Rider of the Year

[euanli]

Flyod Landis

 

[ttrider]

Cancellaras 6th at best for me, how many genuine rivals focus on cobbled classics in comparison to hilly one Gts and sprints? (Reality is only really Belgians Dutch and a few others)
1 Nibali (1st vuelta, 3rd Giro, 1st San Luis)
2 Contador (1st Tour, 1st Paris Nice, 1st Castilla Leon, 1st Algarve, 2nd Dauphine) would be first if he wasnt now suspended!
3 Gilbert (1st Lombardia, 1st Amstel, 1st Emilia, 2 Vuelta stages)
4 Cavendish (8! Gt stages and numerous smaller tour ones)
5 Rodriguez (4th Vuelta, 8th tour, 1st Volta Cataluna, 2 stages in different Gts)


Cancellara (tt worlds, 2 Gt stages, 1st roubais, 1st flanders)

 

[uphillstruggle]

Cancellaras 6th at best for me, how many genuine rivals focus on cobbled classics in comparison to hilly one Gts and sprints? (Reality is only really Belgians Dutch and a few others)
1 Nibali (1st vuelta, 3rd Giro, 1st San Luis)
2 Contador (1st Tour, 1st Paris Nice, 1st Castilla Leon, 1st Algarve, 2nd Dauphine) would be first if he wasnt now suspended!
3 Gilbert (1st Lombardia, 1st Amstel, 1st Emilia, 2 Vuelta stages)
4 Cavendish (8! Gt stages and numerous smaller tour ones)
5 Rodriguez (4th Vuelta, 8th tour, 1st Volta Cataluna, 2 stages in different Gts)


Cancellara (tt worlds, 2 Gt stages, 1st roubais, 1st flanders)

I just can't agree with that. 2 monuments, a world champions jersey and two tour stages easily beats cav's and Rodriguez's achievements this year.

 

[Leopejo]

Cancellaras 6th at best for me, how many genuine rivals focus on cobbled classics in comparison to hilly one Gts and sprints? (Reality is only really Belgians Dutch and a few others)

Their fault. The cobbled classics are second to none in prestige and importance.

(and this from the mouth of an Italian)

 

[Jan the Man]

Gilbert's consistency in the Monuments gets it for me.

Cancellara had more outstanding performances, granted.

1. Gilbert
2. Cancellara
3. Nibali

 

[Vonn Brinkman]

For me, it's Spartacus.
Then Gilbert and Nibali.

 

[Christian]

Cancellara rode in a league of his own this year. Won everything he set his mind to.

Gilbert did great too though.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I cannot in good faith put Cav that high considering how appalling his year was until July (oooo he beat the sprinting field at Catalunya, where Daniel Moreno got in the top 10 of a bunch sprint), and that he failed his big season goals (M-SR and the Tour points jersey). Earlier this year during the height of the Cav/Greipel handbags Cav supporters were doing down the Vuelta points jersey that Greipel won, saying it was worthless. Now it's a great achievement apparently, despite Greipel having won it AND with more stage wins than Cavendish. Unless you count the TTT, which I don't.

How about Cadel Evans? Wore the leader's jersey in two GTs, won a big Ardennes race and overall, much as we loved mocking him, had the best year we've seen a rainbow jersey have in years. And with the team he had around him... the Cadel of old would have sat and sulked and blamed them for his deficiencies. The new Cadel will go out and chase things for himself.

Love him or hate him, Vino's had one hell of a year too - a stage win and nearly another at the Tour, a monument, time in the maglia rosa, the Giro del Trentino overall and a podium at San Sebastián...

Rodríguez has had a better year than Cavendish. Easily. How do you argue with 6th at Paris-Nice, 1st at Catalunya, 1st in the GP Big Mig, 3rd and a stage at País Vasco, 2nd at Flèche, 9th at Suisse, 8th and a stage at the Tour, 5th at San Seb and 4th with a stint in the leader's jersey at the Vuelta? You can't fight that kind of consistency.

Also, Tyler Farrar, though nobody would think to mention him, has quietly accumulated excellent results this year. 3rd at Omloop, 9th at Gent-Wevelgem, a stage at De Panne, 5th at de Ronde, 1st in the Scheldeprijs, 2 stages at the Giro, the GC of the Delta Tour Zeeland, Vattenfall, 2nd in Plouay and 2 stages of the Vuelta. If he hadn't been injured at the Tour he may have merited a mention.

Carlos Sastre also joined a select club of people to finish all 3 GTs in the top 20 in a season - with 2 top 10s.

 

[Anonymous]

I just can't agree with that. 2 monuments, a world champions jersey and two tour stages easily beats cav's and Rodriguez's achievements this year.

Not convinced. The Worlds TT is basically the cancellara invitation tournament

 

[Barrus]

I can add two options. I would say Nibali and Rodriguez, but what are your preferences for other options?

 

[uphillstruggle]

Not convinced. The Worlds TT is basically the cancellara invitation tournament

That's the thing, because Canc is SO good at his chosen discipline's no one is every impressed by his wins. I agree there is no point in even checking the TT results in a race Canc is targeting (well unless maybe to see if he punctures.) but they are impressive wins nonetheless. Not my favourite rider this year personally, I would choose Nibali or Gilbert, but in terms of results only Contador betters him.

My Fav rider this year was Szmyd BTW.

 

[ILovecycling]

uhmm...that's difficult so close but for me Philipe unforgetable season then Cancellara...!!!(awesome double)...and 3 a 4 place Nibali or Rodriguez then Contador

 

[Christian]

That's the thing, because Canc is SO good at his chosen discipline's no one is every impressed by his wins. I agree there is no point in even checking the TT results in a race Canc is targeting (well unless maybe to see if he punctures.) but they are impressive wins nonetheless.

Exactly - just cause he makes it look easy doesn't mean it's easy

 

[sublimit]

1 Dennis Menchov (hard as nails, like a Soviet tank circa 1953)
2 Vasil Kireynka (best domestique when its ultra tough, completely unburstable)
3 Mark Cavendish. (wins races and upsets people, so what?)
4 Cancellara (perfect cycling machine, best bike handler by a mile )
5 Vino (class and guts to go with it.)
6 Nibali (quality)

 

[Denkoff]

1. J.Rodriguez
2. I am
3. V.Nibali

 

[Moncoutie]

Cancellara
Nibali
Moncoutie

 

[ttrider]

What im saying with regards to Cancelara is that the cobles are a specific area that maybe 10 people focuses on, compare this to a gt or hilly classic when there are literally hundreds, i respect his achievments in GTs of course but to say hes dominated or been the best rider all season is bull ****.
Contador, Nibali, Vinukourov, Evans, Basso, Rodriguez, Cavendish and Farrar have superior achievments or lesser but more frequent ones!

 

[uphillstruggle]

What im saying with regards to Cancelara is that the cobles are a specific area that maybe 10 people focuses on, compare this to a gt or hilly classic when there are literally hundreds, i respect his achievments in GTs of course but to say hes dominated or been the best rider all season is bull ****.
Contador, Nibali, Vinukourov, Evans, Basso, Rodriguez, Cavendish and Farrar have superior achievments or lesser but more frequent ones!

Well if you think that of the major 9 prizes in cycling: the monuments, the GT's and the the World road race he has won two this year. I simply don't see how this does not at least put him in the top three riders this year. Farrar - you must be joking.

I get your point about the cobbles being more specialised than hilly classics but to say that 10 people focus on them is just wrong. The fact that 5 - 10 riders have any chance of winning on the cobbles is a not to say other are not going for it. Same applies for the Tour, many go with the hope of winning but for the last two years AS and AC have been a step above.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What im saying with regards to Cancelara is that the cobles are a specific area that maybe 10 people focuses on, compare this to a gt or hilly classic when there are literally hundreds, i respect his achievments in GTs of course but to say hes dominated or been the best rider all season is bull ****.
Contador, Nibali, Vinukourov, Evans, Basso, Rodriguez, Cavendish and Farrar have superior achievments or lesser but more frequent ones!

are there honestly "literally" hundreds of riders focusing on the GTs? Really? There are a maximum of 594 riders that CAN do the GTs - that's if all 3 GTs have 22 teams of 9 and no rider does 2 or 3 GTs (which in practice never happens). And it's safe to assume that not every single rider that goes to a GT is targeting it. Many ride the Giro as a warmup for the Tour, and many ride the Vuelta as a warmup for the Worlds. Many ride at a GT for contractual obligations, or as last-minute replacements when somebody who WAS focusing on that race is injured or banned on short notice. Many of those riders that remain have no ambitions for the GT - some are young riders for whom finishing the race is the only realistic aim; others are there with the sole intention of working for others; they focus on other races for their own goals.

Regards the rest, are you honestly saying that 8 sprint victories is a better achievement than winning RvV and Roubaix back-to-back?

 

[ttrider]

No hundreds do target results in some areas of Gts ie cavendish sprint , Moncoutie mountain stages, Contador the win.
On the other hand very few have any individual targets in a cobbled classic where 10 can realistically win and the rest simply cant be bothered to finish, in hilly classics or MSR many riders will be looking for success and attackig, if Cancellara beating Hushovd and Boonen twice nets him rider of the year in a race dominated by luck, then fair play but rider of the year? not by a million miles unless your belgian

 

[mr. tibbs]

I still haven't voted. Can't decide between Spartacus & Contador.

But I will say this, I think Contador's achievements in one-day, week long, and GT races outshines that of Nibali, which is why I left him off the list. I actually prefer the latter (you may recall I pegged him as the future Contador killer in that thread some months back), and he did have a stellar season, but I think Contador was better this year. (And, until they officially take it away, I'm obliged to acknowledge him Tour champion.)

P.S.: I asked Barrus to add Nibs and Rod to the poll.

 

[The Hitch]

Ill try to be a bit controversial here:

Could the 24 people who voted for Gilbert give me a explenation OTHER than "I really really like Gilbert"

Come on. The battle between Contador/ Nibali vs Cancellara is one of stage races and GTs vs Classics and stages and it can be debated which is more important.

But Cancellara vs Gilbert. thats a battle of classics and stages vs eachother. Cancellara won bigger classics than Gilbert, bigger GT stages than Gilbert, wore a more prestigious leaders jersey than Gilbert, did better in stage races than Gilbert, and won the Worlds ITT. In other words he won more than Gilbert and his victories were more impressive than Gilbert.

To say Gilbert did better than Canc this season is like saying that Menchov did better in the TOur de France than Andy Schleck. Just because you like Menchov better does not substitute for the fact that Andies performance was clearly better. Same with Cancellara. The RVV PR double is Way way better than the Emilia Lombardy double, stages and Leaders jersey in the Tour is way better than stages and leaders jersey at the Vuelta and the World TT at least equals if not beats Amstel Gold.

Where does anything Phillipe did this season surpass Cancellaras achievments? Even if you take into account that he toped 10 all the classics that still does not make up for the gulf between Lombardy Emilia same week, and RVV Paris Roubaix same week.

 

[The Hitch]

No hundreds do target results in some areas of Gts ie cavendish sprint , Moncoutie mountain stages, Contador the win.
On the other hand very few have any individual targets in a cobbled classic where 10 can realistically win and the rest simply cant be bothered to finish, in hilly classics or MSR many riders will be looking for success and attackig, if Cancellara beating Hushovd and Boonen twice nets him rider of the year in a race dominated by luck, then fair play but rider of the year? not by a million miles unless your belgian

You mean swiss?


By luck? He rode away from them. Everyone thought he would do it again on PR and he still crushed them. Not only that, he did it from 3 times as far away as was expected.

Luck. what a stupid comment. because next year even someone like Morabito might have the stars align correctly and win the PRR RVV double by luckily riding 50km away from everyone and not realising it

And dont claim he just did the "lucky" PR RVV double. He won 2 stages in the Tour and owned a 3rd. Half the teams in the peloton would have had their entire season made with just that.

He also won a world tt.

 

[Parrulo]

Ill try to be a bit controversial here:

Could the 24 people who voted for Gilbert give me a explenation OTHER than "I really really like Gilbert"

Come on. The battle between Contador/ Nibali vs Cancellara is one of stage races and GTs vs Classics and stages and it can be debated which is more important.

But Cancellara vs Gilbert. thats a battle of classics and stages vs eachother. Cancellara won bigger classics than Gilbert, bigger GT stages than Gilbert, wore a more prestigious leaders jersey than Gilbert, did better in stage races than Gilbert, and won the Worlds ITT. In other words he won more than Gilbert and his victories were more impressive than Gilbert.

To say Gilbert did better than Canc this season is like saying that Menchov did better in the TOur de France than Andy Schleck. Just because you like Menchov better does not substitute for the fact that Andies performance was clearly better. Same with Cancellara. The RVV PR double is Way way better than the Emilia Lombardy double, stages and Leaders jersey in the Tour is way better than stages and leaders jersey at the Vuelta and the World TT at least equals if not beats Amstel Gold.

Where does anything Phillipe did this season surpass Cancellaras achievments? Even if you take into account that he toped 10 all the classics that still does not make up for the gulf between Lombardy Emilia same week, and RVV Paris Roubaix same week.

+1

still my top would be:
´
1- nibali(he was looking very good at lombardy before he fell)
2- cancelara
3- contador

 

[jens_attacks]

But Cancellara vs Gilbert. thats a battle of classics and stages vs eachother. Cancellara won bigger classics than Gilbert, bigger GT stages than Gilbert, wore a more prestigious leaders jersey than Gilbert, did better in stage races than Gilbert, and won the Worlds ITT. In other words he won more than Gilbert and his victories were more impressive than Gilbert.

true.but gillbert didn't neutralize a stage wich could become one of the best stages in years.let's face it.that's why most of us hate fabian now