Greg Van Avermaet

[El Pistolero]

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=21919&hilit=greg+van+avermaet&start=760

This thread is hilarious in hind-sight.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Van Avermaet would beat Stannard on a semi-bad city bike these days, how times change.

 

[Mr.White]

Re: Re:

He's among the very best since last summer, that's too short.

Say what?

If we call him a legend, then [...] Kwiatkowski or even Degenkolb could make a case also

They certainly could. Certainly Kwiatek

I said among the very best, that means at the top of the sport with the likes of Sagan, Froome, Contador, Valverde and few others. Greg Van Avermaet is in that company since the last summer. That is too short to call him a legend. I even had certain doubts about legendary status of Gilbert. He was at the top 2009-2011, but after that he had some mediocre years. Only his great comeback this year, and his spectacular Ronde win convinced me he deserves this legendary status, among very few others.

As for Kwiatek and Degenkolb being a legends, well if that's the case then I guess we have pretty large number of legends in the peloton. I certainly don't agree

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

He's among the very best since last summer, that's too short.

Say what?

If we call him a legend, then [...] Kwiatkowski or even Degenkolb could make a case also

They certainly could. Certainly Kwiatek

I said among the very best, that means at the top of the sport with the likes of Sagan, Froome, Contador, Valverde and few others. Greg Van Avermaet is in that company since the last summer. That is too short to call him a legend. I even had certain doubts about legendary status of Gilbert. He was at the top 2009-2011, but after that he had some mediocre years. Only his great comeback this year, and his spectacular Ronde win convinced me he deserves this legendary status, among very few others.

As for Kwiatek and Degenkolb being a legends, well if that's the case then I guess we have pretty large number of legends in the peloton. I certainly don't agree

Sagan's dominant period only really lasted a year as well. From 2015 WC to 2016 WC. What makes him a legend and GVA not one? Unless you can make legendary status by winning a few green jerseys nowdays :lol:

They're both legends for me. Tour de France stage, Olympics, Paris Roubaix and several classics is enough for legendary status alone.

 

[El Pistolero]

Re: Re:

He's among the very best since last summer, that's too short.

Say what?

If we call him a legend, then [...] Kwiatkowski or even Degenkolb could make a case also

They certainly could. Certainly Kwiatek

I said among the very best, that means at the top of the sport with the likes of Sagan, Froome, Contador, Valverde and few others. Greg Van Avermaet is in that company since the last summer. That is too short to call him a legend. I even had certain doubts about legendary status of Gilbert. He was at the top 2009-2011, but after that he had some mediocre years. Only his great comeback this year, and his spectacular Ronde win convinced me he deserves this legendary status, among very few others.

As for Kwiatek and Degenkolb being a legends, well if that's the case then I guess we have pretty large number of legends in the peloton. I certainly don't agree

Sagan's dominant period only really lasted a year as well. From 2015 WC to 2016 WC. What makes him a legend and GVA not one? Unless you can make legendary status by winning a few green jerseys nowdays :lol:

They're both legends for me. Tour de France stage, Olympics, Paris Roubaix and several classics is enough for legendary status alone.

I'd rather win five green jerseys than 5 lame classics like the Flèche Wallonne though.

Being sole record holder in the Points Classification of the Tour would certainly earn him the right to call himself a legend (just don't do it in public Peter ).

Van Avermaet needs two more Monuments (or a WC title) to call himself a legend though. That said, he does have a very varied palmares though: Olympic Road Race on a semi-mountainous course, a prestigious WT stage race (Tirreno-Adriatico) and the Queen of the Classics (Paris-Roubaix). Other nice victories are his two Tour stages (plus a yellow jersey), GP de Québec, Gent-Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke and the Omloop het Nieuwsblad twice.

The Sagan-Van Avermaet rivalry is also better than the Boonen-Cancellara rivalry imo. There weren't actually that many direct duels between Boonen and Cancellara... Paris-Roubaix 2008 and Ronde van Vlaanderen 2010 is pretty much the only time they went head to head in a big race (when both were in great shape). I'm not counting Roubaix 2010 as Boonen made a big tactical error that day.

The amount of times Van Avermaet and Sagan have come 1-2 in a race is bordering on the insane lol...

- Stage 3 Tirreno-Adriatico 2015 (winner: GVA)
- Stage 13 Tour de France 2015 (winner: GVA)
- Omloop het Nieuwsblad 2016 (winner: GVA)
- Stage 6 Tirreno-Adriatico 2016 (winner: GVA)
- Overall GC Tirreno-Adriatico 2016 (winner: GVA)
- Stage 4 Tour of California 2016 (winner: Sagan)
- GP de Québec 2016 (winner: Sagan)
- GP de Montréal 2016 (winner: GVA)
- Omloop het Nieuwsblad 2017 (winner: GVA)

 

[Nick C.]

Re: Re:

He's among the very best since last summer, that's too short.

Say what?

If we call him a legend, then [...] Kwiatkowski or even Degenkolb could make a case also

They certainly could. Certainly Kwiatek

I said among the very best, that means at the top of the sport with the likes of Sagan, Froome, Contador, Valverde and few others. Greg Van Avermaet is in that company since the last summer. That is too short to call him a legend. I even had certain doubts about legendary status of Gilbert. He was at the top 2009-2011, but after that he had some mediocre years. Only his great comeback this year, and his spectacular Ronde win convinced me he deserves this legendary status, among very few others.

As for Kwiatek and Degenkolb being a legends, well if that's the case then I guess we have pretty large number of legends in the peloton. I certainly don't agree

Doesn't Allesandro Ballan have a comparable palmares? Worlds, Flanders + whatever else he won, I think that would be Tour of Poland or a stage and some Three Days of DePanne success.

 

[Mr.White]

Re: Re:

He's among the very best since last summer, that's too short.

Say what?

If we call him a legend, then [...] Kwiatkowski or even Degenkolb could make a case also

They certainly could. Certainly Kwiatek

I said among the very best, that means at the top of the sport with the likes of Sagan, Froome, Contador, Valverde and few others. Greg Van Avermaet is in that company since the last summer. That is too short to call him a legend. I even had certain doubts about legendary status of Gilbert. He was at the top 2009-2011, but after that he had some mediocre years. Only his great comeback this year, and his spectacular Ronde win convinced me he deserves this legendary status, among very few others.

As for Kwiatek and Degenkolb being a legends, well if that's the case then I guess we have pretty large number of legends in the peloton. I certainly don't agree

Sagan's dominant period only really lasted a year as well. From 2015 WC to 2016 WC. What makes him a legend and GVA not one? Unless you can make legendary status by winning a few green jerseys nowdays :lol:

They're both legends for me. Tour de France stage, Olympics, Paris Roubaix and several classics is enough for legendary status alone.

Sagan is one of the sport's top riders since 2013 already, but I don't consider Sagan a legend of the sport, he's on the way to become one though. Greg Van Avermaet is currently better of the two, but if you look at their careers, he's way behind Sagan. I post somewhere, legendary status for me deserves only handful of riders: Contador, Valverde, Nibali and Gilbert (and Boonen till' recently ). On the way to become legends (which doesn't mean they'll certainly become), are: Cavendish, Froome, Sagan and Quintana. All others including Van Avermaet (who is frankly maybe the best of all of them) have a long way.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

He's among the very best since last summer, that's too short.

Say what?

If we call him a legend, then [...] Kwiatkowski or even Degenkolb could make a case also

They certainly could. Certainly Kwiatek

I said among the very best, that means at the top of the sport with the likes of Sagan, Froome, Contador, Valverde and few others. Greg Van Avermaet is in that company since the last summer. That is too short to call him a legend. I even had certain doubts about legendary status of Gilbert. He was at the top 2009-2011, but after that he had some mediocre years. Only his great comeback this year, and his spectacular Ronde win convinced me he deserves this legendary status, among very few others.

As for Kwiatek and Degenkolb being a legends, well if that's the case then I guess we have pretty large number of legends in the peloton. I certainly don't agree

Sagan's dominant period only really lasted a year as well. From 2015 WC to 2016 WC. What makes him a legend and GVA not one? Unless you can make legendary status by winning a few green jerseys nowdays :lol:

They're both legends for me. Tour de France stage, Olympics, Paris Roubaix and several classics is enough for legendary status alone.

Sagan is one of the sport's top riders since 2013 already, but I don't consider Sagan a legend of the sport, he's on the way to become one though. Greg Van Avermaet is currently better of the two, but if you look at their careers, he's way behind Sagan. I post somewhere, legendary status for me deserves only handful of riders: Contador, Valverde, Nibali and Gilbert (and Boonen till' recently ). On the way to become legends (which doesn't mean they'll certainly become), are: Cavendish, Froome, Sagan and Quintana. All others including Van Avermaet (who is frankly maybe the best of all of them) have a long way.

Fair enough. My definition of a legend is a bit more broad. Basically someone whose performances will be remembered and often talked about in 20 years or more. Basically riders whose legacy will live on in future generations. I think Sagan's will do even if, for some incredible reason, he wins little more of note. I think people will still talk about GVAs last year as well - mainly thanks to the spectacular Olympic win; but hoovering up loads of 'minor classics' also adds the depth to show his dominance. Gilbert certainly for his 2011 and RVV win. Froome definitely as well will be talked about I think. Quintana probably needs a really memorable victory to cement his place.

 

[Echoes]

Greg will be both remembered for his victories as his high places in classics and semi-classics and stage races. That is for his competitiveness and aggressive style, his stamina. That is why he's been one of the best classic riders since 2011 and a very promising rider since turning pro and winning a stage at the Tour of Spain in a breakaway.

Greg's personality will also be remembered at least here in Belgium as a hard worker who loves the sport and a guy who can endure pain like no other.

 

[El Pistolero]

Greg will be both remembered for his victories as his high places in classics and semi-classics and stage races. That is for his competitiveness and aggressive style, his stamina. That is why he's been one of the best classic riders since 2014 and a very promising rider since turning pro and winning a stage at the Tour of Spain in a breakaway.

Greg's personality will also be remembered at least here in Belgium as a hard worker who loves the sport and a guy who can endure pain like no other.

Fixed.

 

[May0maniac]

Yes, people in Belgium just seem to love him because of his work ethic and because he's really down to earth, that's probably also one of the reasons why he won the Flandrien of the Year award 4 times in a row (and let's be real he already has the 5th one in the bag).

 

[El Pistolero]

Re:

Yes, people in Belgium just seem to love him because of his work ethic and because he's really down to earth, that's probably also one of the reasons why he won the Flandrien of the Year award 4 times in a row (and let's be real he already has the 5th one in the bag).

He only deserves one though, the one from last year.

Boonen was way better in 2008 (Gilbert as well) and Gilbert was better in 2014.

Flandrien award is just "vriendjespolitiek" as we say in Dutch. Van Avermaet didn't win a single race of note in 2013-2014 and even his 2015 season was pretty lean on decent wins.

2013-2015 were just incredibly poor seasons for Belgium cycling.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Winning two WC titles in a row on fairly different parcours, monument winner with a few runner up placings in monuments, huge variation in palmares, easily on course for 150+ wins, and most importantly seemingly unbeatable in the green jersey compeition at the TdF.

Sagan is already a legend, and could end up being the most legendary rider this century

 

[sir fly]

Re: Re:

Yes, people in Belgium just seem to love him because of his work ethic and because he's really down to earth, that's probably also one of the reasons why he won the Flandrien of the Year award 4 times in a row (and let's be real he already has the 5th one in the bag).

He only deserves one though, the one from last year.

Boonen was way better in 2008 (Gilbert as well) and Gilbert was better in 2014.

Flandrien award is just "vriendjespolitiek" as we say in Dutch. Van Avermaet didn't win a single race of note in 2013-2014 and even his 2015 season was pretty lean on decent wins.

2013-2015 were just incredibly poor seasons for Belgium cycling.

I think the award isn't meant to reward the results. "Flandrien" relates more to the rider's attitude, character, public's perception of the rider... It refers to the spirit of the old days of racing when it (the term Flandrien) has been established.

 

[El Pistolero]

viewtopic.php?p=1121245#p1121245

Just digging up some old posts lol when GVA was still known as Greg Van Average by some lol.

So what has Geraint Thomas won since then?

 

[cantpedal]

Re:

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/viewtopic.php?p=1121245#p1121245

Just digging up some old posts lol when GVA was still known as Greg Van Average by some lol.

So what has Geraint Thomas won since then?

Bayern–Rundfahrt
Volta ao Algarve twice
Paris Nice

 

[dlwssonic]

Re:

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/viewtopic.php?p=1121245#p1121245

Just digging up some old posts lol when GVA was still known as Greg Van Average by some lol.

So what has Geraint Thomas won since then?

Overhyped by this anglocentric forum and the media.

 

[Nirvana]

In an interview for an italian radio Piva said that they'll see after Amstel but the plan is to ride till Liege.

 

[SKSemtex]

Re:

Winning two WC titles in a row on fairly different parcours, monument winner with a few runner up placings in monuments, huge variation in palmares, easily on course for 150+ wins, and most importantly seemingly unbeatable in the green jersey competition at the TdF.

Sagan is already a legend and could end up being the most legendary rider this century

What makes Sagan legend for me is not his palmares, it is the fact that he animated practically each race he entered since 2012 with the exception the stages designed for GC riders. His podium ratio is crazy.

People always compare only palmares, but if Sagan was in QS or BMC team last 4 years .................

Palmeras cannot make you a "legend". (Gerro, Degenkolb) To become a legend you need to add something extra then palmares.

For me Froome became legend last year. Downhill escape win and podium in sprinter stage.
To tell the truth, for me GVA is already legend too. Winning OGRR was so special. It was climbers playgroud. He showed his balls and schooled all of them.
For me the Sagan single win in MSR, LBL or GDL would be more legendary that 4 titles RVV. RVV is designed for his set of skills and it is his race to lose not the race to win. But it is me.

 

[Echoes]

Re:

Winning and most importantly seemingly unbeatable in the green jersey compeition at the TdF.

Yes it's so damn important to win this damn entertainment business. Seriously if you hadn't told me I wouldn't have known he won this just like i don't remember the name of any winner of the Point classification of any stage races whatsoever.

 

[Flamin]

Hmm, he's still training in the Ardennes atm so I guess Liège stays a serious option despite lacking freshness in Amstel.

 

[RedheadDane]

In Liege he'll have had two weeks to rest after Paris-Roubaix, in Amstel he'd only had one week.

 

[Flamin]

Yeah, and he rode Amstel in the meantime, which adds to his accumulative fatigue. He's not suddenly going to be a lot fresher again in Liège because Roubaix was two weeks ago.

 

[RedheadDane]

Hey, where's your sense of optimism?

 

[WheelofGear]

GVA is too heavy for Liege right now.

And it's properly too hard for him.