Rate the riders

[Kwibus]

Nice list, ofcourse I don't agree on everything but nothing special.
Except that you don't mention Gilbert @ descending while he's shown plenty of times that he's atleast 1 of the best(if not best?) descenders in the current peloton.

 

[Arnout]

Hitch you saw Gorka Izagirre in the Tour?

In some other race (can't remember when and where) he and Sammy were on duo attack and Gorka outdecended him. And not a little bit. That guy is seriously the best descender in the peloton by a mile.

 

[Panda Claws]

I agree with the stats now. Valverde is still the better sprinter in my opinion as well but it would be close. While Gilbert is quite the descender he is not really one of the absolute best in my opinion.

For example in Milan-Sanremo this year during the descent of the poggio he was always behind in the group chasing GVA. (But this might be nothing.)

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Is Kloeden really still, that good?

Sometimes he still is that good, but that's venturing into Clinic territory.

 

[The Hitch]

Hitch you saw Gorka Izagirre in the Tour?

In some other race (can't remember when and where) he and Sammy were on duo attack and Gorka outdecended him. And not a little bit. That guy is seriously the best descender in the peloton by a mile.

That would be Paris Nice. Samu really sucked there. But Euskaltel still suck at bike handling, even if 1 or 2 are quite good at it.

Nice list, ofcourse I don't agree on everything but nothing special.
Except that you don't mention Gilbert @ descending while he's shown plenty of times that he's atleast 1 of the best(if not best?) descenders in the current peloton.

You are right. Gilbert is a great descender.

 

[El Pistolero]

I would also include Gilbert in bike handling skills. For starters, he only crashed once this year at the GP Montreal. And I once saw Gilbert riding down a steep set of stairs with his time trial bike while only using one hand.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I hope you realize that was a sprint after Gilbert killed him self trying to still win the race on Saint-Nicholas, humiliating Valverde in the process. The funny thing is, you'll never see Valverde doing work on the front. He's just sucking Cadel's wheel in the hope that the latter reels Gilbert back in.

Yeah, Valverde is faster on the flat sprints, but that vid doesn't prove anything.

i agree actually from the 3 gilbert really tried, valverde sucked some wheel that day.

samu i feel is an overrated descender.

 

[Kwibus]

i agree actually from the 3 gilbert really tried, valverde sucked some wheel that day.

samu i feel is an overrated descender.

I agree. Samu hasn't really impressed me with his descending skills over the last 2 years. It could also be that I expect too much of him since the Hitch is always preaching that Samu is one of the best descenders

 

[cineteq]

I agree. Samu hasn't really impressed me with his descending skills over the last 2 years. It could also be that I expect too much of him since the Hitch is always preaching that Samu is one of the best descenders

And you know what false rumors can do...

 

[hrotha]

Samu used to be 82 Descending and 67 Sprint I'd say, but now it's more like 77 & 52.

 

[El Pistolero]

Samu used to be 82 Descending and 67 Sprint I'd say, but now it's more like 77 & 52.

Yeah, as he grew older his sprint seems to have diminished as has his descending skills.

His climbing seems to be as good as ever though, if not better.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Yeah, as he grew older his sprint seems to have diminished as has his descending skills.

His climbing seems to be as good as ever though, if not better.

His time trialing also seems to have gotten worse. He did well at the Tour, but all in all he's been pretty damn inconsistent this season.

 

[Arnout]

Samu used to be a great descender, but he fell once or twice in 2007/8 and also mentioned that he is a bit more cautious since he has kids. So his descending is a bit overrated maybe but I feel most of his other assets are underrated by the media, so its fine really.

 

[Kwibus]

Samu used to be a great descender, but he fell once or twice in 2007/8 and also mentioned that he is a bit more cautious since he has kids. So his descending is a bit overrated maybe but I feel most of his other assets are underrated by the media, so its fine really.

I think a guy called Liggett once said that Sanchez was a poor descender.
The Hitch will probably quote it for me

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Rebellin 81 hills? very very generous Hitchie, wouldn't go above 75 tbh.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Vino

Mountain: 75
Hills : 80
Flat : 78
tt (long): 72
tt (short): 75
Fighter:99999999999998
sex appeal:9999999999...6
pure awesomeness: the number haven`t been invented

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Rebellin 81 hills? very very generous Hitchie, wouldn't go above 75 tbh.

yeah but rebellin uses the training camp

Yeah, as he grew older his sprint seems to have diminished as has his descending skills.

His climbing seems to be as good as ever though, if not better.

yeah, this is basically it.

 

[The Hitch]

also mentioned that he is a bit more cautious since he has kids. .

Samus eldest is 10 years old.

yeah but rebellin uses the training camp

lol

I think a guy called Liggett once said that Sanchez was a poor descender.
The Hitch will probably quote it for me

It was one of those stupid Ligget quotes where he showed he doesnt know any riders outside Hincapie, Cavendish, Lance, Andy Schleck, Evans and Contador.

he said that Samu is coming over the mountain but that since hes a poor descender he will probably fall back to the group behind. Sherwen immediately corrected him.

I agree. Samu hasn't really impressed me with his descending skills over the last 2 years. It could also be that I expect too much of him since the Hitch is always preaching that Samu is one of the best descenders

No im not. I preach about his climbing skills and tt skills (the latter of which some swear is the same as Joaquim Rodriguez) but I rarely talk about his descending skills.