Rider with the best palmares relative to their ability?

[El Pistolero]

Great call. National title and a tour stage just because he never asked himself "is this attack really wise?". Brilliant.

But Pereiro Sio takes the trophy home, with ease.

At least we know he's a clean cyclist lol. If only every cyclist was as honest as him lol.

 

[hrotha]

At least we know he's a clean cyclist lol. If only every cyclist was as honest as him lol.

Who, Óscar or Ludo?

 

[Anonymous]

Based on actual natural ability. Armstrong. A decent one day rider who won seven tours.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ludo famously busted himself, so Ludo. He was asked by a tester if he'd taken anything that might cause a positive result, and he said yes, he'd taken synacthen.

 

[luckyboy]

Menchov has done mighty well based on his abilities, I would say. Seems to stay quietly under the radar yet he has two GTs and more than a few podiums to his name.

*coughs* .

 

[ergmonkey]

Menchov has done mighty well based on his abilities, I would say. Seems to stay quietly under the radar yet he has two GTs and more than a few podiums to his name.

Make that three GTs.

 

[ergmonkey]

Based on actual natural ability. Armstrong. A decent one day rider who won seven tours.

"Decent"? I'm all for some Lance hate, but one loses all credibility once lost in hyperbole.

I think that a world championship at age 21, victories in Fleche Wallone and San Sebastian, plus two podiums at Liege-Bastogne-Liege (all before one's twenty-fifth birthday) qualifies as something considerably more than "decent."

 

[El Pistolero]

Who, Óscar or Ludo?

Ludo of course

He was asked by the doping testers if he had taken any forbidden products before he got tested and he said that he had taken some kind of medicine during the Tour of German, but that he had a prescription for it. His team didn't know any of this, so they took him out of the Tour de France. The test came back negative.

And about Pereiro. Well, he's the most likely clean Tour winner this decade, but that's all I'm going to say as it belongs in the clinic

 

[Jukebox]

Sergei Ivanov

Good call.

 

[Matthijs]

Or, Carlos Sastre, who is certainly a great rider but not quite Tour de France winner caliber. My last thought is Oscar Periero for the same reasons as Sastre.

You didn't saw the race in 2008 right? How many guys from the top5 rankings in the last week of the Tour did you see making a 2minute gap on a legendary mountain like Alpe d'Huez? I think if you can do that, you are truly the best Tour de France champion I can think of.
Yes it wasn't maybe the best contested year. But in your logic you can only deserve a win in the Tour if you do it 3 or more times... He took his change against all top contenders who raced and destroyed them the best way possible.

I can understand he's mentioned in this topic, but saying he is no TdF winner caliber? tss...

 

[hrotha]

Ludo of course

Ah, ok. You see, I couldn't decide which one of the two was the shadier character.

 

[royalpig180]

Menchov has done mighty well based on his abilities, I would say. Seems to stay quietly under the radar yet he has two GTs and more than a few podiums to his name.

Gesink so far too. And he can look forward to a lot more opportunities ahead of him.

Sorry if somebody else already caught this, but Menchov has won 3 GTs (Vuelta 2005,07 Giro 2009). With that correction made, I disagre that Menchov doesn't have abilities. He's one of the best climbers in the world (certainly not in the first tier of climbers such as A. Shleck, Contador, Basso, but still very strong) and on top of that he is a much stronger TTer than most who can climb as well as he does. I'd say his palmares match up to his abilities accordingly.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Cant believe none of you haters havnt said it yet.

Lift your game haters.

I guess it is to be expected, you do hate excellence after all.

some new and funny material would be much appreciated!

 

[jens_attacks]

Sorry if somebody else already caught this, but Menchov has won 3 GTs (Vuelta 2005,07 Giro 2009).

sorry but that's nothing wrong there.heras won 2005 vuelta.of course for the statistics,denis won it...on the road it was a different winner if you saw the race.

 

[L'arriviste]

Sorry if somebody else already caught this, but Menchov has won 3 GTs (Vuelta 2005,07 Giro 2009). With that correction made, I disagre that Menchov doesn't have abilities. He's one of the best climbers in the world (certainly not in the first tier of climbers such as A. Shleck, Contador, Basso, but still very strong) and on top of that he is a much stronger TTer than most who can climb as well as he does. I'd say his palmares match up to his abilities accordingly.

Sorry folks, I only came back to cycling in late 2009 so my knowledge of recent years is a bit sketchy.

I understood "Rider with the best palmares relative to their ability" to mean a rider who had delivered a lot based on his abilities. There is nothing in the thread title to suggest that the OP is asking us to call out examples of overdelivery. If that were the case, I'd be namedropping folks like Jacky Durand or perhaps Luc Leblanc.

Therefore I am not picking on Menchov as a man of limited abilities, just a man who has delivered an impressive palmares to reflect his impressive abilities.

 

[hrotha]

sorry but that's nothing wrong there.heras won 2005 vuelta.of course for the statistics,denis won it...on the road it was a different winner if you saw the race.

Rules are rules. Even if you personally don't think Heras did anything wrong, he still breached the rules of the game ("don't get caught", if you want to be cynical about it). From your point of view it shouldn't be any different from being towed up a climb by your DS.

 

[arnaud]

Which rider would you say has the best palmares relative to their abilities?

Names that spring to mind for me are Voekler, multiple days in yellow and wins in important one-day races by virtue of being opportunistic. Or, Carlos Sastre, who is certainly a great rider but not quite Tour de France winner caliber. My last thought is Oscar Periero for the same reasons as Sastre.

i don't agree: On the contrary,Thomas Voeckler could win major races : just take a look at the way he won Plouay a few years before and that year Quebec : he made the break at the very intense moment and face to very big racers. But he prefer to hold a marginal play and keeps on partial win as tdf stages and remunerate his popularity

 

[El Pistolero]

Lol at those who are saying Carlos Sastre. He should have a better palmares if you look at his abilities. Not the other way around.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, you could argue Sean Kelly. Wasnt the greatest sprinter around, wasnt a particularly good climber, average time triallist, but won just about everything.

 

[Jan the Man]

On that token Merckx.

Incredible ability - incredible palmares.

 

[The Hitch]

Lol at those who are saying Carlos Sastre. He should have a better palmares if you look at his abilities. Not the other way around.

Yep totally agree.

14 gt top 10s
8 gt top 5s
5 gt podiums

If this guy hadnt won at leas 1 gt, he would have been the greatest underachiever. Fully deserves a Tour title to his name.

 

[Jukebox]

I understood "Rider with the best palmares relative to their ability" to mean a rider who had delivered a lot based on his abilities. There is nothing in the thread title to suggest that the OP is asking us to call out examples of overdelivery. If that were the case, I'd be namedropping folks like Jacky Durand or perhaps Luc Leblanc.

I was looking for overdelivery of results based on ability.

 

[Wallace]

I'd put Cunego on that list. That he has a GT on his palmares seems pretty flukey.

 

[maratsafin]

oscar freire - no doubt about it. WCS, MSR, Paris Tours etc etc etc etc etc etc

 

[Matthijs]

Richard (olympics) Brochard (worlds) Guesdon (PR) Aitor Gonzalez (Vuelta) Grabsch (worlds TT)