Most overrated (good) rider in the peloton?

[Netserk]

This seems like a very contentious topic. I would go Pidcock though, I usually consider him along guys like Mohoric, Mads Peterson, or Laporte in the "not a surprise result if they win" class but anglophone commentary tends to put him in the class of elite one day racers.

Thread or no thread, it's a topic of discussion here. Given that it is a topic that is discussed, it's appropriate to make a thread for it. And of course, no poll without a thread.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Is Almeida no longer seen as a "good rider"?

 

[Volderke]

Arnaud De Lie crashed hard in Le Samyn and fell ill at Paris-nice. Maybe a bit early and better wait for the classics to evaluate his rating?

 

[CyclistAbi]

I voted for Primož Roglič.

 

[Netserk]

Is Almeida no longer seen as a "good rider"?

I considered him as an option, but is he rated particularly highly?

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I went with Ayuso but my backup is TGH based on how people talked about him after he crashed out of the last Giro.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

English language media. Obviously biases (and overrated-ness) will differ in say, French or Belgian media.

But I've barely heared him mentioned in US, Australian, Canadian, South African media outlets, or even international media outlets who choose to publish in English, as the most widely understood language.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

I considered him as an option, but is he rated particularly highly?

He talks himself up a lot but he's quite peripheral and is still dining out on his debut Giro.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Hard to say, if we go by the Anglo-media buzz it's Pidcock by a mile.

Pidcock? A current World & Olympic champion..........There's some clowns on here.......

 

[fbjim]

Pidcock? A current World & Olympic champion..........There's some clowns on here.......

In cyclocross and MTB, which I think is part of the issue, where that kind of track record leads people to compare you to WVA and MVDP.

 

[Cookster15]

Pidcock has taken the early lead in the poll. I think that is premature judgment.

 

[Nick2413]

I had to go with Pidcock. The list is based on how high a rider is rated in the first place so riders like De Lie can’t really be too overrated, I’m not seeing his name up there for any big races. A lot of people seem to have Pidcock in their big 6 or 7 and he’s just not there. He has had some impressive showings but I’ve generally been left underwhelmed, and there has been a lot of inconsistency.

 

[Nick2413]

I’m surprised Roglic is in 2nd place. He may be past peak soon and therefore overrated, but he has been top 1-3 stage racer in the world for a long time, depending on the race.

 

[Samamba]

Arnaud De Lie crashed hard in Le Samyn and fell ill at Paris-nice. Maybe a bit early and better wait for the classics to evaluate his rating?

Everyone knows here I'm a fan, but even I think he's overrated, or at least by Belgian media. But basically every somewhat big Belgian talent gets that treatment. It's obviously too early to judge him. I do think he can be good in cobbled classics in the future (yk if he learns how to not crash), but media act(ed) like he's gonna be a new Van der Poel or Van Aert and well he just isn't. And his climbing capabilities are definitely overrated.

For me both Pidcock and Hayter are really good shouts. Pidcock just gets named as a favorite everywhere but never wins. Almeida too, but I guess we're past that point already.

In general I even think superstarts like Van der Poel, Van Aert or Evenepoel are overrated by Belgian press. But that's just cause I absolutely hate the way pretends like they are TMZ and make articles about them taking a dump. So it's not about their capibilities as a rider, more about their importance in this world.

 

[AnotherArmChair]

What do we mean by over rated ? I cannot see how Tom Pidcock is over rated ? Where is this over rating occurring ..In some anglophone media ? where ? I listen to Eurosport UK and while he is interviewed at races and mentioned I don’t see any dwelling on Pidcock above any other rider ?

Is it Carlton Kirby that is providing this over rated score . The man that talked every year of how Si Clarke was going to win MSR

There is no one on this forum over rating Pidcock …he barely gets mentioned.

Maybe its INEOS who are over rating …I don’t see how as he is one of their best riders in one day races, so they would build their team around him for those races ?

Maybe its Pidcock himself ? Cant see that either . He is disappointed when he doesn’t do well but he doesn’t act like he should have won or isn’t angry or overly nonplussed. Mostly shrugs

I call bull on this view and put it down to the usual anti British sentiment that pervades these pages , not so subtly



So what does over rated mean…Surely its given attention and credibility beyond your performance

Afterall if you are employed as a domestique and provider a good domestique service then you are not overrated. You are rated at the correct level. And if like Jonas Vingegaard you are rated as a Tour champion and deliver you are also correctly rated.

But say you are rated as the next Eddy Mercks and there are hundreds of pages about your every move and the Belgian media think if you don’t win then its another rider fault ? And if you don’t win there are pages of excuses on what you didn’t tactically do or how you are at the wrong weight or you are unprepared or your team are bad…and on and on and it isn’t really about your role in the outcome. You can be very good and attacking but if you don’t deliver based on the hype , e.g. live up to the Tour mantle you were given

Now that’s over rated !!!

 

[Brullnux]

I didn't realise Pidcock was particularly highly rated other than being an interesting, pretty consistent young rider whose best characteristic is the fact he competes very well in MTB, XC, and road cycling. In that sense, he's very attractive to British media as he's very outside the mould of previous cycling olympians/champions/stars the country has had.

Maybe he underperforms in road races? But I don't feel like he's ever really spoken about as anywhere near WVA/MVDP/Pogacar/Remco et al. He's in the tier below, and can win hilly races if they're not present.

 

[Wyndbrook]

I'm surprised that Wout is not already miles ahead based on the flack he get in that proverbial big six thread.

 

[Panda Claws]

I was just thinking about how Belgian media tends to talk about Pidcock. It could be because he also does cross.
Of course Pidcock is still really young but in today's era that's no longer as strong of an excuse as it was before and, besides some flashes of promise, he hasn't done all that much.

Sporza gave him two stars for MSR, alongside Laporte (https://sporza.be/nl/2024/03/15/de-...rek-zich-mengen-in-titanenduel~1710497012926/).

I agree with Red Rick by the way that Laporte may be overrated too.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Roglic can't even win this.

Early contender for Post of the Thread.

 

[Red Rick]

Is Kasper Asgreen a good shout or does nobody rate him anymore?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Is Kasper Asgreen a good shout or does nobody rate him anymore?

Only guy not named Pogacar who's managed to beat Van der Poel at Ronde in the past 4 years, that win looks better each spring. Current Asgreen is two levels below that but I don't think anyone is going to disagree with that statement...

 

[Red Rick]

Only guy not named Pogacar who's managed to beat Van der Poel at Ronde in the past 4 years, that win looks better each spring. Current Asgreen is two levels below that but I don't think anyone is going to disagree with that statement...

That's what I'm getting at. If we call his current form 'below his level' then he's been 'at his level' one season in his career. His RvV win is essentially a bigger fluke than Bettiols at this rate.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Everyone knows here I'm a fan, but even I think he's overrated, or at least by Belgian media. But basically every somewhat big Belgian talent gets that treatment. It's obviously too early to judge him. I do think he can be good in cobbled classics in the future (yk if he learns how to not crash), but media act(ed) like he's gonna be a new Van der Poel or Van Aert and well he just isn't. And his climbing capabilities are definitely overrated.

For me both Pidcock and Hayter are really good shouts. Pidcock just gets named as a favorite everywhere but never wins. Almeida too, but I guess we're past that point already.

In general I even think superstarts like Van der Poel, Van Aert or Evenepoel are overrated by Belgian press. But that's just cause I absolutely hate the way pretends like they are TMZ and make articles about them taking a dump. So it's not about their capibilities as a rider, more about their importance in this world.

That is why I couldn't vote for him. Too early to tell...as the guy obviously has a motor.

 

[tobydawq]

That's what I'm getting at. If we call his current form 'below his level' then he's been 'at his level' one season in his career. His RvV win is essentially a bigger fluke than Bettiols at this rate.

At least he also won E3 in mindblowing fashion a week before.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

That's what I'm getting at. If we call his current form 'below his level' then he's been 'at his level' one season in his career. His RvV win is essentially a bigger fluke than Bettiols at this rate.

Don't see how a RvV win is a fluke when you've won E3 right before and beat one of the best specialists you'll ever see mano a mano. Bettiol's RvV was between eras and he has also won zero other cobbled classics (or classics in general) to Asgreen's two, and zero other monument podiums to Asgreen's one.

Not going to disagree with 2021 being a cut above any of his other seasons, or the idea that he has no hope of replicating that season, but I will say that post-2021 Asgreen has also been somewhat worse than pre-2021 Asgreen, Tour stage win or no Tour stage win.