Male Cyclist of the year (2014)?

[LaFlorecita]

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.

No ****ing way

 

[Mellow Velo]

No ****ing way

LOL.
Poor old Boonan and Cancellara are never going to win this poll, are they?

 

[LaFlorecita]

LOL.
Poor old Boonan and Cancellara are never going to win this poll, are they?

If they do well in lots of one day races then they could win. However a monument is not on the same level as the Tour de France. There are 5 monuments every year and there is only 1 TDF.

 

[Mellow Velo]

If they do well in lots of one day races then they could win. However a monument is not on the same level as the Tour de France. There are 5 monuments every year and there is only 1 TDF.

Yes, I agree.

 

[Red Rick]

It blowes my mind that according to some people here winning some boring, overrated uphill sprint in Ans is equally important as winning a GT.

So Cavendish' 2009 > Contador's 2009, as the former won more GT stages?

You're not the best in the world by winning one monument and a couple of other good performances. It's not exceptional, there's 5 guy's who've done that this year. You gotta stand out, which for classic's guys only happens if they win at least 2 monuments or monument + WC.

No classic winner really stood out. Valverde only stood out in consistency, the Tour winner only won the Tour and didn't do anything else.

Contador was the only one who really stood out, ergo he's the racer of the year

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

Actually Contador didn't stand out either.
Which doesn't mean it isn't deserved, but he is far from the clear and only option as rider of the year. Before the WC (and Paris-Tours and Lombardia) there were still 10 or so riders who could become "rider of the year"...

Now he wins the Velo d'Or, which is ok, had Valverde won it, wouldn't have been the wrong decision either, a case for him can be made too. Don't really see any others in the race now (but Daniel Martin with one crash less could very well have been an option)

Ah, interesting how the Mur de Huy is being discounted here. What did Contador win exactly? The GT version of the Fleche Wallonne, the Vuelta, the only stage race where it's enough to watch 1' to 5' a day.

And on the "wins count, not placement" mantra: Easy to say for fans of a pure stage race specialist (but somehow his second places keep being mentioned as proof of his consistency, if place 2 doesn't matter, why keep mentioning he was always at least second?) In stage races most of the time in the end the strongest rider wins. Not always (Dauphiné 14 (Contador the strongest, if it had been Valverde he would be blasted nonstop for losing the Dauphiné), Vuelta 12 (Purito the strongest), but normally the strongest rider in the stage race wins it. Classics? Tactics and luck play a much bigger role.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Ah, interesting how the Mur de Huy is being discounted here. What did Contador win exactly? The GT version of the Fleche Wallonne, the Vuelta, the only stage race where it's enough to watch 1' to 5' a day.

What did he win? Uhm, just a GT and 2 of the most important one week stage races in the world, + 5 stages in WT races

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

Yes, and since the Fleche is dismissed as virtually worthless because it's boring because only the last 2 km count.... we can do the same with the Vuelta, since it's 21 stages of this. Not my opinion in both cases, but then unlike blind rude fans like yourself, I'm constistent.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Yes, and since the Fleche is dismissed as virtually worthless because it's boring because only the last 2 km count.... we can do the same with the Vuelta, since it's 21 stages of this. Not my opinion in both cases, but then unlike blind rude fans like yourself, I'm constistent.

Now who's being rude?

As far as I'm aware, there was plenty of action from further than 2km out, and the mtf's were more than just uphill sprints. And no one is dismissing FW (if you'd actually read some posts instead of blurting out nonsense you would have noticed many people regard FW as a proper win and addition to Valverde's palmares. However, you'd need more than 1 good win to be rider of the year) So while it may be that way in your biased mind, it is certainly not the case when looking at it objectively.

 

[Netserk]

LOL.
Poor old Boonan and Cancellara are never going to win this poll, are they?

1) It's Boonen

2) He won it the year he won E3, Ronde, Roubaix, WCRR and some other stuff.

 

[Red Rick]

Actually Contador didn't stand out either.
Which doesn't mean it isn't deserved, but he is far from the clear and only option as rider of the year. Before the WC (and Paris-Tours and Lombardia) there were still 10 or so riders who could become "rider of the year"...

Now he wins the Velo d'Or, which is ok, had Valverde won it, wouldn't have been the wrong decision either, a case for him can be made too. Don't really see any others in the race now (but Daniel Martin with one crash less could very well have been an option)

Ah, interesting how the Mur de Huy is being discounted here. What did Contador win exactly? The GT version of the Fleche Wallonne, the Vuelta, the only stage race where it's enough to watch 1' to 5' a day.

And on the "wins count, not placement" mantra: Easy to say for fans of a pure stage race specialist (but somehow his second places keep being mentioned as proof of his consistency, if place 2 doesn't matter, why keep mentioning he was always at least second?) In stage races most of the time in the end the strongest rider wins. Not always (Dauphiné 14 (Contador the strongest, if it had been Valverde he would be blasted nonstop for losing the Dauphiné), Vuelta 12 (Purito the strongest), but normally the strongest rider in the stage race wins it. Classics? Tactics and luck play a much bigger role.

Did you actually watch the Vuelta?

 

[Akuryo]

1) It's Boonen

2) He won it the year he won E3, Ronde, Roubaix, WCRR and some other stuff.

But he did not get it 2012 when he won all 4 WT cobbles classics and the TTT at the Worlds. Who got it? Wiggins ... says a lot.

 

[Echoes]

Echoes what classics rider has a record better than 2-1-2-1-2-1?

1) put a 34 in the mix.
2) I've already said that cycling is not a matter of percentage. Terpstra will have raced for 103 days altogether. When you ride so much you run a lot more risks to get some poor results because other riders are not as stakhanovists as you are.

Besides Terpstra has a lot more diversity in his calendar. He started on the track, then asphalt stage races with ITT's, "berg" races, Paris-Roubaix and then some hilly stage races.

Same for Cancellara. On which terrain was Contador better than Cancellara this year? Certainly not in ITT's, certainly not in sprints, certainly not in hills, certainly not on cobbles. Only remains the mountains. But of course, Cancellara is 81kg ...

Cancellara is the most all-round of all riders. Hence he's the best rider, period.

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

But why is it that you always have the same reactions as me, you?

Good joke bro

"Paris-Roubaix is the biggest cycling race in the world, bigger than the Tour de France, bigger than any other bike race," (Sir Bradley Wiggins)

"Paris-Roubaix is a race that you are just happy to finish because it's so hard. The hardest race in the world." (Thor Hushovd)

"It's harder than the Tour of France" (Philippe Gilbert after finishing Paris-Roubaix for the only time in 2007)

"You can't feel confident or cocky about Paris-Roubaix, it's the hardest race in the world" (Roger Hammond)
Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...out-roubaix-chances-69644#DL5h1m8P0hU5zB8U.99

That settles it then. Winning Paris-Roubaix is bigger than winning the Tour of France. Not Echoes speaking, the riders...

 

[The Hitch]

Yes, and since the Fleche is dismissed as virtually worthless because it's boring because only the last 2 km count.... we can do the same with the Vuelta, since it's 21 stages of this. Not my opinion in both cases, but then unlike blind rude fans like yourself, I'm constistent.

Fw is at best the 7th best one day race and not one of the elite ones. Vuelta is at worst the 3rd best stage race and is one of the elite ones.

.so no fw does not equal vuelta.

 

[LaFlorecita]

1) put a 34 in the mix.
2) I've already said that cycling is not a matter of percentage. Terpstra will have raced for 103 days altogether. When you ride so much you run a lot more risks to get some poor results because other riders are not as stakhanovists as you are.

Besides Terpstra has a lot more diversity in his calendar. He started on the track, then asphalt stage races with ITT's, "berg" races, Paris-Roubaix and then some hilly stage races.

Same for Cancellara. On which terrain was Contador better than Cancellara this year? Certainly not in ITT's, certainly not in sprints, certainly not in hills, certainly not on cobbles. Only remains the mountains. But of course, Cancellara is 81kg ...

Cancellara is the most all-round of all riders. Hence he's the best rider, period.




But why is it that you always have the same reactions as me, you?




"Paris-Roubaix is the biggest cycling race in the world, bigger than the Tour de France, bigger than any other bike race," (Sir Bradley Wiggins)

"Paris-Roubaix is a race that you are just happy to finish because it's so hard. The hardest race in the world." (Thor Hushovd)

"It's harder than the Tour of France" (Philippe Gilbert after finishing Paris-Roubaix for the only time in 2007)

"You can't feel confident or cocky about Paris-Roubaix, it's the hardest race in the world" (Roger Hammond)
Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...out-roubaix-chances-69644#DL5h1m8P0hU5zB8U.99

That settles it then. Winning Paris-Roubaix is bigger than winning the Tour of France. Not Echoes speaking, the riders...

You're a broken record

 

[The Hitch]

quote of one rider saying in the week of pr that they prefer pr to the tdf= all the riders agree Paris roubaix is more important than the tdf

Never mind that that same rider has on other occasions said the tdf is bigger.and that every other rider acknowledges the tdf is way bigger.

 

[The Hitch]

Winning a monument is as good as the Tour

I guarantee you, no one sees Oliver zaugg as being the equivalent of a tdf champion

 

[nhowson]

I would say that (in general):

2 monuments = Giro/Vuelta
3 monuments = Tour

As far as the best rider, there weren't really any standouts this year. For those who say Contador beat Nibali in the one MTF they faced off, I say there was a cobbled stage where they faced off...

I actually voted for Kristoff, A monument, some GT stage wins, Vattenfall, a near miss in Flanders if you think about it and also close at the WC.

For me, Contador won the Vuelta and Tirreno, Basque I'm not really fussed about and he lost control of the Dauphiné. Also I think the poll is a bit skewed so I want a bit more of a push across the board.

 

[MBotero]

I think Valverde he's season was really insane,performing at top level in all type of races,all year long.Too bad that in some races he didn't make the right decisions,he could have won even more.

 

[Mellow Velo]

1) It's Boonen

2) He won it the year he won E3, Ronde, Roubaix, WCRR and some other stuff.

1) A typo. Lots of them floating around here.

2) I was referring to this poll, not the Velo d'Or.

Tail end of other folk's conversations etc etc.

I would say that (in general):

2 monuments = Giro/Vuelta
3 monuments = Tour

Me too.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Cancellara is the most all-round of all riders. Hence he's the best rider, period.

Do you consider Cancellara "more all-round" (if that's a term) than Wiggins?

 

[Netserk]

I would say that (in general):

2 monuments = Giro/Vuelta
3 monuments = Tour

3 monuments in the same season >>> a Tour win.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

3 monuments in the same season >>> a Tour win.

Agree.
When is the last time we had a such a winner?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Me too.

Me too.

10 characters

 

[Netserk]

Agree.
When is the last time we had a such a winner?

Merckx. However if we include Worlds, then Bettini was only a bike-length away from doing that in 2006, and Boonen did it the year before. Argentin and Moser were very close as well. However the last one to win two (and three) monuments and the Worlds in the same season since Boonen was Merckx in 1971.