is Cuddles the greatest rider of our generation?

[usedtobefast]

not sure if you can seriously compare the Tour of Gila to the Tour of Tasmania :/

no you can't can you? 'the tour de office park' maybe

 

[PCutter]

Evans is pretty good at most things, but I'm sure he'd give some of the talent up to be a master at one of them and get that win his talent merits.

Um, he's won a road World Championship - I think he's got at least 1 win his talent merits.

That said, I think 'rider of his generation' is a bit of a stretch, even if you wipe out anyone with a wiff of drugs. Though a little bit more luck/stronger team probably would have seen an '09 Vuelta title and a Paris-Nice title added to his palmares. Two wasted years at T-Mobile didn't help either.

 

[Ferminal]

Lance > Cuddles.

 

[M Sport]

To the OP.

I think Cadel is better than most give him credit for, it might be a stretch to call him the greatest of my generation (i'm well over 30) but he's one of the top performers over the last decade.

Three years ago I would have rated riders like Menchov, Valverde, Boonen, Contador, etc and I will be honest I had no time for cuddles at all. Now all those riders are either tainted or over rated while Cadels stocks have continually risen and he has to date remained controversy free while riders he's finished second to have come unstuck.

In this age though I'm not prepared to say he's clean. No way. If it turns out in a years time though that retroactive testing can prove transfusions and HgH and more riders are tainted then who knows, he may well prove to be one of the few riders in the last ten years thats been playing by the rules, then I would have no hesitation in saying he was the best.

 

[delbified]

i know some people have quoted Boonen, Cancellara and other classics riders, but for me at least, Grand Tour contention puts you on a higher plane. Menchov has more results but i think on reflection, most people would concede that Menchov has never been quite as dangerous as Cuddles in the Tour - he just sort of appears on the podium in Paris and everyone goes "who's that guy? was he racing here - didn't he win the Giro?"

 

[Anonymous]

i know some people have quoted Boonen, Cancellara and other classics riders, but for me at least, Grand Tour contention puts you on a higher plane. Menchov has more results but i think on reflection, most people would concede that Menchov has never been quite as dangerous as Cuddles in the Tour - he just sort of appears on the podium in Paris and everyone goes "who's that guy? was he racing here - didn't he win the Giro?"

Which he did, and Cuddles didn't. Sorry Charlie, but a$$ chin is good at taking home the steak knives and other parting gifts reserved for GT losers, but never the trophy.

 

[M Sport]

i know some people have quoted Boonen, Cancellara and other classics riders

They would be idiots. Regardless of the topic being whether cuddles is the greatest, what is even clearer is that Cancellara and Boonen are not the greatest. Fine they have some classics wins, but to be a contender for the greatest of a generation you have to be at least able to contend in a GT, they can't.

 

[Anonymous]

They would be idiots. Regardless of the topic being whether cuddles is the greatest, what is even clearer is that Cancellara and Boonen are not the greatest. Fine they have some classics wins, but to be a contender for the greatest of a generation you have to be at least able to contend in a GT, they can't.

Yea, neither can Cuddles on any significant level. I mean, even in his podiums, he never really was a REAL contender for victory.

 

[Ferminal]

Yea, neither can Cuddles on any significant level. I mean, even in his podiums, he never really was a REAL contender for victory.

Well he was in the final TT in 07 and 08, whether it was his ability or others misfortunes which got him to that position is uncertain.

 

[Anonymous]

Well he was in the final TT in 07 and 08, whether it was his ability or others misfortunes which got him to that position is uncertain.

I was chalking it up to misfortune considering the fact that I don't think Cuddles is clean.

Having said that, I will submit that his riding style has changed over the last couple of years, and he does make races more interesting not. In fact, I was happy for him last year when he won WC. I don't however consider him near the top of a list of "greatest rider(s) of our generation."

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Menchov has won three GTs and Evans probably never will. I'm sure I will get corrected on this one but I think Cuds has only done well in the last couple years in the classics. Ok some math, carry the one, solve the polynomial-polynomial with a hook... Menchov is better, settled.

Menchov is the superior GT rider, Evans is the better all round rider.

although evans is very good in various fields, he just doesn't win enough or dominate any area to be considered the best of our generation.

Valverde has been a great stage races, GT'r (debatable before vuleta 09' maybe) and one day riders.
freire has had a brilliant career.
spartacus... his achievements speak for themselves.
Boonen is still young, and has a great resume.
Contador has been dominating the last 3 seasons... his credibility is in question though, so I wont elaborate here.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

i know some people have quoted Boonen, Cancellara and other classics riders, but for me at least, Grand Tour contention puts you on a higher plane. Menchov has more results but i think on reflection, most people would concede that Menchov has never been quite as dangerous as Cuddles in the Tour - he just sort of appears on the podium in Paris and everyone goes "who's that guy? was he racing here - didn't he win the Giro?"

wrong. despite coming in short in 08' menchov was very dangerous, he had lots of bad luck there tho. I still maintain he was the strongest that year, but rabo tactics and a bit of bad lucked failed him.

Evans in both 07' and 08' did nothing special but follow wheels, I'm glad he didn't win as it would have been a pretty boring result imo. Whereas his 5th place at the giro this year, I would have gladly called him the giro champion.

They would be idiots. Regardless of the topic being whether cuddles is the greatest, what is even clearer is that Cancellara and Boonen are not the greatest. Fine they have some classics wins, but to be a contender for the greatest of a generation you have to be at least able to contend in a GT, they can't.

should the greatest of our generation not be getting results tho? and dominating some area of the sport? How is contending but falling short every time the greatest in any manner?

 

[delbified]

How is contending but falling short every time the greatest in any manner?

when the guys in front of you have been discredited, it does. if you look at the list of Tour winners since EPO testing started, it makes for depressing reading. somebody has to be the best and it can't be a cheat.

 

[Night Rider]

Yea, neither can Cuddles on any significant level. I mean, even in his podiums, he never really was a REAL contender for victory.

Not exactly the cleanest of winners those years were they? And I guess that's the underlying reason behind the topic.

Remove the dopers and things change.

 

[Barrus]

Allright, this appears to hvae turned, or have been a doping thread, so I'll move it to the clinic

 

[slowspoke]

To those who say Cuddles is clean- his manager is Tony Rominger. Not exactly encouraging is it?

 

[auscyclefan94]

To be fair i dont think you can judge a catergory by "has he won it, yes / no". Under this system Cuddles is an equal gt rider to Cav. His tdf runners up spots must count for something. Under this logic Gilbert has one 1 monument and a few semi classics - nothing special. But if you look closely hes top 10ed if not top 5ed in all 5 monuments, hence why we call him such a great rider.

ANd the OPs point was that Cuddles was the best not to test +ve. Obviously no one would suggest that Cuddles is anywhere near Valverde or Contador. Thats ridiculous.

I would also like to nominate Cunego. 1 gt and 2 monuments (well 1 twice)

The Hitch, haters are going to hate just like TSF. Just because the british poster boy Wiggins is a complete and utter failure on the road and sky sucked this year, TSF's self esteem is low so like bullies do, they have to bring Cadel fans down to make his self esteem higher.

Lance > Cuddles.

Don't ever make a statement like that again! I am warning you!

wrong. despite coming in short in 08' menchov was very dangerous, he had lots of bad luck there tho. I still maintain he was the strongest that year, but rabo tactics and a bit of bad lucked failed him.

Evans in both 07' and 08' did nothing special but follow wheels, I'm glad he didn't win as it would have been a pretty boring result imo. Whereas his 5th place at the giro this year, I would have gladly called him the giro champion.



should the greatest of our generation not be getting results tho? and dominating some area of the sport? How is contending but falling short every time the greatest in any manner?

I still maintain, Evans would of clearly won 2008 tour de france without that crash.

Not exactly the cleanest of winners those years were they? And I guess that's the underlying reason behind the topic.

Remove the dopers and things change.

Precisely! post of the day!

Why is this thread in the clinic anyway? It is about cadel being a good rider not a clinic thread?

 

[Sasquatch]

To those that say Cadel is clean, look who he is riding for. The reformed Phonak team. The same guys who were in charge of Phonak, who knew about a systematic doping program taking place within the team when it was in business.

Leopards don't change their spots.

 

[auscyclefan94]

To those that say Cadel is clean, look who he is riding for. The reformed Phonak team. The same guys who were in charge of Phonak, who knew about a systematic doping program taking place within the team when it was in business.

Leopards don't change their spots.

You could say that about every single rider that he has been on a doped team or linked to a doped rider. Quite a poor arguement, next!

 

[The Hitch]

i know some people have quoted Boonen, Cancellara and other classics riders, but for me at least, Grand Tour contention puts you on a higher plane. Menchov has more results but i think on reflection, most people would concede that Menchov has never been quite as dangerous as Cuddles in the Tour - he just sort of appears on the podium in Paris and everyone goes "who's that guy? was he racing here - didn't he win the Giro?"

Ummm yes Menchov did win the Giro, and winning Giro > coming 2nd in the Tour. If you seriously think "being dangerous in the Tour" / 2 runners up spots is worth more than 3 gt victories (+ podium in the Tour as well) then come back in July.

All the other races must therefore be so insignificant, theres no point in even having them.

Or you can stay and hopefully next year when youll know who Nibali is and when he podiums in the Tour you wont ignorantly say "who's that guy, was he racing here?"

 

[Lanark]

What is 'our generation'? A guy like Bettini (obviously a superior palmares) is only three years older that Cuddles, should he count?

Anyway, even looking at active riders, Gilbert, Boonen, Menchov, Cancellara, Cunego, Freire and Sastre are all better. Samuel Sanchez and Cavendish can be argued as well. Schleck and Nibali are one good season away from beating Evans. Cuddles is maybe in the top-10 of best (non-compromised) riders of this generation, but certainly not the best.

 

[SpartacusRox]

It would be interesting if everybody posted the name of one rider that's better than Evens. No repeating names please.

Boonen.

Cancellara

 

[Ferminal]

Sshh, Cuddles is clean, he has the "blowing like a steam engine" excuse.

 

[Sasquatch]

Sshh, Cuddles is clean, he has the "blowing like a steam engine" excuse.

He has a big jawline and chin for a reason.

 

[Ferminal]

He has a big jawline and chin for a reason.

What came first, the hGH or the big head?

Also don't forget "recovery therapy" doesn't count!