Most Underrated Riders of All-Time

[Blanco]

To an extent, probably my namesake. Most Grand Tour Top Ten finishes in cycling history .

to my knowledge Pedro Delgado (btw. for sure not an overlooked rider ....) hat 17 GT top ten finishes, whereas Gino Bartali had 18 .... maybe there is someone with even more, but I just had a quick check ...

Both Bartali and Delgado have 18 top-10 finishes, Gimondi also. They share the all-time record. Among active riders Valverde has 16 and Nibali 13. Bala has a good chance to even surpass these three.

 

[Bardamu]

Nibali has 14,with also the chance of getting some more. But I'm not sure if he will keep on doing GT's for GC for many years. But who knows.

 

[Red Rick]

It's not that interesting a statistic. One top 10 isn't the other.

Anyway. Sastre also ended up on 16. Contador at 15 if you count the scrapped results

But damn it's easy to forget how much mileage Nibali already has.

What's the record on GT podiums?

 

[Bardamu]

True, it doesn't say much more than consistency and longevity.

Sastre had 15 btw

 

[Bardamu]

Re:

It's not that interesting a statistic. One top 10 isn't the other.

Anyway. Sastre also ended up on 16. Contador at 15 if you count the scrapped results

But damn it's easy to forget how much mileage Nibali already has.

What's the record on GT podiums?

Gimondi has 12 GT podiums as well.

 

[loge1884]

To an extent, probably my namesake. Most Grand Tour Top Ten finishes in cycling history .

to my knowledge Pedro Delgado (btw. for sure not an overlooked rider ....) hat 17 GT top ten finishes, whereas Gino Bartali had 18 .... maybe there is someone with even more, but I just had a quick check ...

Both Bartali and Delgado have 18 top-10 finishes, Gimondi also. They share the all-time record. Among active riders Valverde has 16 and Nibali 13. Bala has a good chance to even surpass these three.

you're right with Delgado, I overlooked his 7th place in Giro 1988 ...

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

It's not that interesting a statistic. One top 10 isn't the other.

Anyway. Sastre also ended up on 16. Contador at 15 if you count the scrapped results

But damn it's easy to forget how much mileage Nibali already has.

What's the record on GT podiums?

Gimondi has 12 GT podiums as well.

Checked everyone with 5 wins or higher, Anquetil has 13, Gimondi, Hinault and Merckx have 12.

 

[Blanco]

Re:

Nibali has 14,with also the chance of getting some more. But I'm not sure if he will keep on doing GT's for GC for many years. But who knows.

I counted 13...

 

[Blanco]

Re: Re:

It's not that interesting a statistic. One top 10 isn't the other.

Anyway. Sastre also ended up on 16. Contador at 15 if you count the scrapped results

But damn it's easy to forget how much mileage Nibali already has.

What's the record on GT podiums?

Gimondi has 12 GT podiums as well.

Checked everyone with 5 wins or higher, Anquetil has 13, Gimondi, Hinault and Merckx have 12.

Correct. Among active Nibali has 10, Frooome 9 and Bala 8

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Nibali has 14,with also the chance of getting some more. But I'm not sure if he will keep on doing GT's for GC for many years. But who knows.

I counted 13...

2008 Giro getting 10th after Sella was removed from the list may be the reason?

 

[Blanco]

Re: Re:

Nibali has 14,with also the chance of getting some more. But I'm not sure if he will keep on doing GT's for GC for many years. But who knows.

I counted 13...

2008 Giro getting 10th after Sella was removed from the list may be the reason?

Exactly

 

[AnatoleNovak]

May I add Hennie Kuiper to the list?
He didn't get a lot of victories (WRR, RVV, PR, Lombardi, MSR) but his list of 2nd and 3rd places is endless (including twice 2nd at the TdF).

 

[shalgo]

Re:

The most underrated rider of all time is so underrated that he will not even be mentioned in this thread.

That reminds me of Wilco's song "Late Greats":

The greatest lost track of all time
The Late Greats' Turpentine
You can't hear it on the radio
Can't hear it anywhere you go

The best band will never get signed
The Kay-Settes starring Butchers Blind
So good you won't ever know
They never even played a show
Can't hear them on the radio

The greatest singer in rock 'n' roll
Would have to be Romeo
His vocal cords are made of gold
He just looks a little too old

The best songs will never get sung
The best life never leaves your lungs
So good you won't ever know
You'll never hear it on the radio
Can't hear it on the radio

 

[SafeBet]

Re: Re:

Checked everyone with 5 wins or higher, Anquetil has 13, Gimondi, Hinault and Merckx have 12.

I created this thread some time ago: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=33607
All riders with 6 or more GT podiums should be listed there.

Would be nice to make a similar list with top10 in GTs.

 

[Bardamu]

Re:

May I add Hennie Kuiper to the list?
He didn't get a lot of victories (WRR, RVV, PR, Lombardi, MSR) but his list of 2nd and 3rd places is endless (including twice 2nd at the TdF).

Even though it was just an amateur race back then, I'd add the Olympic gold medal. Won twice on Alpe d'Huez as well.
Agree he is internationally a tad underrated.

 

[repre]

Peter Sagan

 

[Frankschleck]

Jesus Hernandez

 

[Laporte17]

Laporte of course, though he is finally getting a tiny bit of recognition now (only a tiny fraction of what he deserves though)

Also I'm surprised I haven't seen Hugo Koblet mentioned (maybe I missed it) he had a TDF and Giro win, plus 3 Tour de Suisse wins and Romandie (7 Giro, 5 TDF, 11 Suisse and 8 Romandie stages too) but his dominance was pretty extreme, his one TDF stage win was taken after riding 135km solo, being chased by Coppi, Bobet, Bartali, Magni, Geminiani, Ockers and Robic working in union, he still won the stage by 3:35 and the whole tour by 22 minutes (granted time gaps were bigger then). The only reason he's not much more recognised is how small the period when he was good for pretty much only from 1950-53, Bobet said "His enormous talent was match only by the brevity of it's duration" and Geminiani after finishing 2nd in the tour, "He doesn't count. I'm the first human."

Perhaps he is too well-rated for this, but imo he is one of the best cyclists of all time (behind Laporte, Coppi, Merckx and maybe Hinault and Binda plus a couple that could be argued well), at least at his very peak.

 

[Tonton]

Several names come to mind...Zoetemelk of course (already mentioned), Poulidor of course: without Anquetil and Merckx... Van Impe also. One Tour win, but many podiums, top-10s and stages in the golden era.

All-rounders: Fons De Wolf. Was Benot before there was a Bennot, pretty much, except that he won a bunch (Tiej is still young) but "the new Merckx" poster sign was too big. A fantastic rider.

One-day riders: Andrei Tchmil.

Libertine would like Soukho, and I agree. A GT guy stuck on the wrong side of the wall, won a bunch, will never get the props he deserves.

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

May I add Hennie Kuiper to the list?
He didn't get a lot of victories (WRR, RVV, PR, Lombardi, MSR) but his list of 2nd and 3rd places is endless (including twice 2nd at the TdF).

Even though it was just an amateur race back then, I'd add the Olympic gold medal. Won twice on Alpe d'Huez as well.
Agree he is internationally a tad underrated.

Hennie has won the 1976 Tour of Switzerland as well, including an impressive stage victory at Gaflei in Lichtenstein. Which was considered quite massive with the gearing of that day's.

http://www.quaeldich.de/paesse/gaflei/

 

[Der Effe]

Re: Re:

The most underrated rider of all time is so underrated that he will not even be mentioned in this thread.

That reminds me of Wilco's song "Late Greats":

The greatest lost track of all time
The Late Greats' Turpentine
You can't hear it on the radio
Can't hear it anywhere you go

The best band will never get signed
The Kay-Settes starring Butchers Blind
So good you won't ever know
They never even played a show
Can't hear them on the radio

The greatest singer in rock 'n' roll
Would have to be Romeo
His vocal cords are made of gold
He just looks a little too old

The best songs will never get sung
The best life never leaves your lungs
So good you won't ever know
You'll never hear it on the radio
Can't hear it on the radio

Always good to spot a fellow Wilco fan

 

[Echoes]

Many riders listed so far are now enjoying well-deserved recognition from the audience (at least my country and including non-cycling fans), the media and their peers: De Vlaeminck, Kelly, Poulidor, Kuiper, etc They don't belong here. They are rated at their true value. I'd even say Koblet and Fuente are overrated. The latter in that he was too specialised and the former because he did not last long enough and made his reputation on just a couple of amazing feat and tragic death.

 

[GraftPunk]

I think a lot of the understatement on these riders might be due to our respective ages, the lack of exposure outside of europe, etc., and simply not having been able to watch (that thrill watching the finish/events in real time) when the various stories were written on the road. It feels good to live in a time when, if you look hard enough, one can see most any race live. All good names mentioned though, they make for good research reading.

 

[Avoriaz]

Am glad someone said Cricquelion. I had forgotten he won Flanders as well as in the Ardennes. I started following the sport in '83 and he very quickly became one of my favourites. Not sure who else I would add who hasn't already been mentioned. Maybe Erik Vanderaerden for some of his wins in 85, and taking the Tour prologue at 21. Definitely Beryl Burton though it's not that she is underrated so much as unheard of. Those who have heard of her rate her very highly.

 

[GuyIncognito]

I'd even say Koblet and Fuente are overrated. The latter in that he was too specialised and the former because he did not last long enough and made his reputation on just a couple of amazing feat and tragic death.

All of that - didn't last long due to illness, career was too short for more than a few feats, tragic death - applies to Fuentes even more than Koblet

It's the romance of 'what could've been' that adds to their reputation.