I don't get the Gerrans hate

[Tarnum]

I think it is fair to day that on this site Gerrans is the most hated rider for non clinic related issues. I don't get it.

First up, the way he rides is the most likely to give him victories. I find it very hard to look down on someone for doing the logical thing.

A far more important reason is, that having someone who is a virtual lock to win a reduced peloton sprint, should be the best thing that ever happened to cycling. This is because it should cause other riders to take action and attack. "Thou shalt not go to the finishing straight with Gerrans" should be the first commandment for any other rider who wants to win the race. If the others are content to let themselves be led like lambs to the slaughterhouse, they do not deserve to win. "But", one might argue, "the other riders don't want to risk a high place finish which would earn them UCI point and price money." Again I point to the "do not deserve to win" part of my statement.

In conclusion: I do not root for Gerrans to win, I root for his presence to force the other riders to make an interesting race.

 

[kingjr]

Libertine posted an explanation somewhere, I'll try and find it.

 

[DFA123]

Nailed it. The minority of 'fans' that hate Gerrans for winning the only way he can are idiots. On the other hand, I think the majority just don't like it when Gerrans wins, because it usually means it has been a dull, overly-controlled race, or that one of their favourites didn't win. As you said, if the other riders make the race hard enough or don't wait until a very late attack or sprint, Gerrans won't win. The onus is on them to make the race, not on the fastest finisher.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I don't like Gerro, not his racing style or his personality. Some of the dislike on my part also is irrational.

Very hip to dislike Gerro in here, definitely more than he deserves.

 

[kingjr]

[...]

Gerrans is considered boring because he only has one tactic: follow wheels until he can use his sprint. You say he got into a three rider breakaway at MSR but that's only half the story isn't it? He spotted the move was the right one to latch on to (which is good racing, no criticism here), but then he took approximately two seconds of wind and sucked wheel right to the finishing line. Since about 2011 we have never seen Simon Gerrans on the front for more than a nominal amount of time. And at the Ponferrada Worlds, when he was one of the favourites no less, he did absolutely no work to bring Kwiatkowski back, then whined in the press that he had the legs to fight for the victory and didn't get the chance to. Simon Gerrans thinks that "racing" is something other people do around him. That's fine, his tactical ploy has garnered him an excellent palmarès. But it's a palmarès that has relied on taking advantage of other people racing just as negatively as he does, and therefore he only contributes to races by virtue of being the threat of what will happen if nobody is willing to make the race. Which is why he is considered boring.

 

[Akuryo]

Can't really blame him for it since it works/worked. But like DFA123 said the races he wins are mostly dull and boring to watch. Not his fault for making the most out of his skillset but as a fan of the sport wouldn't we all like to see more entertaining races other than a big group getting to the line where Gerrans is the fastest?

 

[the asian]

If Gerrans wins, the race is usually damn boring.

The LBL he won was one of the shittiest monuments ever.

That's why people dislike him.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

If Gerrans wins, the race is usually damn boring.

The LBL he won was one of the shittiest monuments ever.

That's why people dislike him.

Surely that was everyone else's fault but Gerrans though? He played his cards and won - so is absolved from any responsibility for making the race interesting as far as I'm concerned. The teams and riders who chose to sat in and wait, and do nothing, only to get outsprinted are surely the ones to blame for the terrible race.

Gerrans is purely a symptom of a poor race, rather than a cause of it. So it's a bit unfair to dislike him for it.

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

The hate is totally irrational. Many riders employ exactly the same tactics as Gerrans and don't even win, but nobody complains about them.

 

[DBotero]

I don't hate him.His riding style might be boring but it's worked for him pretty good.If the others are happy to tow him to the finish line to give him a shot to the win then they are to blame.

 

[RedheadDane]

I don't get it either. Of course he doesn't attack much, he's a (sort of) sprinter. That would be like hating on Cavendish or Kittel for never attacking. It's their job to win races, not to race excitedly.
Besides, he seems like a pretty cool guy.

 

[Netserk]

I love the fact that there is/was a Gerrans character in the bunch, punishing the riders who took him to the line. I disliked how his team would mark moves without pulling, but that is fair game. In the perfect world though, no one would ever pull for him, and an attacker would win.

I think much of the hate stems from the fact that him winning is the symbol of a bad race. Not that he made it bad, but because he usually only wins bad races.

 

[Billie]

it's been 5 years about time to stop the constant references when someone who doesn't do the most work wins

 

[the asian]

Re: Re:

If Gerrans wins, the race is usually damn boring.

The LBL he won was one of the shittiest monuments ever.

That's why people dislike him.

Surely that was everyone else's fault but Gerrans though? He played his cards and won - so is absolved from any responsibility for making the race interesting as far as I'm concerned. The teams and riders who chose to sat in and wait, and do nothing, only to get outsprinted are surely the ones to blame for the terrible race.

Gerrans is purely a symptom of a poor race, rather than a cause of it. So it's a bit unfair to dislike him for it.

OFC it's not Gerrans fault but as i said earlier if he wins a race it's usually a boring one, so most dislike Gerrans winning anything .

Most aren't necessarily Gerrans haters, but they hate dull races and racers.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

If Gerrans wins, the race is usually damn boring.

The LBL he won was one of the shittiest monuments ever.

That's why people dislike him.

Surely that was everyone else's fault but Gerrans though? He played his cards and won - so is absolved from any responsibility for making the race interesting as far as I'm concerned. The teams and riders who chose to sat in and wait, and do nothing, only to get outsprinted are surely the ones to blame for the terrible race.

Gerrans is purely a symptom of a poor race, rather than a cause of it. So it's a bit unfair to dislike him for it.

OFC it's not Gerrans fault but as i said earlier if he wins a race it's usually a boring one, so nobody likes Gerrans winning anything.

Most aren't necessarily Gerrans haters, but they dislike him winning.

Thanks for the clarification, completely understand that and agree with it. I don't really like it when Gerrans wins races either, because he's not an exciting rider and it usually means the race has been a bit dull. But certainly there's a world of difference between that and hating him/criticizing him for riding and winning in the only way he can.

 

[Gigs_98]

As it has already been written, the main reason why he is disliked is because a Gerrans win is a synonym for a boring race.
Besides that his wheelsucking mentality just can't be ignored. Yeah, wheelsucking isn't always a stupid tactic and I think what he did in MSR was absolutely okay. He won after all so he did everything perfectly. The problem is that there are other races in which Gerrans is the reason why a group can't collaborate. In the WC 2014 he was part of the chasing group only a few seconds behind Kwiatkowski at the top of the last climb. But instead of trying to catch Kwiat he didn't take one single pull and Kwiat won the race. Then after the race he was crying around that he is so sad that he couldn't win although he himself didn't work. This mentality is what annoys fans and I think it's only logical that he is disliked.

 

[jaylew]

Re:

The hate is totally irrational. Many riders employ exactly the same tactics as Gerrans and don't even win, but nobody complains about them.

Exactly. It's because he's actually good enough to win big races using tactics people don't like.

Or at least used to be able. I think he's past it now.

If Gerrans wins, the race is usually damn boring.

The LBL he won was one of the shittiest monuments ever.

That's why people dislike him.

Surely that was everyone else's fault but Gerrans though? He played his cards and won - so is absolved from any responsibility for making the race interesting as far as I'm concerned. The teams and riders who chose to sat in and wait, and do nothing, only to get outsprinted are surely the ones to blame for the terrible race.

Gerrans is purely a symptom of a poor race, rather than a cause of it. So it's a bit unfair to dislike him for it.

OFC it's not Gerrans fault but as i said earlier if he wins a race it's usually a boring one, so most dislike Gerrans winning anything .

Most aren't necessarily Gerrans haters, but they hate dull races and racers.

I think that's a bit overplayed. It's certainly been true a couple of times and LBL is always cited (rightfully so) but I don't think MSR for example, was a boring edition the year he won. I get why people would not be fans of riders if they don't like their tactics even when they are playing to their strengths but the vitriol Gerrans gets is rather sad to me.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Here's why I can't stand Gerrans.

Several times over the years he has refused to take any pulls, then whined - and on occasion literally cried - about the group he was in not catching an attacker.

In 2014 he probably would've been world champion if he had taken one single solitary pull. He didn't. When his turn came to be on the front he freewheeled and waved others around. Even glass cranking would've cost his group less time than the freewheeling did. Then at the finish he cried about Kwiatkowski finishing a second ahead.

Other guys who ride like he does I don't have a problem with, because they call a spade a spade. Most sprinters wheelsuck to every win. I have no problem with that. Costa rarely takes a pull. I have no problem with that.

Gerrans' hypocrisy I have a big problem with.

tl;dr I have nothing against his riding, but a lot against his personality.

EDIT: I see now others have mentioned the Ponferrada worlds so I probably should've given another example like Amstel 2013

 

[jaylew]

As it has already been written, the main reason why he is disliked is because a Gerrans win is a synonym for a boring race.
Besides that his wheelsucking mentality just can't be ignored. Yeah, wheelsucking isn't always a stupid tactic and I think what he did in MSR was absolutely okay. He won after all so he did everything perfectly. The problem is that there are other races in which Gerrans is the reason why a group can't collaborate. In the WC 2014 he was part of the chasing group only a few seconds behind Kwiatkowski at the top of the last climb. But instead of trying to catch Kwiat he didn't take one single pull and Kwiat won the race. Then after the race he was crying around that he is so sad that he couldn't win although he himself didn't work. This mentality is what annoys fans and I think it's only logical that he is disliked.

Man, I had forgotten about that! That was shitty of him and a perfectly good reason to dislike the guy as a rider.

 

[the asian]

Re: Re:

The hate is totally irrational. Many riders employ exactly the same tactics as Gerrans and don't even win, but nobody complains about them.

Exactly. It's because he's actually good enough to win big races using tactics people don't like.

Or at least used to be able. I think he's past it now.

If Gerrans wins, the race is usually damn boring.

The LBL he won was one of the shittiest monuments ever.

That's why people dislike him.

Surely that was everyone else's fault but Gerrans though? He played his cards and won - so is absolved from any responsibility for making the race interesting as far as I'm concerned. The teams and riders who chose to sat in and wait, and do nothing, only to get outsprinted are surely the ones to blame for the terrible race.

Gerrans is purely a symptom of a poor race, rather than a cause of it. So it's a bit unfair to dislike him for it.

OFC it's not Gerrans fault but as i said earlier if he wins a race it's usually a boring one, so most dislike Gerrans winning anything .

Most aren't necessarily Gerrans haters, but they hate dull races and racers.

I think that's a bit overplayed. It's certainly been true a couple of times and LBL is always cited (rightfully so) but I don't think MSR for example, was a boring edition the year he won. I get why people would not be fans of riders if they don't like their tactics even when they are playing to their strengths but the vitriol Gerrans gets is rather sad to me.

That's why I said it's usually a boring race. Even there though it was Cancellara who made the race.

I honestly don't know if Gerrans has got any fans on this site. Don't think even the Aussies like him as a rider.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

I don't hate Gerrans, but I guess that the fact that he sounds like a squeaking mouse when he talks doesn't help either.

 

[MatParker117]

As it has already been written, the main reason why he is disliked is because a Gerrans win is a synonym for a boring race.
Besides that his wheelsucking mentality just can't be ignored. Yeah, wheelsucking isn't always a stupid tactic and I think what he did in MSR was absolutely okay. He won after all so he did everything perfectly. The problem is that there are other races in which Gerrans is the reason why a group can't collaborate. In the WC 2014 he was part of the chasing group only a few seconds behind Kwiatkowski at the top of the last climb. But instead of trying to catch Kwiat he didn't take one single pull and Kwiat won the race. Then after the race he was crying around that he is so sad that he couldn't win although he himself didn't work. This mentality is what annoys fans and I think it's only logical that he is disliked.

Man, I had forgotten about that! That was shitty of him and a perfectly good reason to dislike the guy as a rider.

Not chasing Sagan probably cost Matthews a rainbow jersey.

 

[Netserk]

As it has already been written, the main reason why he is disliked is because a Gerrans win is a synonym for a boring race.
Besides that his wheelsucking mentality just can't be ignored. Yeah, wheelsucking isn't always a stupid tactic and I think what he did in MSR was absolutely okay. He won after all so he did everything perfectly. The problem is that there are other races in which Gerrans is the reason why a group can't collaborate. In the WC 2014 he was part of the chasing group only a few seconds behind Kwiatkowski at the top of the last climb. But instead of trying to catch Kwiat he didn't take one single pull and Kwiat won the race. Then after the race he was crying around that he is so sad that he couldn't win although he himself didn't work. This mentality is what annoys fans and I think it's only logical that he is disliked.

Thanks to him an attacker won instead of Valverde or whoever in a sprint.... I don't really mind that.

 

[RedheadDane]

He sounds like a squeaking mouse? I've never heard a squeaking mouse talk, so I wouldn't know.
Sure, he does have a rather, interesting, way of talking. But I just assumed it was his very notable Aussie accent.
Besides, it's it a bit weak to dislike somebody because you don't like the way they talk?

 

[dacooley]

being a fan is generally a definition of expierencing love or hate. i don't see anything wrong with that. as to gerrans the more different characters the better for the sport. could you imagine cycling where all the riders would've had the mentality of sagan, cancellara or boonen? we simply couldn't have praised really big champions that much. gerrans-like riders are needed too