auscyclefan94 said:
I am not asking for an arguement. Name a better rider in the past 10 years who is a stronger all rounder on climbs, time trials, sprints (on tougher routes), classics, cobbles or dirt roads...? You say Jack of all trades and a master of none? Well that is up for interpretation.
You could argue Contador -
Loses 2 minutes to Cuddles on cobbles - Verdict - Cuddles better
Takes about a minute from Cuddles in a long tt- Contador marginally better
Takes anywhere between 3 and 10 minutes from cuddles on hc mountain stages - Contador way better
Or schleck
ST as Cuddles on Cobbles - Verdict - they are equal
Loses about a minute to Cuddles on long tt- Cuddles marginaly better
Takes anywhere between 3 and 10 minutes from cuddles on hc mountain stages - Schleck way better
-------------------------------------------------------------
Or more broad definition of all round -Valverde
Road race. Cuddles won a worlds title, Valverde has come 2nd, 2nd and 3rd. + won National championship. Won u23 national championship. - Verdict - Cuddles marginaly better (huge benefit of the doubt. i personaly think Valverde more impressive)
Cobbles - Valverde never tried, Cuddles has come 3rd in 1 cobbles stage, never challenged in cobbled classics - Cuddles better
Mud - Valverde never tried, Cuddles has won 1 stage + MTB champion- Cuddles way better
TTs - Cuddles + 9, Valverde + 36 in 2009 vuelta - Cuddles slightly better
Sprints- Cuddles hopeless, Valverde - one of the greatest gt sprinters of all time. Great GT sprinter of our generation. Good bunch sprinter as well. Has beaten the likes of Freire. - Valverde a million times better
Ardennes classics - Cuddles Flech Wallone2010 , 2nd Flech Wallone 2007. Valverde- Super feat of Flech wallone and LBL double in same week- 2006. 2nd in FLech Wallone and LBL same week 2007. LBL 2008, 3rd Amstel Gold 2008 3rd LBL 2010. - Valverde way better.
Stage races - Cuddles - Romandie - 2006, Tour of Austria 2001, 2004, 2nd Dauphine 2008, 2nd 2009 , 1 or 2 stage wins here and there.
Valverde- Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2008, 2009 Vuelta a Pais Vasco 2005, 2nd 2006, 2nd 2010. Romandie 2010, 3rd 2006 Vuelta a Burgos 2004, 2009 Volta a Catalunya 2009 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, 2004, 2007 Vuelta a Murcia 2004, 2007 2008, 2nd 2006 Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid 2nd 2009 + uncountable number of stage wins Valverde way way way better
Grand Tour stages - Valverde - 5 Vuelta stages 3 TDF stages. Cuddles 1 tdf stage 1 giro stage. - Valverde 4 times better
Grand Tours GC- Cuddles, 2nd TDF 2007 2nd TDF 2008, 3rd Vuelta 2009, 4th Tour 2006, 4th Vuleta 2007, 5th Giro 2010, 8th TDF 2005, 1 Giro points classification ( no wins 3 podiums, 3 more top 5, 1 more top 10 1 jersey.)
Valverde - 1st Vuelta a España 2009, 2nd 2006 3rd 2003, 3rd 2004, 5th 2008 6th tdf 2007 9th TDF 2008 Twice winner of combination classification (
1 WIN, 3 more podiums, 1 more top 5, 2 more top 10s, 2 points jerseys) - Valverde way better
UCI Pro Tour Cuddles - Winner of UCI pro tour. 2007
Valverde - Winner of UCI pro tour. 2006, 2008
I did that, trying to be favourable to Evans -i said hes better on cobbles based on 1 top 5 cobbles stage placing, and i said hes better at road race based on 1 10 minute effort even though Valverdes 3 podiums and national jersey will be seen by many as evidence he is better. It also gives Cuddles the benefit of the doubt on tts based on 2009 vuelta even though Valverde has beaten Cuddles on other occasions And it doesnt count the 10 or so smaller classics victories Valverde had, of which cuddles has none
there it is.
Not quite the greatest all rounder of last decade, whatever way you look at it.