Rank 1-4: Boonen, Cancellara, Contador & Valverde

[toolittle]

Re:

If Wiggo can top ten in Roubaix, I'm sure Nibs can do the same.

Obviously no currently active cyclist has a realistic shot at winning all five, but if Nibali wanted, he could top ten all Monuments. He already finished on the podium of 3 Monuments after all... The reason why he hasn't won more classics is because Grand Tours has always been his main focus and he has never been a cyclist with consistent form throughout the season. He peaks for specific periods.

Need month(s) to create a cycle peak. Impossible to peak a few times in a season.
Only legend could win everything... Legend don't need peak form for a win.
Normally,
Top Tiers for TDF and WC
2nd Tiers for Giro and GDL
3nd Tiers for Veulta and LBL

 

[dacooley]

Re:

If Wiggo can top ten in Roubaix, I'm sure Nibs can do the same.

Obviously no currently active cyclist has a realistic shot at winning all five, but if Nibali wanted, he could top ten all Monuments. He already finished on the podium of 3 Monuments after all... The reason why he hasn't won more classics is because Grand Tours has always been his main focus and he has never been a cyclist with consistent form throughout the season. He peaks for specific periods.

yes, but a real problem is a focus Nibs has to elect to do well in the classics and quite a limited time he has to try. yet that's not 2012. today, nibali is a way stronger rider than he was back then but his skills of riding classics regressed.

 

[Miburo]

Re: Re:

If Wiggo can top ten in Roubaix, I'm sure Nibs can do the same.

Obviously no currently active cyclist has a realistic shot at winning all five, but if Nibali wanted, he could top ten all Monuments. He already finished on the podium of 3 Monuments after all... The reason why he hasn't won more classics is because Grand Tours has always been his main focus and he has never been a cyclist with consistent form throughout the season. He peaks for specific periods.

yes, but a real problem is a focus Nibs has to elect to do well in the classics and quite a limited time he has to try. yet that's not 2012. today, nibali is a way stronger rider than he was back then but his skills of riding classics regressed.

What? You think this nibali is better than the one of 2012?

I doubt, i highly doubt it. I always knew you know nothing of cycling

 

[toolittle]

Re: Re:

If Wiggo can top ten in Roubaix, I'm sure Nibs can do the same.

Obviously no currently active cyclist has a realistic shot at winning all five, but if Nibali wanted, he could top ten all Monuments. He already finished on the podium of 3 Monuments after all... The reason why he hasn't won more classics is because Grand Tours has always been his main focus and he has never been a cyclist with consistent form throughout the season. He peaks for specific periods.

yes, but a real problem is a focus Nibs has to elect to do well in the classics and quite a limited time he has to try. yet that's not 2012. today, nibali is a way stronger rider than he was back then but his skills of riding classics regressed.

What? You think this nibali is better than the one of 2012?

I doubt, i highly doubt it. I always knew you know nothing of cycling

Nabali win Giro with normal form, finished tdf with weak form. Strong in Olympic.
He is classy rider with wide range of skills and abilities. Instinct aerobic fittnes is top class.

But he is too slim for Sprint and cobbled stone win.

 

[toolittle]

Re: Re:

Congr to Cancellera, he defined himself as best time trailist all the time.
Great to see him retire with big success.

(I thought ORR fits him well if he target it and lose some weight. Finally, he targeted TT and win it. It is great.)

 

[Mr.White]

Re: Re:

Congr to Cancellera, he defined himself as best time trailist all the time.
Great to see him retire with big success.

(I thought ORR fits him well if he target it and lose some weight. Finally, he targeted TT and win it. It is great.)

Cancellara is certainly among the greatest TT-ist of all time, but the greatest is Jacques Anquetil, no doubt about that

 

[Netserk]

In the same way that Pantani is the best climber ever, the only challenger there is to Indurain as the greatest TTer is Ullrich.

 

[Cannibal72]

Re:

In the same way that Pantani is the best climber ever, the only challenger there is to Indurain as the greatest TTer is Ullrich.

Hmm. Van Impe, Gaul, Herrera, and Fuente are all competition to Pantani, and for me none of them match up to the Eagle.

 

[burning]

Even though stuff like Mendrisio has happened, people seems to forget that he only won 1 long TT in the Tour. I would say he is definitely behind Indurain but he might be ranked second. About Ullrich, I don't get why you rate him so highly though. He got beaten by Lance regularly in all sorts of TT's and I think that his full *** period was a bit short to put him in 2nd place.

 

[barmaher]

This was a good thread on time triallists.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18719

 

[portugal11]

Re:

Even though stuff like Mendrisio has happened, people seems to forget that he only won 1 long TT in the Tour. I would say he is definitely behind Indurain but he might be ranked second. About Ullrich, I don't get why you rate him so highly though. He got beaten by Lance regularly in all sorts of TT's and I think that his full *** period was a bit short to put him in 2nd place.

How many long time trials had last tours in the first half of le tour? NO ONE. So it isn't strange that spartacus only won one long time trial. Indurain was a stage racer so his recover was great and in that time le tour had 3/4 time trials

 

[Carols]

Getting back to the original topic of this thread it should now be a No Contest that Fabu outranks Boonen!!!!

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

If Wiggo can top ten in Roubaix, I'm sure Nibs can do the same.

Obviously no currently active cyclist has a realistic shot at winning all five, but if Nibali wanted, he could top ten all Monuments. He already finished on the podium of 3 Monuments after all... The reason why he hasn't won more classics is because Grand Tours has always been his main focus and he has never been a cyclist with consistent form throughout the season. He peaks for specific periods.

Wiggins was twice the time triallist and rouleur that Nibali is. While Nibali would be a lot better on the cobbled sectors on a rainy edition, it would be extremely hard for him to hold any advantage he has coming out of those sectors.

Nibali can only ever win a Paris-Roubaix held in torrential rain (even then his chances are very very slim) but you're underestimating Nibali's rouleur capabilities. Not by much, mind, just slightly.

 

[burning]

Re: Re:

Even though stuff like Mendrisio has happened, people seems to forget that he only won 1 long TT in the Tour. I would say he is definitely behind Indurain but he might be ranked second. About Ullrich, I don't get why you rate him so highly though. He got beaten by Lance regularly in all sorts of TT's and I think that his full *** period was a bit short to put him in 2nd place.

How many long time trials had last tours in the first half of le tour? NO ONE. So it isn't strange that spartacus only won one long time trial. Indurain was a stage racer so his recover was great and in that time le tour had 3/4 time trials

The Tour had long TT's in 2007, 2008 and 2012 in the first half and he was definitely in his prime in 2007 and 2008.

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Even though stuff like Mendrisio has happened, people seems to forget that he only won 1 long TT in the Tour. I would say he is definitely behind Indurain but he might be ranked second. About Ullrich, I don't get why you rate him so highly though. He got beaten by Lance regularly in all sorts of TT's and I think that his full *** period was a bit short to put him in 2nd place.

How many long time trials had last tours in the first half of le tour? NO ONE. So it isn't strange that spartacus only won one long time trial. Indurain was a stage racer so his recover was great and in that time le tour had 3/4 time trials

The Tour had long TT's in 2007, 2008 and 2012 in the first half and he was definitely in his prime in 2007 and 2008.

In 2007 and 2012 he was in average shape

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

Getting back to the original topic of this thread it should now be a No Contest that Fabu outranks Boonen!!!!

It would be a no contest if Boonen hadn't won the WCRR or if Canc had.

I agree that Canc outranks Boonen but it's certainly close

 

[Arredondo]

Re:

I agree that Sagan would be the only one who realistically could win all 5 monuments. I think the following riders could top-10 in all, at least, if they focused purely on monuments: Valverde. Nibali, Kwito, Cancellara and Gilbert. All at their best very versatile. Gilbert probably the second closest to Sagan, but he only had 2-3 really good years. He has been rather underwhelming before and after his dominant year(s).

Why people think Valverde can top-10 in Roubaix? That's such an unique race, for riders with total different characteristics then Bala has.

The only Movistar guy who can do a really good PR, is Erviti. And maybe Malori and Castroviejo.

I highly doubt Valverde can even top-10 in Flanders. He has never managed to do it in Milan-San-Remo. And that's a race he is more suited to on paper then Flanders.

 

[burning]

Re: Re:

Even though stuff like Mendrisio has happened, people seems to forget that he only won 1 long TT in the Tour. I would say he is definitely behind Indurain but he might be ranked second. About Ullrich, I don't get why you rate him so highly though. He got beaten by Lance regularly in all sorts of TT's and I think that his full *** period was a bit short to put him in 2nd place.

How many long time trials had last tours in the first half of le tour? NO ONE. So it isn't strange that spartacus only won one long time trial. Indurain was a stage racer so his recover was great and in that time le tour had 3/4 time trials

The Tour had long TT's in 2007, 2008 and 2012 in the first half and he was definitely in his prime in 2007 and 2008.

In 2007 and 2012 he was in average shape

I would love to destroy a prologue and ride away from the peloton in the final km with average shape. Are you really serious?

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Even though stuff like Mendrisio has happened, people seems to forget that he only won 1 long TT in the Tour. I would say he is definitely behind Indurain but he might be ranked second. About Ullrich, I don't get why you rate him so highly though. He got beaten by Lance regularly in all sorts of TT's and I think that his full *** period was a bit short to put him in 2nd place.

How many long time trials had last tours in the first half of le tour? NO ONE. So it isn't strange that spartacus only won one long time trial. Indurain was a stage racer so his recover was great and in that time le tour had 3/4 time trials

The Tour had long TT's in 2007, 2008 and 2012 in the first half and he was definitely in his prime in 2007 and 2008.

In 2007 and 2012 he was in average shape

I would love to destroy a prologue and ride away from the peloton in the final km with average shape. Are you really serious?

Cance is a very talented rider and even in average shape he is stronger and more powerful than 99% of the peloton. He doesn't need to be at top shape to win prologues.