Second greatest male road cyclist of all time

[scholar]

I seem to remember someone (the Hitch?) mentioning having done this before. I'm interested as much in what people's views are now as in how unanimous they are.

 

[scholar]

Apologies for not including some of those with legitimate claims to be in the top 10 (I'm thinking in particular that any of Bobet, Binda, Contador, Fignon, Lemond, Zoetemelk might legitimately feel aggrieved, if they could bring themselves to care about what some people write on the internet): I wanted to include as many as possible as those who might be thought to have a particularly strong case for second.

 

[Red Rick]

Hinault ainec.

No vino in the poll though

 

[scholar]

No vino in the poll though

Look a bit harder at option 10.

 

[Netserk]

No Lance option?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Greatest:

1. Merckx
2. Hinault
3. Coppi

Number 4 would be more fun to discuss.

Best:

1. Coppi

 

[scholar]

Number 4 would be more fun to discuss.

We all have views on how many of the top places are obvious and therefore not really worth discussing. I'm moderately interested in seeing how unanimous our views are how far down the list.

 

[Red Rick]

I think some polish rich guy has a pretty good all time ranking, but it gives a little bit much credit to 2-10th place

 

[l.Harm]

http://www.cyclingranking.com/Rankings/Overall.aspx

Sean Kelly

 

[Matt92]

I voted for Fausto Coppi. We should not forget that he lost some of his best years because of World War II (like Bartali, for that matter). He has won the Giro 5 times anyway, but he would have something like 7-8 without the war (and probably a few more Tours).

If we just consider numbers and victories, it's Hinault.

 

[rghysens]

Philippe Thys.

 

[Netserk]

http://www.cyclingranking.com/Rankings/Overall.aspx

Sean Kelly

Rebellin ahead of Coppi

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

No Lance option?

I presumed Lance was #1.

 

[jens_attacks]

most victories, merckx


greatest cyclist ever: fausto coppi. eddie would have been slaughtered if he raced in the 50's and 40's, he didn't face that type of competition. 50's are the golden age of cycling by extremely far. see ya at the race of clones

 

[Carols]

Coppi or Hinault.....went with Coppi.

 

[HSNHSN]

Philippe Thys.

Good call, indeed! Just like Coppi, he won pre- and post-war races and would most likely have won a lot more if there hadn't been a war going on. Certainly deserves a mention in this thread.

 

[Arredondo]

most victories, merckx


greatest cyclist ever: fausto coppi. eddie would have been slaughtered if he raced in the 50's and 40's, he didn't face that type of competition. 50's are the golden age of cycling by extremely far. see ya at the race of clones

Bernard Thevenet
Luis Ocana
Jose Manuel Fuente
Francesco Moser
Joop Zoetemelk
Roger Pingeon
Felice Gimondi
Raymond Poulidor
Rudi Altig
Hennie Kuiper
Jan Janssen
Herman van Springel
Roger de Vlaeminck

Just some names

 

[Arredondo]

Where's Constante Giradengo?

 

[Echoes]

most victories, merckx


greatest cyclist ever: fausto coppi. eddie would have been slaughtered if he raced in the 50's and 40's, he didn't face that type of competition. 50's are the golden age of cycling by extremely far. see ya at the race of clones

In my era only three or four riders did the job. The others did not, including myself, out of ignorance. Today, with care and diet, many good riders are doing their job very well. They just have to deal with the greatest rider of all time. […]”

Louis Caput in 1971, rider in the 50's.

The 70's is the golden era of cycling.

 

[jens_attacks]

Bernard Thevenet
Luis Ocana
Jose Manuel Fuente
Francesco Moser
Joop Zoetemelk
Roger Pingeon
Felice Gimondi
Raymond Poulidor
Rudi Altig
Hennie Kuiper
Jan Janssen
Herman van Springel
Roger de Vlaeminck

Just some names

all losers compared to legends like gino bartali, hugo koblet, ferdi kubler, geminiani, louison bobet,charly gaul, federico bahamontes,jean robic, roger riviere, rik the first, rik van looy or the youngster anquetil. just the top of my head. and not the head of a great connaisseur at all. it was just a sick rich generations, unbelievable.

again, nothing comes even close to the after second world war champions. if those guys raced today, valverde wouldn't top ten in any race

 

[jens_attacks]

man the 40s and the 50s that's what cycling history is about anyway, romantic cycling. epic fuccin mountain raids, the most amazing rivalries. cycling at its peak

merckxian era is just about one guy winning every race which has a prize. even it's unknown as shiit and has a prize a salami(to quote an italian rider from those days)
thevenet, ocana and fuente had glimpses of the 50s though. that's about it

 

[Echoes]

Yeah the three most overrated riders of the whole decade. Way to go, mate.

And some claim I am nostalgic... There were many nostalgitards in the seventies but the thing is the standard of racing in that era was way higher than in the previous era. The sport modernized. Training methods, diet, internationalization, etc.

The only thing we may say is that Coppi contributed to this. He's the father of modern cycling. That's what he should be remembered for. But it's definitely because he was ahead of his time that he dominated his era, the way he did. There's nothing romantic about that. Claiming the competition was harder in his era than in Merckx's era is ridiculous.

Merckx dominated an era in which many riders adopted modern training method. His opponents all have better palmares than Coppi's opponents, if not better palmares than Coppi himself. Because only the best could beat him. The best proof that his era was the thoughest is that hs opponents were still shining in Hinault's era: De Vlaeminck, Godefroot, Zoetemelk, Moser, Agostinho, etc.

 

[jens_attacks]

godefroot,zoetemelk,agostinho and freakin helicopter moser compared to gods like koblet,kubler,gaul and bahamontes...seems legit.
there will never be a generation like in the 40s and 50s, never.
how many of those riders you listed have something like this on youtube?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaWtwAxpeVM

i rest my case

 

[Echoes]

Furthermore on the 70's, you have this testimony by Derrick on this very forum, which is I think eye-opening:

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=420772&postcount=37

The Belgian racing scene{the only one I know} was enlivened by the endless en musette pros or the loose amalgamations of local riders, all with different sponsors who weren't afraid to deliver a good kicking to the stars and did so frequently. In an age of Merckx,Godefroot, Verbeeck, Van Springel who remembers riders like Roger Loysch, Richard Buckaki, Herman Vrijders or Fernand Hermie all of whom managed to win half a dozen races a year despite the opposition.

The Italian scene was as popular as it has ever been.

Each and every single-day race had a long article on L'Unita (you can check that on archivio.unita.it) in the late sixties and seventies. You can find back articles on the Coppa Bernocchi, the Giro delle Marche, the Cronostaffetta, the Giro di Romagna, the GP Castrocaro/Forli etc etc. All extensive. You never had such long newspaper articles about these before. Nor since! All these races had the top riders of the time: Gimondi, Bitossi, Pettersson, De Vlaeminck, Ritter, Cochise, etc.

A blessed era for small race organizers. Many of these races have disappeared since. Or now have financial trouble. Because people don't care anymore. This forum is a symptom.

 

[richwagmn]

I seem to remember someone (the Hitch?) mentioning having done this before. I'm interested as much in what people's views are now as in how unanimous they are.

Hinault, who else?