Rank these Cycling Legends: Kristoff, Van Avermaet, Purito, Quintana, Degenkolb

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These comparison discussions focus (rightly so) on big wins but I think Quintana’s status was upped by his 2nd places in Tour against the big Sky machine he was up against. And for awhile on that ascent to Alpe d’Huez there seemed a chance he could knock Froome off the top step.

As for winning, he has a lot of wins (51) for a GC guy, including overall titles at Tirreno (2x), Catalunya, Pais Vasco, Valencia, and Romandie to go with the two GTs.
 
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There's 2 distinct groups here; the GT guys, and the classics guys. With a distinct difference between them.

When people talk, non-specifically*, about how "Purito/Quintana should have won more GTs," they're talking about GTs that Froome, Nibali, Contador won.

When people talk, non-specifically*, about how Sagan should have won more monuments, they're talking about monuments that Degenkolb and Kristoff won.

*"Non-specifically" as in, Sagan/Purito/Quintana only had a couple of genuine, close-run races you can point to and say "he shoulda won that," (2012&18 MSR, 2012 Giro, 2015 Tour) so it follows that in all 3 cases, there must have been a few races where they weren't all that close that people feel they should have been better able to get into position to win and close the deal (Sagan was top 10 in 3 of the 4 monument Degenkolb & Kristoff won).
 
Concerning the completness of the list, if we rank aging riders with two big wins then Terpstra (as already mentioned), Kwiatkowski and Fuglsang are missing. Cavendish actually also falls into that category and I bet a few people on this forum wouldn't rate him as number 1 out of that list.
Terpstra is retired, but then so is Purito. Also missing are Dan Martin and Carapaz

After a closer look I think Purito over Quintana is somewhat possible, Quintana had less close losses in GTs than I remembered. I actually guess GvA over Kristoff isn't that much of a shoe in and I guess many blindly go GvA because lol Olympics and because he's been on the front end of the big classics more while Kristoff just always wins that sprint behind.

And I would 100% put Cavendish on top. Most of these guys were never the best at anything, Cavendish is by far the most dominant and long lasting specialist of the century.
 
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For posterity? Quintana. By like, a really long way. The Olympics are still at a rate of kind of figuring out what their prestige level is within pro cycling, since they've only been contested by the pros since the 90s and some people rate them very highly because of the rarity and others rate them comparatively lowly because of not having the same historical prestige or value as the Worlds or the Monuments.

GTs tend to be remembered more in posterity because they're harder to win as a fluke, whereas a one-day race can always be misjudged or something strange happen on the day like Oliver Zaugg being the strongest man on the day or Jacky Durand not being caught.

Also Kristoff and Degenkolb seldom came into major classics as 'the red hot favourite' despite their achievements because they were largely seen as sprint threats, which has them behind GVA for me. Obviously both were seen as more than sprinters, but sprint wins and challenges tend to be more fleeting and less valued long term than winning on guts and tactics, we don't tend to go back and rewatch sprint stages unless something unusual happens, so I think that a lot of their wins will be less well received by posterity than the others, and GVA will be valued more in the distant future because he got his placements in more memorable and fashionable ways. The way Kristoff won his Ronde elevates him above Degenkolb for me (especially as 2015 Roubaix was a much-disliked edition), but the way Quintana came in as a major player and, if not the absolute favourite, then the expected main opposition, for the best part of a decade has him at a higher level. He has more 'signature rides' as well as having won two GTs and podiumed multiple others (and crashed out of another while leading).

Purito is the hardest of all of them to rate. He has that whole GT side to him that the others who primarily won one-day races don't, but simultaneously he never actually won one, and is most famous for capitulating in the time trials, losing GTs to the likes of Nibali might be acceptable to posterity but Ryder Hesjedal in the most conservative GT ever raced? Ain't nobody clamouring to re-visit that race, and it would be hypocritical of me not to count that against him in the same manner as 2015 Roubaix being poorly-received meaning it won't be one people go back to being held against Degenkolb's legacy. Similarly, Purito has a very good one-day palmarès especially in the hilly classics with the likes of Flèche as well, but his one-day ride that will perhaps be most remembered will be the 2013 Worlds in Firenze where Valverde falling asleep at the wheel cost Spain the gold and left Purito completely helpless at the end.

However, one thing in Rodríguez' favour is the whole concept of the murito being pseudo-named for him, following his nickname and the likes of the Muro di Montelupone becoming pure Joaquím Rodríguez playgrounds.
 
Concerning the completness of the list, if we rank aging riders with two big wins then Terpstra (as already mentioned), Kwiatkowski and Fuglsang are missing. Cavendish actually also falls into that category and I bet a few people on this forum wouldn't rate him as number 1 out of that list.
Terpstra is retired, but then so is Purito. Also missing are Dan Martin and Carapaz
What about Simon Gerrans? He retired more recently than Rodriguez and has a greater variety of major wins.
 
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How would you rank them?
They had stellar careers but never reach Iconic Status ala Boonen, Cancellara, Contador, Froome, Valverde, Nibali, Cavendish, Gilbert, Sagan, etc.

Here's mine:
  1. Purito
  2. Kristoff
  3. Degenkolb
  4. Quintana
  5. GVA
Degenkolb better than Quintana? oh dear. Now I am starting to think that Quintana must have pissed a lot of people off.
 
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