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That really was the best year a cyclist had in the modern era.. He destroyed every race. I remember David Millar saying that Gilbert told everyone where he'll attack in that Eneco stage he won, but he was just too strong. Nobody matched him.spiritualride said:I just looked up his 2011 season. He won in 16 out of 20 events in a sequence. Won in 9 out of 9 events in a row. Has any rider ever had a streak like that?
Every race he entered in order, if starting with Algarve:
Won a stage in Volta a Algarve,
43rd - Omloop Het News
1st - Strade Bianche
Won a stage in Tirreno-Adriatico
3rd - Milan San Remo
36th - Gent Wevelgem
9th - Ronde van Vlandren
1st - De Brabantse Pijl
1st - Amstel Gold
1st - Fleche Wallone
1st - LBL
GC and 1 stage of the 2.HC Tour of Belgium
GC and 1 stage of Ster Zlm Toer - Gp Jan Van Heeswijk (2.1)
1st - National Championships
Won a stage of the TDF
1st - San Sebastian
1 stage and 2nd overall in Eneco Tour
1st - Belgium TT champs
57th - GP Ouest France
1st - Quebec
3rd - Montreal
1st - GP de Wallonie
http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.php?id=140855&season=2011
It's an incredible performance in this era. To be so dominant in hilly classics is almost impossible nowdays - unlike the cobbled specialists; the riders there aren't usually strong enough to go solo or to close down all attacks by themselves - so usually need a lot more luck and team support. But Gilbert didn't - he just dominated everything by being a more powerful and a more explosive puncheur than everyone else. Winning solo, from small groups, sprints - pretty much everything. The only slight caveat of course, being that the best hilly classics rider of his generation was absent in 2011.Valv.Piti said:Yep, still the best season by quite some margin IMO in the modern era. Boonen, Cancellara, Froome, Nibali, Valverde, Sagan etc. have nothing on that season!
Not quite yet but Kwiatkowski sure has the potential to do so. Already won Amstel, MSR, E3 and Strade Bianche. And except Roubaix I would say he at least has a shot at all the other Monuments.the asian said:Just needs to win Ronde !
Hugely underrated due to his lean years at BMC but has there been a more versatile Classics rider this century?
Who else has won such diverse races such as Lombardia, Paris Tour, Het Volk & Amstel?
I'd rather have Boonen's 2005, but Gilbert's 2011 was more impressive. Luck also plays an important role in these things. If the WC wasn't flat that year he might have also won it. If Pippo didn't chase him down for no reason in MSR he might have won that one as well. The break also survived a couple of times in the Tour on stages where Phil was the best of the favorites.Netserk said:Yet his second biggest win was Amstel that year...
Not really comparable to being the only rider other than Merckx to win three or more of the monuments and WCRR in the same season.
And he'd probably not have enough energy left to win the WC then (something he has suggested himself).Netserk said:If not for bad luck, Boonen would have won green in 2005 as well.
I guess the last few years are even more annoying.Billie said:Gilbert's 09 and 10 seasons are mightily underrated.
The constant references to 11 without crediting his previous two seasons annoy me![]()
I've been thinking about this and I don't know if Gilbert is going to be used that way. He seems to be the better rider at Quick-Step squad right now for sunday and I think he should be saved for the final part, as he seems to be the one with the ability to follow the main moves and attack on the Paterberg. Terpstra/Stybar/Boonen/Trentin/Lampaert should be used from far out to try to break the race and put Bora under pressure while Gilbert pays close atention to Sagan and Van Avermaet.Valv.Piti said:Gilbert is the 3rd biggest favorite for Ronde van Vlaanderen. A distant third behind the two superstars, but nevertheless the most dangerous outsider. And that in itself is a big deal considering his last years!
Hoping he goes early like Dwaars and E-3, could make for an epic race.
What do you consider the modern era? For me best season since Jaja in 1997. Jalabert in 1995 is out of reach, of course.pink_jersey said:That really was the best year a cyclist had in the modern era.. He destroyed every race. I remember David Millar saying that Gilbert told everyone where he'll attack in that Eneco stage he won, but he was just too strong. Nobody matched him.spiritualride said:I just looked up his 2011 season. He won in 16 out of 20 events in a sequence. Won in 9 out of 9 events in a row. Has any rider ever had a streak like that?
Every race he entered in order, if starting with Algarve:
Won a stage in Volta a Algarve,
43rd - Omloop Het News
1st - Strade Bianche
Won a stage in Tirreno-Adriatico
3rd - Milan San Remo
36th - Gent Wevelgem
9th - Ronde van Vlandren
1st - De Brabantse Pijl
1st - Amstel Gold
1st - Fleche Wallone
1st - LBL
GC and 1 stage of the 2.HC Tour of Belgium
GC and 1 stage of Ster Zlm Toer - Gp Jan Van Heeswijk (2.1)
1st - National Championships
Won a stage of the TDF
1st - San Sebastian
1 stage and 2nd overall in Eneco Tour
1st - Belgium TT champs
57th - GP Ouest France
1st - Quebec
3rd - Montreal
1st - GP de Wallonie
http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.php?id=140855&season=2011
His win in San Sebastian was impressive. Also, his Amstel performance and the Fleche record(at the time) were incredible.
Still pissed that he didn't hang on after Boosberg in De Ronde. Also, Pozzato going like a mad man after him in San Remo...
Yep. Can't feel the chain at the moment. But then he will just go long anyways as he has done so far in the cobbles.Billie said:Amstel gold race should be happy that the route is changed cause otherwise the winner was already certain