Male Cyclist of the year (2014)?

[LaFlorecita]

The problem is, when you do the same for Bertie, you get:

Stage races: 1-2-1-2-1
One day races: 34..............

This is the reason, I can't give him rider of the year.
Sorry, but there you go.

Rider of the year has to be all round? For example Boonen or Cancellara could never be rider of the year either? Not that it matters, Alberto is winning the poll and won the award

 

[Mellow Velo]

Rider of the year has to be all round? For example Boonen or Cancellara could never be rider of the year either? Not that it matters, Alberto is winning the poll and won the award

Valverde did what Boonen and Cancellara in their average classics season, but also finished top 5 in two GTs.

That's a bit out of those boys realms, I think.

Bertie's results were very specific in nature and he attempted nothing besides.

But as you say it's but a poll and folks are going to differ in opinion.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Valverde did what Boonan and Cancellara in their average classics season, but also finished top 5 in two GTs.

That's a bit out of those boys realms, I think.

Bertie's results were very specific in nature and he attempted nothing besides.

But as you say it's but a poll and folks are going to differ in opinion.

I mentioned Boonen and Cancellara because they are specialists just like Alberto. So if either of them would smash all the classics, they could still not be the rider of the year according to you.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I mentioned Boonen and Cancellara because they are specialists just like Alberto. So if either of them would smash all the classics, they could still not be the rider of the year according to you.

Assuming Paris-Roubaix and Flanders equal The Tour and Giro, where does the Vuelta fit into the Boonan-Cancellara scheme of things?

 

[Jspear]

Assuming Paris-Roubaix and Flanders equal The Tour and Giro, where does the Vuelta fit into the Boonan-Cancellara scheme of things?

Lombardia?

 

[Mellow Velo]

Lombardia?

I deleted my post, because I forgot Milan-San Remo.

They win all 3 and smash an E3 and Gent W besides and sure I'd give it to them.

Question is whether one Vuelta is equal to M-SR, P-R and Flanders wins and where does that escalate winning the Tour?
Winning all 5 monuments?

 

[nobilis]

The correct record for Valverde is:

Stage races: 27-1-5-2-4-3
One-day races: 1-16-3-1-44-36-63-1-27-4-1-2-1-2-1-3-2

So you include races like Tour of Dubai where he entered just to get some training miles in his legs and races like Dwars Door Vlaanderen and E3 as a preparation for the cobbled stage of the tour.
What would have been the results of Contador had he entered those races?
There are different philosophies for how to approach the season for each rider so saying that Contador finished 1st or 2nd in every stage race he finished is just stupid because other riders might go into a race just as a preparation for subsequent objectives later in the season.

 

[LaFlorecita]

So you include races like Tour of Dubai where he entered just to get some training miles in his legs and races like Dwars Door Vlaanderen and E3 as a preparation for the cobbled stage of the tour.
What would have been the results of Contador had he entered those races?
There are different philosophies for how to approach the season for each rider so saying that Contador finished 1st or 2nd in every stage race he finished is just stupid because other riders might go into a race just as a preparation for subsequent objectives later in the season.

Yes, and Nibali was **** all year and peaked for the TDF. That does not mean we should just forget about his results in the rest of the season and focus on the race he peaked for.

Contador got more impressive wins and consistently beat Valverde in the stage races they rode together.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Contador got more impressive wins and consistently beat Valverde in the stage races they rode together.

27/04/2014 1.WT1 Bel 2 Liège - Bastogne - Liège

23/04/2014 1.WT2 Bel 1 Flèche Wallonne

20/04/2014 1.WT2 Ned 4 Amstel Gold Race 96

There's your 'answer', Belmonte actually rides Classics...

But, nevermind.

 

[nobilis]

27/04/2014 1.WT1 Bel 2 Liège - Bastogne - Liège

23/04/2014 1.WT2 Bel 1 Flèche Wallonne

20/04/2014 1.WT2 Ned 4 Amstel Gold Race 96

There's your 'answer', Belmonte actually rides Classics...

But, nevermind.

Thank you.

 

[LaFlorecita]

27/04/2014 1.WT1 Bel 2 Liège - Bastogne - Liège

23/04/2014 1.WT2 Bel 1 Flèche Wallonne

20/04/2014 1.WT2 Ned 4 Amstel Gold Race 96

There's your 'answer', Belmonte actually rides Classics...

But, nevermind.

Again, more all round =/= a better rider.

No one's gonna remember Piti's **** ton of top 5's.. It's the wins that count and Contador got better and more impressive wins.. Hence why he is regarded as the rider of the year by many.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Again, more all round =/= a better rider.

No one's gonna remember Piti's **** ton of top 5's.. It's the wins that count and Contador got better and more impressive wins.. Hence why he is regarded as the rider of the year by many.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, whether it is a silly one or not, it is just like ar@ewholes: everyone has one.

Facts are both had a great season, for me the hilly classics of Valverde combined with his stage races were better than Contis, sorry for that.

What classic did Conti ride again?

Lombardia?

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/rider_palm.asp?riderid=5&year=2014&all=1&current=0

From february till october.

 

[Jspear]

I deleted my post, because I forgot Milan-San Remo.

They win all 3 and smash an E3 and Gent W besides and sure I'd give it to them.

Question is whether one Vuelta is equal to M-SR, P-R and Flanders wins and where does that escalate winning the Tour?
Winning all 5 monuments?

Definitely.
I even think they were right to give the Velo d'or award to Cancellara in 2010. That year he won both Flanders, PR, and E3 (he was good through the rest of the year as well.)

I personally think that if you were able to win all 5 monuments in one year, that would be even greater than winning the Tour. To win all 5 you would have to be in good form throughout the year. You would have to be good in the spring and then find another wave of form for the fall....

 

[Netserk]

When was the last time a rider won Velo d'Or without winning neither a GT, a monument nor the WCRR(/OGRR)? Never.

I don't see what is so special about Valverde's season that that should change. You can't be rider of the year without any of the biggest wins.

 

[LaFlorecita]

When was the last time a rider won Velo d'Or without winning neither a GT, a monument nor the WCRR(/OGRR)? Never.

I don't see what is so special about Valverde's season that that should change. You can't be rider of the year without any of the biggest wins.

Completely agree. 2nd place is first loser. If Valverde wants to be the rider of the year he should have taken more risks to win instead of being a coward.

 

[The Hitch]

Nibali, period. No Boonen, Cancellara, Gilbert with multiple classics wins, so the title must go to a GT guy, no questions asked. Not his fault if Dawg and AC abandoned. I just feel uncomfortable that he did so racing for...you know what I mean

So the Velo d'or should just go every year to whoeever won the Tour de France, regardless of whether they won other things, or, as happened this year - just won the Tour.

That would totally defeat the purpose of having the award in the first place.

 

[BigMac]

[...]

I personally think that if you were able to win all 5 monuments in one year, that would be even greater than winning the Tour. To win all 5 you would have to be in good form throughout the year. You would have to be good in the spring and then find another wave of form for the fall....

You think? Like, it is debatable? 4 or 3 monuments not better than the Tour?

Winning a monument is as good as the Tour. Two monuments and it's already better.

 

[TANK91]

Contador mainly because he beat the best unlike Nibali. Be it Quintana in Tirreno be it Froome in La Vuelta be it Nibali in Dauphinee. He was the best from that crop

 

[Tonton]

So the Velo d'or should just go every year to whoeever won the Tour de France, regardless of whether they won other things, or, as happened this year - just won the Tour.

That would totally defeat the purpose of having the award in the first place.

That was not my point. In the absence of a dominant one-day rider this year such as Cancellara, Gilbert, or Boonen in recent times, I think that only a GT guy deserves the title. I don't necessarily have a problem that AC got the award. But I voted for Nibali, Italian champion, who dominated the TdF BEFORE and after AC and Dawg abandoned. To me, and I agree with the posts on this page, Valverde raced not to lose many times, saved energy to out-sprint guys for second or third place. Some call that racing smart: to me he's a turd. Conclusion of my point: there wasn't a clear-cut dominant rider in 2014. My preference goes to Nibali. For what it's worth.

 

[The Hitch]

That was not my point. In the absence of a dominant one-day rider this year such as Cancellara, Gilbert, or Boonen in recent times, I think that only a GT guy deserves the title. I don't necessarily have a problem that AC got the award. But I voted for Nibali, Italian champion, who dominated the TdF BEFORE and after AC and Dawg abandoned. To me, and I agree with the posts on this page, Valverde raced not to lose many times, saved energy to out-sprint guys for second or third place. Some call that racing smart: to me he's a turd. Conclusion of my point: there wasn't a clear-cut dominant rider in 2014. My preference goes to Nibali. For what it's worth.

I hardly see how you can say he dominated AC at the TDF when AC beat him on the 1 mountain stage they faced in?

Besides you are stepping backwards now. First you said it was Nibali period. Now its closer?

 

[hegemon]

Best set of classics results by some margin.
Best overall results in the GTs.
Not forgetting how good he was on the dirt and cobbles in March.
Valverde head and shoulders above everybody else.


Well, outside of here, that is.

True, the anti-Valverde bias in this forum is quite remarkable. He'd need to win at least 1 GT, 1 monument, AND the world's before he'd be the consensus pick for cyclist of the year.

I have no such bias, and think finishing at the pointy end of virtually every race from spring to fall, from monuments to GTs, to worlds, is how we should be defining cyclist of the year.

 

[Jspear]

True, the anti-Valverde bias in this forum is quite remarkable. He'd need to win at least 1 GT, 1 monument, AND the world's before he'd be the consensus pick for cyclist of the year.

I have no such bias, and think finishing at the pointy end of virtually every race from spring to fall, from monuments to GTs, to worlds, is how we should be defining cyclist of the year.

That is how I would define the most consistent rider of the year.

 

[Jspear]

You think? Like, it is debatable? 4 or 3 monuments not better than the Tour?

Winning a monument is as good as the Tour. Two monuments and it's already better.

Ya it's what I think...I don't think everyone around here thinks that. Seems alot of focus gets put on the stage races and the gt's. You are right 4 monuments is still better than the Tour.

To the bolded: I disagree here. I consider conquering 3 weeks of racing to be greater than a monument (no matter how epic it is.) IMO again

 

[cocteau_ireland]

Of last month..dan!!

 

[cineteq]

Completely agree. 2nd place is first loser. If Valverde wants to be the rider of the year he should have taken more risks to win instead of being a coward.

+1000

I hardly see how you can say he dominated AC at the TDF when AC beat him on the 1 mountain stage they faced in?

The mountain stage?

The funny thing is that this poster thinks he's fooling everyone with comments

Winning a monument is as good as the Tour. Two monuments and it's already better.

Good joke bro