One Race Riders : The guys who race for one race in the year (or two)

[bicing]

Hello fourmers.

The latest Andy Schleck thread (I love Andy bashing threads) got me thinking, if there's one thing we all hate about Andy it's his sole focus on LBL and TDF. It was one of the reasons to hate Armstrong too. But then I thought of Menchov, who does this with one GT he chooses. But Menchov is supported by at least 50% of the forum. I started to wonder what other riders are oone race minded.

Who are the other riders who focus their entire seasons on one race (or two races)?

Bonus questions: how does this affect their popularity? or how much you like htem?

 

[Richeypen]

The one that springs to mind is Devolder and RVV. Not too popular on here either

 

[bicing]

Answering my own question with a few ust for starters..>>

Ivan Basso - Tour or Giro
Menchov - one GT per year
VDB2 - Tour
Gadret - Giro

And ones I am thinking about:

Sam Sanchez - Tour of Basque & Tour de France
Igor Anton - Vuelta

 

[auscyclefan94]

Answering my own question with a few ust for starters..>>

Ivan Basso - Tour or Giro
Menchov - one GT per year
VDB2 - Tour
Gadret - Giro

And ones I am thinking about:

Sam Sanchez - Tour of Basque & Tour de France
Igor Anton - Vuelta

Watch out for The Hitch's wrath after that statement. Can't say I agree.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

José Rujano and the Giro d'Italia
Santiago Pérez and the Vuelta a Asturias
Frédéric Guesdon and Paris-Roubaix

 

[bicing]

Watch out for The Hitch's wrath after that statement. Can't say I agree.

Yeah, I know.

I forgot to add a 3rd focus for Sanchez: Ardennes. So he has 3 races. But it's still pretty limited.

If we're going with 3 races, we can consider Scarponi: Giro + Tirreno + Lombardia. (Hello again Hitch)

 

[craig1985]

David Moncoutié and the Vuelta. He doesn't like the Giro, is prepared to forego the Tour in order to go for the KOM at the Vuelta, hey, why not?

 

[Arnout]

Yeah, I know.

I forgot to add a 3rd focus for Sanchez: Ardennes. So he has 3 races. But it's still pretty limited.

If we're going with 3 races, we can consider Scarponi: Giro + Tirreno + Lombardia. (Hello again Hitch)

Ehm. Lombardy, Worlds, Paris - Nice. He's in the top - 10 of CQ ranking every year since 2006 and not because he has won a GT.

Also Anton did two GT's this year, last year 4th in FW and 6th in LBL, won stage in Castilla y Leon. The only thing is that usually they choose to do only one GT a year.

 

[Ruudz0r]

I think Rolland is going to be one aswell

 

[Arnout]

Leif Hoste.

 

[Ferminal]

I think Gadret to an extent.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

i thin one of the main problems is that in the one wee races we got today, there is just Dauphine that got some decent mountain stages, so people lie Rolland really cant choose to much what races he would lie to be in top shape for.

 

[Havetts]

Robert Gesink: Tour de France, Worlds RR, Vuelta once in a few seasons..

Unfortunatly

 

[The Hitch]

Watch out for The Hitch's wrath after that statement. Can't say I agree.

Do you even read my posts? Ive been saying for almost a year that Samu only peaks for Tour. Well 2011 anyway and it seemed clear from the start that was all he wanted to do.

Unlike others, I don't hide from reality just because a rider is among my favourites.

Like Schleck he had a little peak in April with PV stage and FW podium. He did though manage a 5th in PN and while he was way below what we can expect, its more than Andy.

Samu does a lot of races at say 70-90%. Thats why he won GP mig and had a good gc on a few stages and comes top 10 in cq most often. But at 100% hes only really for the Tour.

 

[Siriuscat]

I find it interesting how many use races as "training" the one race wonders especially, it totally disrepects the races. Just a viewpoint.

 

[El Pistolero]

Stijn Devolder, VDB2(this year was a bit better though), Alexandr Kolobnev, Michael Rasmussen(pre-2007) and Denis Menchov.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

i thin one of the main problems is that in the one wee races we got today, there is just Dauphine that got some decent mountain stages, so people lie Rolland really cant choose to much what races he would lie to be in top shape for.

Respectfully disagree; though the time of year may limit what Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico can do, mountain-wise, the Tour de Suisse, Giro del Trentino, Route du Sud, Vuelta a Burgos, Vuelta a Asturias and Tour of California have some decent climbing to be done, and while the climbs are seldom big, long HC grinds, the Vuelta al País Vasco is an obvious climber's race.

 

[The Hitch]

If we're going with 3 races, we can consider Scarponi: Giro + Tirreno + Lombardia. (Hello again Hitch)

Au contraire mon ami. Scarponi has one of the longest peaks of everyone. THats why the second he bonked on Etna everyone was thinking that he had burned himself out.

Just look at the amazing lineup in Catalunya and the final GC.

Volta Catalunya

1 Alberto Contador (ESP) Saxo Bank-SunGard 29h 24' 42"
2 Michele Scarponi (ITA) Lampre-ISD + 23"
3 Daniel Martin (IRL) Garmin-Cervélo + 35"
4 Chris Horner (USA) Team RadioShack + 35"
5 Rigoberto Urán (COL) Team Sky + 38"
6 Xavier Tondó (ESP) Movistar Team + 38"
7 Ivan Basso (ITA) Liquigas-Cannondale + 38"
8 Cadel Evans (AUS) BMC Racing Team + 50"
9 Kevin Seeldraeyers (BEL) Quick Step + 1' 12"
10 Bauke Mollema (NED)

Then theres Giro Trentino. Another overall to camp Scarponi.



1 Michele Scarponi (ITA) Lampre-ISD 13h 54' 07"
2 Tiago Machado (POR) Team RadioShack + 7"
3 Luca Ascani (ITA) D'Angelo & Antenucci-Nippo + 33"
4 Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA) BMC Racing Team + 33"
5 Steve Morabito (SWI) BMC Racing Team + 38"
6 Robert Kišerlovski (CRO) Astana + 42"
7 Thomas Voeckler (FRA) Team Europcar + 1' 12"
8 José Rujano (VEN) Androni Giocattoli + 1' 18"
9 Vladimir Miholjevic (CRO) Acqua & Sapone + 1' 35"
10 Fabio Duarte (COL) Geox-TMC + 1' 42"


Look at the succesful break at MSR. (bolded riders are those who were left behind in the split and had to climb back 2 minutes just to get back to the main bunch,

Cyclist Team Time
1 Matthew Goss (AUS) HTC-Highroad 6h 51' 10"
2 Fabian Cancellara (SUI) Leopard Trek s.t.
3 Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto s.t.
4 Alessandro Ballan (ITA) BMC Racing Team s.t.
5 Filippo Pozzato (ITA) Team Katusha s.t.
6 Michele Scarponi (ITA) Lampre-ISD s.t.
7 Yoann Offredo (FRA) FDJ s.t.
8 Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Liquigas-Cannondale + 3"

Finally the queen stage of Giro Sardignga (in February)

1. SCARPONI Michele LAM 4h24'40"
2. SERPA PEREZ Jose Rodolfo AND 03"
3. CUNEGO Damiano LAM 08"
4. SAGAN Peter LIQ 11"
5. SELLA Emanuele AND 14"

He came 6th overall.

ANd lets not forget 2nd place on San Lorenzo de Escortial brutal climb in Vuelta ahead of Nibali, Cobo Froome Wiggins Mollema Menchov etc etc etc before he crashed.

So races he did something in 1 in February 3 in March 1 in April 1 in May and 1 in September.

What an awesome peak.

 

[theyoungest]

Robert Gesink: Tour de France, Worlds RR, Vuelta once in a few seasons..

This guy races in every race where he takes the start. Even in the Tour of fecking Oman.

A better Dutch example would be Karsten Kroon and the Amstel Gold Race.

 

[Arnout]

This guy races in every race where he takes the start. Even in the Tour of fecking Oman.

A better Dutch example would be Karsten Kroon and the Amstel Gold Race.

I think the problem of Kroon is that he never peaks rather than only once.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

gesink : tour
andy schleck: tour
leipheimer: california, utah

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

José Rujano and the Giro d'Italia
Santiago Pérez and the Vuelta a Asturias
Frédéric Guesdon and Paris-Roubaix

rujano is also focussed on vuelta venezuela and or cn and colombia. depending on calendar. but in europe yes also because it's only gt he's allowed to ride

 

[theyoungest]

I think the problem of Kroon is that he never peaks rather than only once.

I don't agree, he's usually pretty good in the Ardennes. If he actually makes it there, that is.

 

[Kvinto]

Most of you guys confuse concepts of "care about 1-2 races" and "aim for 1-2 races". Different riders are capable of different results but usually only very few of them have more than 1-2 (or sometimes 3) aims in a season. I guess what you're trying to figure out is who among these riders neglect races that suit them but are not among their initial aims, so what i'm trying to tell you is that no way either of Samu and Anton (or Gesink) really fit this criterion.

 

[The Hitch]

leipheimer: california, utah

He also won the Tour of Colorado and his biggest career win the Tour de ****ing Suisse. He also placed 3rd behind Contador and Scarponi, not bad company, on the mtf in Catalunya, ahead of Basso and Cadel and your beloved Uran as already mentioned. Would have finished the GC there too had he not crashed on the last stage.

in 08 he podiumed Dauphine Vuelta Beijing Olympics tt won Georgia and just missed out on podium in Worlds tt and Castilla Leon.

In 2009 he won Castilla Leon, got a top 10 in Giro and seemed on course for a top 10 in the Tour until he crashed.

Try again.