only one I would say with any degree of confidence is Bernal. After that I'd have to say the ones Red Rick mentioned.

I don't know the U23 and junior scene well enough and those guys are a complete crapshoot anyway. Of other riders already in the pro peloton, I guess you could take fliers on guys like Higuita, Sosa, Philipsen, Asgreen, Rivera, and Sivakov but honestly I'd more likely bet none of those guys wind up top 10 of the next decade.
Trying to predict women would be even harder. The lack of current financial stability for most of them makes it hard to say who'll even stick it out.

Dygert-Owen maybe but does she even focus on the road? Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Wiebes are the only others that come to mind but I don't know the women's scene nearly as well.
 
It's also an arbitrary cut off poitn, with guys like Dumoulin and Roglic hitting unfortunate timings, like Contador a decade earlier.

To be fair, we don't really know that they aren't going to dominate all the way up to 2029.

Sure why not. However, I'm not sure he's been relatively unknown since he was a little kid.

There's also the other Alejandro Valverde.
 
I thought I heard the name Valverde a suspicious amount of time during El Clasico

LOL. :grinning: Real Madrid has a player with the last name Valverde, but no idea if he's related to Alajendro or not.

As Alejandro's twins (Alex and Ivan) turn 12 next week, and Pablo turns 10 at the end of the month, it's going to be a few years before they will be pros if they are good enough and want to become pros.
 
LOL, as his son turns 12 next week, I don't think he'll be dominating the next decade of racing, especially since he's playing soccer and not racing a bike (actually all 3 of his boys are playing soccer and not racing bikes).

None of his sons are called 'Alejandro', though, are they? (Or is 'Alex' short for 'Alejandro'?)
Just go to PCS, look up 'Alejandro Valverde', and... you might get a little surprise.
 

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