• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Riders for whom 2010 was an annus horribilis

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
L'arriviste

L'arriviste

Feb 23, 2010
2,114
19
11,510
www.dopeology.org
Thought I'd start this one off (though not in the clinic) for guys who weren't firing this year or had this year written off by badness. Lot of them, it feels like. But happily, many of these guys will be out to prove something in 2011.

Here are some:

Cunego - the little prince never looked like wearing the crown
Hincapie - only the hideous jersey actually stood out this year
Haussler - with such strong early form, what might have been?
Kroon - a bad crash ruined his face and his whole year
Ballan - ruled out by procedural intrigue, the 2008 champ has had a duffer season
Pellizotti - suspended since forever, how would he have shaken up the GTs?
Simoni - not really fit enough for his swansong and so got mercilessly Tschopped down!
Wigans - 'nuff said! ;)
 
M

Moondance

Jul 2, 2009
5,597
71
17,580
Visit site
Christian Vande Velde I guess would be a good shout too. Knocked out of both GTs where he'd decided to buid his season around only a few days in. and the biological clock is ticking too. He doesn't have many years left (if any) to try and recapture that impressive 08 form.
 
mr. tibbs

mr. tibbs

Mar 10, 2009
2,278
4
11,485
Visit site
The Hitch said:
I think Boonen did well but many saw 2nd MSR 2nd RVV and 5th PR as an epic failure on his part. Doesnt help that he was injured for the rest of the season.

LEvi and Kloeden didnt do much. Both have been up there in gts before.
Click to expand...

Came in to post about Klodi. I guess RS was...laying low this year. ;)

Hoste can't be too pleased with how the year went, either.
 
M

Moondance

Jul 2, 2009
5,597
71
17,580
Visit site
The Hitch said:
I think Boonen did well but many saw 2nd MSR 2nd RVV and 5th PR as an epic failure on his part. Doesnt help that he was injured for the rest of the season.

LEvi and Kloeden didnt do much. Both have been up there in gts before.
Click to expand...

You can't blame the geriatrics for finally showing their age. Even then they still had some decent showings here and there which is all you can honestly expect from guys into their mid/late 30s. That's why I don't agree with the OP that Kroon, Hincapie and Simoni had terrible years.
 
L'arriviste

L'arriviste

Feb 23, 2010
2,114
19
11,510
www.dopeology.org
mr. tibbs said:
Hoste can't be too pleased with how the year went, either.
Click to expand...

+1 Must have been a very bad winter for Hoste.

On a similar note, I'd add Nick Nuyens to that list. Not much happening there in 2010.

Oddly enough, I was about to mention Stijn Devolder, but then I remembered that he did the double in the national championships and took the Ronde van Belgie classement. Remembering how crap he was in spring, I guess it's just a case of the late bloomer. ;)
 
L'arriviste

L'arriviste

Feb 23, 2010
2,114
19
11,510
www.dopeology.org
Christian said:
Kim Kirchen.
Click to expand...

+1000. Poor Kim, what a year!

Long before his illness finished off his season, I was on the Molenberg when he went struggling past at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. He was not a happy man there but I figured, he's got the whole year ahead of him. Sadly, things never really seemed to improve.

I accept what Moondance says about age telling on some guys - that has merit - but even though he's knocking on these days, Kirchen's lack of fizz this year seemed to me to have been quite sudden rather than a steady decline.

On the good side though, didn't he have a baby this year?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Eddy boss for me.

After last year I think there were probably (overrealistic) hopes for him for this season. Obviously the early season injury screwed things up for him really, he was riding well in oman and if he could have carried that into the spring who knows.

Injury caused problems and then when he returned he didnt really seem to know what he was meant to be. was he a sprinter, was he going in breaks, was he going to jump with 2k to go.. he seemed to be caught in a complete know mans land. Seemed to be complete confusion. He isnt tactically aware enough to be a pure out and out sprinter, but he didnt seem to want to go early.

Hope for much better for next year. (hes still very young)
 
L'arriviste

L'arriviste

Feb 23, 2010
2,114
19
11,510
www.dopeology.org
TeamSkyFans said:
Eddy boss for me.

After last year I think there were probably (overrealistic) hopes for him for this season. Obviously the early season injury screwed things up for him really, he was riding well in oman and if he could have carried that into the spring who knows.

Injury caused problems and then when he returned he didnt really seem to know what he was meant to be. was he a sprinter, was he going in breaks, was he going to jump with 2k to go.. he seemed to be caught in a complete know mans land. Seemed to be complete confusion. He isnt tactically aware enough to be a pure out and out sprinter, but he didnt seem to want to go early.

Hope for much better for next year. (hes still very young)
Click to expand...

Interesting you say that (and you should know!) I thought he did really well considering his situation. Mind you, I didn't see him in 2009 when he did Gent-Wevelgem, ToB etc. But I watched him win that Dauphiné stage and he really impressed me.
 
ingsve

ingsve

Mar 12, 2009
4,513
245
15,880
Visit site
TeamSkyFans said:
Eddy boss for me.

After last year I think there were probably (overrealistic) hopes for him for this season. Obviously the early season injury screwed things up for him really, he was riding well in oman and if he could have carried that into the spring who knows.

Injury caused problems and then when he returned he didnt really seem to know what he was meant to be. was he a sprinter, was he going in breaks, was he going to jump with 2k to go.. he seemed to be caught in a complete know mans land. Seemed to be complete confusion. He isnt tactically aware enough to be a pure out and out sprinter, but he didnt seem to want to go early.

Hope for much better for next year. (hes still very young)
Click to expand...

Still though, 20 podiums including 6 victories is a lot better than what most riders can hope for. His year was worse than last year but I wouldn't call it horrible.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
L'arriviste said:
Interesting you say that (and you should know!) I thought he did really well considering his situation. Mind you, I didn't see him in 2009 when he did Gent-Wevelgem, ToB etc. But I watched him win that Dauphiné stage and he really impressed me.
Click to expand...

He had moments but was very inconcistent for me. Not saying it was his fault. Injury played a big part, but due to those injuries i would say he didnt have the year he would have hoped for. Im not talking horrible year through his own fault, but some of it was.

ingsve said:
Still though, 20 podiums including 6 victories is a lot better than what most riders can hope for. His year was worse than last year but I wouldn't call it horrible.
Click to expand...

I would say falling short of expectation.. 14 times he came close but didnt win. injury played a part, tactics played a part, a lot of those 14 times were screw ups. He wasnt the eddy boss of 2008/09
 
S

simo1733

Jun 15, 2010
1,318
0
0
Visit site
TeamSkyFans said:
He had moments but was very inconcistent for me. Not saying it was his fault. Injury played a big part, but due to those injuries i would say he didnt have the year he would have hoped for. Im not talking horrible year through his own fault, but some of it was.



I would say falling short of expectation.. 14 times he came close but didnt win. injury played a part, tactics played a part, a lot of those 14 times were screw ups. He wasnt the eddy boss of 2008/09
Click to expand...

I am surprised you picked EBH.How about Serge Pauwels
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom