Most overrated (good) rider in the peloton?

[SafeBet]

Does he have a history of weird self overration or are we basing this entirely on "Roglic needs to get a lot of bonus seconds to beat me"

Followed Pogacar for ten seconds on Oropa, then said "I was the (second) strongest but the dumbest out there".

 

[Berniece]

How can Remco be underrated when there are comments on this forum (Pogacar´s thread) saying it's impossible to guarantee he's not inferior to Pogacar in the Tour because they've only competed once, or that he's a candidate for the 5 Monuments when he's said he hates the cobblestos and there's no evidence he can do it.
Before PR, there were comments saying that Pogacar wouldn't even make the top five in Roubaix, and after Sunday, they're putting Remco forward as a candidate for PR (5 monuments). The assessment of Remco is immediate, even in races he doesn't participate in and he claims to hate.

Remco is valued because he's very good, but he's also being assessed for abilities he hasn't yet demonstrated, such as putting him as a candidate for the 5 Monuments and putting him in GT at levl with a rider who has 3 Tours and 1 Giro.

Because in case of Remco there are a lot of unknowns, and still margin to grow. Like how would he do when riding RVV or PR? Or what level can he achieve if he's able to stay on the bike for 2 whole seasons?

Overrated is if someone would say a rider can achieve something while he already tried that and failed.

 

[Red Rick]

Followed Pogacar for ten seconds on Oropa, then said "I was the (second) strongest but the dumbest out there".

Ah I remember now. Classic.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Followed Pogacar for ten seconds on Oropa, then said "I was the (second) strongest but the dumbest out there".

And in the end, he was only two minutes off second in GC, so clearly he wasn't overrating himself by that much. Or at least not that much by Pedersen's standards.

 

[Peyroteo94]

How can Remco be underrated when there are comments on this forum (Pogacar´s thread) saying it's impossible to guarantee he's not inferior to Pogacar in the Tour because they've only competed once, or that he's a candidate for the 5 Monuments when he's said he hates the cobblestos and there's no evidence he can do it.
Before PR, there were comments saying that Pogacar wouldn't even make the top five in Roubaix, and after Sunday, they're putting Remco forward as a candidate for PR (5 monuments). The assessment of Remco is immediate, even in races he doesn't participate in and he claims to hate.

Remco is valued because he's very good, but he's also being assessed for abilities he hasn't yet demonstrated, such as putting him as a candidate for the 5 Monuments and putting him in GT at levl with a rider who has 3 Tours and 1 Giro.

Ayuso may be more questionable, but the UAE has given him the lead in the GT which Pogacar won't be doing this year. Since he was 20, he´s been the second leader in every race in a team that includes Almeida and Yates.. I have another idea about underrated.

For me, Van Aert is overrated since 2023.
He's a good rider, but since 2023, he's no longer the favorite for anything. Every year, the press talks about the duel with Van der Poel in cyclocross, even though he's already wo1/15 in two years against Van der Poel
and in those 14 races the gap between them has been enormous. He's not even Van der Poel´s greatest rival in Flanders.

It's a duel that's long gone. In 2026, they shouldn't be promoting a duel with Van der Poel in either cyclocross or road racing.

Remco is clearly overrated but this kid also has unfair expectations around him since he was a junior. He isn't a bust but of course he is not like Eddy Merckx (not remotely close).
But he has time to build a better palmares with more monuments or WC and more GTs. Unfortunately, the Tour seems a distant dream specially when he is racing against (IMHO) the 2 best climbers of all times.

 

[Red Rick]

And in the end, he was only two minutes off second in GC, so clearly he wasn't overrating himself by that big of a margin.

But 2nd was Dani Felipe Martinez though.

I guess we can take all the 15 times he blew himself up in the Vuelta trying to follow as if he was a top 5 climber in the race as well. Especially Cazorla was a great comedic performance.

 

[Froome]

Remco is clearly overrated but this kid also has unfair expectations around him since he was a junior. He isn't a bust but of course he is not like Eddy Merckx (not remotely close).
But he has time to build a better palmares with more monuments or WC and more GTs. Unfortunately, the Tour seems a distant dream specially when he is racing against (IMHO) the 2 best climbers of all times.

There was a lot of great climbers in the history of cycling. It doesn't make any sense saying they are the 2 best climbers of all time.


Remco is not overrated since he will have a good palmares in the end of his career.

 

[Netserk]

Mads Pedersen's overratedness is so underrated that I even changed my vote for him as the most overrated rider to Ayuso.

 

[Red Rick]

There was a lot of great climbers in the history of cycling. It doesn't make any sense saying they are the 2 best climbers of all time.


Remco is not overrated since he will have a good palmares in the end of his career.

You can have a great palmares and still be overrated.

 

[Brullnux]

Pedersen is just clearly the third best cobbled classics rider atm. It's so easy to rate him that I don't see how he can be under or overrated

 

[Peyroteo94]

Pedersen is just clearly the third best cobbled classics rider atm. It's so easy to rate him that I don't see how he can be under or overrated

Pedersen is the best cobbled classics rider after Pogacar/MVP and no one said he will be able to beat MVP or Pogacar there so I don't know where he is overrated, he is doing what we expected from him. In fact, he is even better since he is beating WVA.

There is also Ganna, who is just a good TT rider but people are talking like he can win PR.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

How can Remco be underrated when there are comments on this forum (Pogacar´s thread) saying it's impossible to guarantee he's not inferior to Pogacar in the Tour because they've only competed once, or that he's a candidate for the 5 Monuments when he's said he hates the cobbles and there's no evidence he can do it.
Before PR, there were comments saying that Pogacar wouldn't even make the top five in Roubaix, and after Sunday, they're putting Remco forward as a candidate for PR (5 monuments). The assessment of Remco is immediate, even in races he doesn't participate in and he claims to hate.

Remco is valued because he's very good, but he's also being assessed for abilities he hasn't yet demonstrated, such as putting him as a candidate for the 5 Monuments and putting him in GT at leevl with a rider who has 3 Tours and 1 Giro.

Ayuso may be more questionable, but the UAE has given him the lead in the GT which Pogacar won't be doing this year. Since he was 20, he´s been the second leader in every race in a team that includes Almeida and Yates.. I have another idea about underrated.
Many people and media considered him a candidate for the TDF podium last year.
In 2023, considered him candidated to be second in Vuelta.

For me, Van Aert is overrated since 2023.
He's a good rider, but since 2023, he's no longer the favorite for anything. Every year, the press talks about the duel with Van der Poel in cyclocross, even though he's already wo1/15 in two years against Van der Poel
and in those 14 races the gap between them has been enormous. He's not even Van der Poel´s greatest rival in Flanders.

It's a duel that's long gone. In 2026, they shouldn't be promoting a duel with Van der Poel in either cyclocross or road racing.

I haven't read those comments on Evenepoel, and I can of course only evaluate based on what I've read. I have, however, seen people claiming that he's overrated which is the clearest indication that he's in fact underrated. In the era of Pogacar, Pogacar has won all but 5 of the biggest hilly classics that has been done. Van der Poel has won one (Worlds 2023). Evenepoel has won the other 4 (LBL 2022 and 2023, Worlds 2022 and Olympics 2024). That speaks volumes.

Same goes for Ayuso. I see people everywhere claiming that he's overrated. The fact is that he's accomplished much more than Pogacar had at the same age. In modern times, I think only Evenepoel has accomplished more at the same age.

I don't know what the discourse is in cycling cross, as I don't follow that. I'm solely talking about road cycling, and I don't see anyone claiming that Van Aert is Van der Poel's biggest rival in Flanders. What I see is people comparing 2025 Wout with 2022 Wout and being overly critical of him because of that. I've seen people claiming that he can't even win smaller races anymore, when clearly he was the 4th best rider in this spring campaign.

 

[Netserk]

Same goes for Ayuso. I see people everywhere claiming that he's overrated. The fact is that he's accomplished much more than Pogacar had at the same age.

He won the Tour?

Evenepoel has won the other 4 (LBL 2022 and 2023, Worlds 2022 and Olympics 2024).

Pogi didn't start the 2022 Liège nor the OGRR.

 

[Berniece]

There was a lot of great climbers in the history of cycling. It doesn't make any sense saying they are the 2 best climbers of all time.


Remco is not overrated since he will have a good palmares in the end of his career.

Not to mention that the average opinion about him isn't that he's the next Eddy Merckx. So not sure why one would use that as a reason for calling him overrated, unless they have ulterior motives.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I haven't read those comments on Evenepoel, and I can of course only evaluate based on what I've read. I have, however, seen people claiming that he's overrated which is the clearest indication that he's in fact underrated. In the era of Pogacar, Pogacar has won all but 5 of the biggest hilly classics that has been done. Van der Poel has won one (Worlds 2023). Evenepoel has won the other 4 (LBL 2022 and 2023, Worlds 2022 and Olympics 2024). That speaks volumes.

Same goes for Ayuso. I see people everywhere claiming that he's overrated. The fact is that he's accomplished much more than Pogacar had at the same age. In modern times, I think only Evenepoel has accomplished more at the same age.

I don't know what the discourse is in cycling cross, as I don't follow that. I'm solely talking about road cycling, and I don't see anyone claiming that Van Aert is Van der Poel's biggest rival in Flanders. What I see is people comparing 2025 Wout with 2022 Wout and being overly critical of him because of that. I've seen people claiming that he can't even win smaller races anymore, when clearly he was the 4th best rider in this spring campaign.

Why does Glasgow and Wollongong count as a hilly classic but Flanders doesn‘t?

 

[Berniece]

Pogi didn't start the 2022 Liège nor the OGRR.

What does that have to do with his achievements? Does Pogacar need to be present for everyone's achievements to make them valid?

 

[Peyroteo94]

I haven't read those comments on Evenepoel, and I can of course only evaluate based on what I've read. I have, however, seen people claiming that he's overrated which is the clearest indication that he's in fact underrated. In the era of Pogacar, Pogacar has won all but 5 of the biggest hilly classics that has been done. Van der Poel has won one (Worlds 2023). Evenepoel has won the other 4 (LBL 2022 and 2023, Worlds 2022 and Olympics 2024). That speaks volumes.

Same goes for Ayuso. I see people everywhere claiming that he's overrated. The fact is that he's accomplished much more than Pogacar had at the same age. In modern times, I think only Evenepoel has accomplished more at the same age.

I don't know what the discourse is in cycling cross, as I don't follow that. I'm solely talking about road cycling, and I don't see anyone claiming that Van Aert is Van der Poel's biggest rival in Flanders. What I see is people comparing 2025 Wout with 2022 Wout and being overly critical of him because of that. I've seen people claiming that he can't even win smaller races anymore, when clearly he was the 4th best rider in this spring campaign.

How?
By the end of this season, to be equal with Pogacar, Ayuso has to win:
2 TdF (impossible)
1 LBL
9 GT stage wins
1 important one week stage race - TA (he already won 2)

I don't know where he has a better palmares right now.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

He won the Tour?

Pogi didn't start the 2022 Liège nor the OGRR.

Oh, shoot, scratch that! For some reason I thought it was still 2024 apparently...

Why does it matter that Pogacar didn't start those races? Evenepoel still cleaned them up.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

How?
By the end of this season, to be equal with Pogacar, Ayuso has to win:
2 TdF (impossible)
1 LBL
9 GT stage wins
1 important one week stage race - TA (he already won 2)

I don't know where he has a better palmares right now.

Yeah, I compared with Pogacar's 2020 palmares, when I should have compared with his 2021 palmares. No need to compare end of season palmares, though. Pogacar had 1 Tour at this point in his career - not 2. But of course he was still way ahead of Ayuso for sure.

 

[Peyroteo94]

He won the Tour?

Pogi didn't start the 2022 Liège nor the OGRR.

We can add 2023 LBL because he crashed out very early in the race however, Remco doesn't have any fault and was a deserving winner in both LBL and in the ORR. He was clearly the strongest in LBL and Belgium played great in Paris. WVA was neutralizing MVP and then Remco got away. Raced like the best team, almost like vintage Quickstep in RVV/PR.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Yeah, I compared with Pogacar's 2020 palmares, when I should have compared with his 2021 palmares. No need to compare end of season palmares, though. Pogacar had 1 Tour at this point in his career - not 2. But of course he was still way ahead of Ayuso for sure.

I just said by the end of this season, Ayuso should win 2 TdF to be equal with Pogacar. But you made a mistake, it is all okay.

 

[Netserk]

Oh, shoot, scratch that! For some reason I thought it was still 2024 apparently...

Why does it matter that Pogacar didn't start those races? Evenepoel still cleaned them up.

In the era of Pogi, as you wrote, it matters a lot. Rogla has beaten Pogi in hilly one-day races more often than Evenepoel has.

 

[Cycling111]

I just said by the end of this season, Ayuso should win 2 TdF to be equal with Pogacar. But you made a mistake, it is all okay.

I remember when Pogacar won the Tour in 2020, there were many comments on social media that Ayuso and Remco would´ve won it i one or two years younger.

By that logic, Vingegaard would never have won TDF because while in 2020 a two years younger Pogacar won the Tour, Vingegaard was a domestique.

Ayuso has never been an underrated rider.
He's been a leader in every race since he was very young in a team with other good rides.
It was even said that Ayuso would win the TDF younger than Pogacar

If someone is given the lead in a team with such good riders and is named favorite in every race he competes, I don't know where they'd underestimate him.

For me, underestimation is the opposite

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

In the era of Pogi, as you wrote, it matters a lot. Rogla has beaten Pogi in hilly one-day races more often than Evenepoel has.

Looking at their H2H in one-day races right now, it's even hard to find a race where Evenepoel and Pogacar really competed against each other, as in finished close to each other if they raced. Almost all of them are a "no contest" so to day, of one or the other.
So I don't know how informative this comparison with Roglic is.

But to me that means all the more that it would be really nice to have some more Races in which they actually go head to head in good form. Let's hope Remco is already there! (Even though even if he is, Pogi seems in pretty good shape, so there's no beating him probably).

 

[Cycling111]

I'm surprised Skjelmose has so few votes.

At Paris-Nice, he had Pedersen as a super domestique, in Itzulia Nys sacrificed his chance of stage victory.
Riders who would be favorites in stages are giving up their chance of victory for someone who isn't the favorite in any of the races.

In one-day races De Lie.
He was considered one the favorites on the big races for winning on smaller races like Hirschi.
The difference is that in 2020, Hirschi won and competed against great rivals on big races.