Favourite Rider

[craig1985]

Current Pros:

Robbie McEwen - also from the Gold Coast and gave me sprint training advice. Plus I have always admired his toughness.
Tom Boonen - hey how can one not like him and that when I go riding in my Quick Step kit, I look very similar to him apparently. Knows how to win classic or two and is down to earth as well.
Samuel Sanchez - I have had loads of entertainment watching him decend on youtube in the Vuelta. The guy is a nutcase.
Lance Armstrong - lynch me for this, and I'm over the did he dope or did he not dope saga, what happened in the past, happened in the past, and if he was on it, so was every man and his dog which probably made it a level playing field anyway. Plus he got me interested in cycling both as a sport to follow and take part in.
Jens Voigt - quite simply he is awesome and doesn't beat around the bush either.
Alberto Contador - I like the way he rides and have been a fan from the beginning.
Michael Barry - the perfect team man. A guy who works his backside off just to tell help one of his team mates get the glory. Plus from what I have read he seems like an intelligent person.

I admire Andy Schlek (only 1 day older then me), EBH, Mark Cavendish and Phillippe Gilbert.

Former:

Nick Gates - former Silence-Lotto pro and now I see him at a lot my Sunday morning crits and he is a decent bloke as well.
Paolo Savoldelli - have a poster of him on my wall and was such a gun desender.
Marco Pantani - yeah he doped but so what, his climbing style was always exciting and was a delight to watch on old video's and youtube.

Can't Stand:

Riccardo Ricco - go giver yourself an uppercut and STFU.
Floyd Landis - As above when he was trying to defend himself when he cheated his way to a TDF "win".
Stefan Shumacher, Bernhard Kohl, and Davide Rebellin - douchebags of the highest order. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[TRDean]

Once again...

there are simplly too many riders who I admire...many more than the list I posted earlier. It would be easier for me to list the riders I don't like. However, there were two riders who really captivated me when I was young. A dutchman named Teun van Vliet and a Belgian named Eric Vanderaerden. I loved both of their styles and the way they raced!!!

 

[elapid]

I find it interesting that some have to apologize for their favourite riders. You don't have to apologize - their YOUR favourites and you have your valid reasons for having them as your favourites. Because some have doped or may have doped should not define them as an athlete or as a person. They have done other good things which have obviously earned them a place on your favourites list.

 

[slowoldman]

I find it interesting that some have to apologize for their favourite riders. You don't have to apologize - their YOUR favourites and you have your valid reasons for having them as your favourites. Because some have doped or may have doped should not define them as an athlete or as a person. They have done other good things which have obviously earned them a place on your favourites list.

elapid, good point.

Heck, Alexi Grewal brought me to the sport and we all know he is a nutter.

(Example: Look at the way his hoods are setup on Alpe's 7-11 vid in cycling memories thread! Great vid by the way Alpe.)

 

[Cartesian Centaur]

Tom Boonen - hey how can one not like him and that when I go riding in my Quick Step kit, I look very similar to him apparently.

Really? Hello!

My own personal faves - there's a lot of riders that I admire but I'll probably always have a soft spot for Danilo Di Luca and Andy Schleck for animating the Giro in 2007 - the GT that got me irrevocably hooked on pro cycling.

 

[maverick625]

Favourite 9 riders at present for a TDF team

Armstrong
Cavendish
Sanchez
Gerrans
Haussler
B-Hagen
Voight
Stannard
Sastre

 

[mr. tibbs]

Floyd Landis
Lance Armstrong
Eddy Merckx

Yea - Yea - let the flames begin

omg you like Merckx? Pfft that is sooooo lame. You SHOULD expect to get flamed for posting such a silly opinion!



Ok but now I'll be serious and give another shout out to the ladies of the sport: Kristin Armstrong. Lady. Can. Turn. Cranks.

Also, she rode Chorus for a year or two, which I think is pretty cool b/c, in my mind, the top groups are all about marketing and anything from Veloce & 105 up is just fine for the best of us. (Which she has proved time and again.)

 

[craig1985]

Really? Hello!

My own personal faves - there's a lot of riders that I admire but I'll probably always have a soft spot for Danilo Di Luca and Andy Schleck for animating the Giro in 2007 - the GT that got me irrevocably hooked on pro cycling.

Me at the 2007 TdF stage start in Pau with David Millar:

I can't tell the difference myself, even though I had a few people cheer me on when we rode to the start and making my way around the starting area.

 

[Jasper]

You look more like Wouter Weylandt, to be honest

 

[craig1985]

Hahaha that is awesome. Too bad I can't sprint like him.

 

[ingsve]

I find it interesting that some have to apologize for their favourite riders. You don't have to apologize - their YOUR favourites and you have your valid reasons for having them as your favourites. Because some have doped or may have doped should not define them as an athlete or as a person. They have done other good things which have obviously earned them a place on your favourites list.

I think it's perfectly understandable if people apologize for their favourites. If someone you endorse does something bad then that reflects back onto you even when the thing they did isn't what made you like them.

 

[Milram's]

Erik Zabel He's mine forever number one.

In present, Gerald Ciolek. And, of course, another 24 Milram's

 

[Parrot23]

Not my favourite, but for raw talent, I'd say Freire.

The guy's had so many injuries, but give him three months and he's back winning. Doesn't win everything, not the best, but give him an inch and he'll find a way.

Big engine and a smart mind, with lots of perseverance. Total package.

 

[Belokki]

All time favorite: Lance Armstrong ( his attacking mentality and fightong style, he's the last one to give up)

Cyclists I admire: Menchow, Di Luca(both are a plesure to watch), Tom Boonen, Boason Hagen, Ullrich( he was a worthy rival for Lance), Vinokurov( always on the attack)

Can't stand: Cavendish( has more arrogance than Lance, Hinault put togheter, cna't stand his look at me mentality), Greg Le Mond( the guy's the biggest winer I ever saw, lost all respect for him after he did everithying he could to make fellow sportsman and countryman look dirty)

 

[Anonymous]

All time favorite: Lance Armstrong ( his attacking mentality and fightong style, he's the last one to give up)

You didn't watch today's stage obviously.

Can't stand: Cavendish( has more arrogance than Lance, Hinault put togheter, cna't stand his look at me mentality), Greg Le Mond( the guy's the biggest winer I ever saw, lost all respect for him after he did everithying he could to make fellow sportsman and countryman look dirty)

You really are THAT clueless, aren't you? First off, what is a winer? winner? whiner? or is a winer someone who makes wine? ANYWAY, the "fellow sportsman and countryman" made themselves look dirty by having drug tests show up dirty.

You have to be the most brilliant satirist posting on cycling forums because there is no way someone could be that ignorant. No way.

 

[Belokki]

You didn't watch today's stage obviously.

You really are THAT clueless, aren't you? First off, what is a winer? winner? whiner? or is a winer someone who makes wine? ANYWAY, the "fellow sportsman and countryman" made themselves look dirty by having drug tests show up dirty.

You have to be the most brilliant satirist posting on cycling forums because there is no way someone could be that ignorant. No way.

A wimp doesn't win Le Tour 7 times and the world championship, nor did he give up aggainst cancer!

You're the ignorant here! Try all you wan't, you can't diminish the mans achievement on and of the bike! He deserves more respect! Le Mond is all about money and his bussines, that why he wan't a bad comercial for Lance( who is his main business rival)...

 

[Mellow Velo]

I try desperately not to favour individual riders, hard though it is a times. There are a whole raft of riders that I admire.
I prefer simply and avidly, to follow the sport as a whole.

Often, others perceive this as a negative approach, especially towards those riders who are afforded hero-worshiping status.
It's actually a negative approach to fans who entertain this polarised view of our sport.

Almost always, this manifests itself in terms of one set up.

Unquestionably, USPS/Discovery/Astana have attracted a hard-core following, like no other squad.
Endless debate of their qualities and prospects can tend to get tiresome, over the course of the season.

Many of these fans were gleefully predicting an Astana clean sweep of the Grand Tours.

Well, I wonder how great their disappointment must be, having failed in their bid for the Giro and having their best result on stage 1 of the race?
Were it me, I might feel fairly optimistic with Armstrong's progress, but I would be bitterly disappointed in Levi's showing and in the team results as a whole.

Or is it as I suspect? That only one race of the year, generates such emotions.

 

[franciep10]

What the **** is wrong with u too, this is favourite rider thread that I started to get away from all this lance and doping bull****. ThoughtFor Food I blame you so what if Lance is his favourite rider it's his choice, it might be an ignorant choice but it's still his you shouldn't criticize him for idolizing LA that's his problem but don't bring this bull**** onto this thread, your idolized hate is probably worse than him for idolizing LA.

 

[peloton78]

petacchi

my number is petacchi.He won 15 stages in a single year during 3 grand tour.Nobody can't do it again.forza petacchi

 

[Kennf1]

Le Mond is all about money and his bussines, that why he wan't a bad comercial for Lance( who is his main business rival)...

Yep, Lemond made a mint off that one Taco Bell commercial.

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

I don't know if I have an absolute favorite, but one rider who's grown in my estimation thanks to the advent of Youtube has been Hinault. His career just has so many of these "Oh My God" moments that you have to see to believe. From twice winning in the yellow jersey on the Champs-Elysees:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HOtPQFyoCY

. . . to winning LBL in the snow (wearing shorts):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm34WAjIDsA

. . . to falling into a ravine, climbing out of it up a tree, and going on to win the 1977 Dauphine Libere:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alNJ6pwQrNo

. . . to winning Paris-Roubaix by leading out the sprint FROM A WHOLE LAP IN ADVANCE, and against De Vlaeminck, Moser, Kuiper and De Meyer (read Boonen, Cancellara, Van Petegem and Hushovd) to boot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdjP4TFwDEc

. . . the guy was 100% completely bat**** insane.

 

[elapid]

Wow. Thanks for the videos of Hinault. They were great.

 

[ElChingon]

I blame yetanothergreenworld for me even viewing this as it was the related video on his first link but thought the rest needs to be exposed to it as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSC-9_uWQeg&feature=related

 

[ElChingon]

By the way I already listed the Badger as the best of the best due to winning the last sprint stage wearing yellow, now that is as bad a$$ as you can get, talk about being the patron of the peleton!

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

I blame yetanothergreenworld for me even viewing this as it was the related video on his first link but thought the rest needs to be exposed to it as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSC-9_uWQeg&feature=related

Sorry about that.