-
The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to
In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.
Thanks!
I’m utterly devastated.
Frankiny’s been such a ninja, I’ve never heard of him before today, and I’ve been following THIS THREAD since the start of the race. He’s ninjaing the ninja competition here. This is 4-D chess, inception-levels of ninja here.
Who in gods name is Killian Frankiny.
I honestly thought you were using Frankiny as a nickname for a guy whose first name was Frank
Louis Meintjes face must have been shown on TV for longer yesterday than the whole of the rest of his career
Edet! You had this game won, and now you have gone and put yourself out in front of the cameras.
Its tough to get that perfect balance in every stage. Sad to see a guy crack so close to the end
They mentioned him on Polish TV today. I'm pretty sure he was being mentioned frequently on stage 2 being in that final 6-men move.
Doesn't fit with the thread premise, but Kelderman is the obvious Zubeldia of the race. Never attacked, was never really on tv except for in the background, was always in the next group after the favourites.
Zubeldia got top tens on stage in 2012 and 2014 when he got top tens at the Tour so it makes sense..
Zubeldia got top tens on stage in 2012 and 2014 when he got top tens at the Tour so it makes sense..
Was it Zubeldia who finished 10th in a stage or was tenth overall and they stopped after showing the top 9 instead of 10?
On stage 2 he was in the break that made it to the line and he almost crashed in a roundabout. If the commentators didn't mention him there, they should probably pack up.
Yes, but he was smart enough to do so on a day he knew would have a lot of GC action. His appearance was basically the mandatory guess we gotta show the red jersey stuff.
Nieve has often been in breaks (and winning stages from them) to be considered a Ninja throughout his career. But his history of placements in GTs is worth a mention.
If nothing happens today this will be his 6th top10 and 15th top20 in 18 GTs ridden.
Best result: 8th.
Worst result: 25th.
Amazing consistency.
With a bit more luck and less captains to work for he would probably be the record holder for top10 without a podium in GTs.
If nothing happens today this will be his 6th top10 and 15th top20 in 18 GTs ridden.
Best result: 8th.
Worst result: 25th.
Amazing consistency.
With a bit more luck and less captains to work for he would probably be the record holder for top10 without a podium in GTs.
Don't you mean fewer captains? Otherwise, I think it would… get a bit messy… (though I'm glad you didn't say less captain…)
And that's my Stannis-moment for the day.
Literally my best gest would be that he's a red-headed Irishman who used to ride for Aquablue. A lanky time-triallist with a little bit of a kick, say a slimmer Steven Cummings-type. I'm sticking with that until presented with unavoidable visual evidence to the contrary.
Nah, he's a blond Swiss who used to ride for BMC.
Kilian Frankiny
Kilian Frankiny (born 1994-01-26 in Reckingen) is a former professional road racing cyclist from Switzerland, active between 2011 and 2021. His best results are winning GC Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta - Mont Blanc and winning a stage in Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta - Mont Blanc.
www.procyclingstats.com
With only the Madrid procession to go, and therefore presumably unlikely to change:
In terms of our predictions, Hakkie's choice of Frankiny is a clear winner in terms of the rules I suggested (see what you can do when you look beyond Dutch riders?).
I don't think there is any question that Frankiny has maintained ninja status, but has anyone ahead of him really been ninja, but fallen foul of my (rather arbitrary) rules?
Majka, Kelderman and Hagen were nominated for the game, and finished top 10. Majka has been too close to the top five too often, Kelderman was key to the break on stage 2 and the driving of the pace on stage 17; and Hagen blew it by outsprinting Pogacar at the end of 18.
Pernsteiner, Guererro and Geoghegan Hart are other selected riders who are ahead of Frankiny, but I think any invisibility of Pernsteiner was unveiled yesterday, Guerrero had a real shot at stage victory twice, and Geoghegan Hart has been possibly the most active rider (at least outside the top 5 GC men) in the last week.
So I would suggest that of our pickers, Hakkie has definitely been the best. But are there other riders who are ninja-er than Frankiny in the top 20?
My proposed criteria did not exclude Edet. I didn't see much of stage 8, but I don't think being in a 21 man group necessarily unmasks a ninja. Although the whole point of a leader's jersey is to make a rider prominent, it was a rather anonymous performance on stage 9, which was always going to belong to the GC guys.
Ahead of Edet, there is a rider who only has one stage that disqualified him on my rules, so should be considered. Ion Izagirre: was he near enough to the main men on stage 7 to be eliminated? I honestly can't remember at this removal. He was a quietly dutiful domestique otherwise.
So it seems to me the title is between three riders: Izagirre, Edet or Frankiny. I think I might be inclined to say Izagirre, but that is, as I say, based on not remembering stage 7 very clearly.
What do you think?
| Rider | Picker | Best placing | Current GC | Gap |
| Nicolas Edet | - | 11 | 18 | |
| Kilian Frankiny | Hakkie | 16 | 21 | 25:56 |
| Peter Stetina | Tigerion | 12 | 28 | 46:39 |
| Felix Grossschartner | Anderis | 13 | 36 | 1:17:47 |
| Antonio Pedrero | Libertine Seguros | 32 | 43 | 1:33:47 |
| Sergio Pardilla | Armchair Cyclist | 36 | 88 | 2:46:00 |
| Robert Power | Laarsland | 14 | 90 | 2:49:20 |
| Sergei Chernetski | Starlord | 26 | 111 | 3:28:14 |
| Logic is your friend | 2 (st 2) | DNF | ||
| Scarponi | 9 (st 2) | 94 | ||
| Tobydawq | 17 | DNF | ||
| Del1962 | 9 (st6) | 66 | ||
| Pantani lives | 1 (st6) | DNF | ||
| Koronin | 3 (st20) | 6 | - | |
| Salvarani | 9 (st7) | 33 | ||
| Carton | 4 (st15) | 22 | ||
| DJSprtsch | 2 (st15) | 17 | ||
| Shadow93 | 10 (st9) | 20 | ||
| SafeBet | 6 (st9) | 15 | ||
| Red Rick | 5 (st17) | 7 | ||
| Hayneplane | 6 (st 10 ITT) | 35 | ||
| JoeD1997 | 10 (st 10 ITT) | 41 | ||
| Cian | 8 (st 11) | 54 | ||
| Leinster | 6 (st 18) | 8 | ||
| Wirral | 7 (st 18) | 51 |
In terms of our predictions, Hakkie's choice of Frankiny is a clear winner in terms of the rules I suggested (see what you can do when you look beyond Dutch riders?).
I don't think there is any question that Frankiny has maintained ninja status, but has anyone ahead of him really been ninja, but fallen foul of my (rather arbitrary) rules?
Majka, Kelderman and Hagen were nominated for the game, and finished top 10. Majka has been too close to the top five too often, Kelderman was key to the break on stage 2 and the driving of the pace on stage 17; and Hagen blew it by outsprinting Pogacar at the end of 18.
Pernsteiner, Guererro and Geoghegan Hart are other selected riders who are ahead of Frankiny, but I think any invisibility of Pernsteiner was unveiled yesterday, Guerrero had a real shot at stage victory twice, and Geoghegan Hart has been possibly the most active rider (at least outside the top 5 GC men) in the last week.
So I would suggest that of our pickers, Hakkie has definitely been the best. But are there other riders who are ninja-er than Frankiny in the top 20?
My proposed criteria did not exclude Edet. I didn't see much of stage 8, but I don't think being in a 21 man group necessarily unmasks a ninja. Although the whole point of a leader's jersey is to make a rider prominent, it was a rather anonymous performance on stage 9, which was always going to belong to the GC guys.
Ahead of Edet, there is a rider who only has one stage that disqualified him on my rules, so should be considered. Ion Izagirre: was he near enough to the main men on stage 7 to be eliminated? I honestly can't remember at this removal. He was a quietly dutiful domestique otherwise.
So it seems to me the title is between three riders: Izagirre, Edet or Frankiny. I think I might be inclined to say Izagirre, but that is, as I say, based on not remembering stage 7 very clearly.
What do you think?
Last edited:
Why? Why would you ruin it?Nah, he's a blond Swiss who used to ride for BMC.
Kilian Frankiny
Kilian Frankiny (born 1994-01-26 in Reckingen) is a former professional road racing cyclist from Switzerland, active between 2011 and 2021. His best results are winning GC Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta - Mont Blanc and winning a stage in Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta - Mont Blanc.
I think it depends on how you define the award. In terms of an actual ninja, I think Frankiny should win. I watched a big chunk of the Vuelta and had absolutely no idea who that guy was until the ginger one told me.
But then again he finished over an hour off Roglic. I think the Zubeldia award should be won by the guy on that list whose best stage result is higher than his final GC position. I think there's something special about that. Yeah, the fact that he took a couple of turns here and there and we got to see teammates working for him and we got to see the back of his jersey once or twice, but I don't remember seeing Kelderman's actual face on TV all Vuelta.
Kilian who?
Well played, Nicolas. Gotta love the way he rolled over the line on Stage 8, ensuring he was 11th.
Well played, Nicolas. Gotta love the way he rolled over the line on Stage 8, ensuring he was 11th.
Hagen wins this by the length of the straight - There were even times when the commentators didn't recognise in a reduced group of 12 or 13.
TRENDING THREADS
-
-
Liege Bastogne Liege-7 hour monument, Sunday, April 21, 2024- Started by topcat
- Replies: 983
-
Paris - Roubaix 2024, one day monument, April 7- Started by Dreginald
- Replies: 2K
-
-
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2024 (March 18-24)- Started by Devil's Elbow
- Replies: 2K
-
-
De Ronde van Vlaanderen (270.8 km), 2024 March 31 (Sunday)- Started by Netserk
- Replies: 1K
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram