Can't see a thread on this and always worth an annual thread as the pecking order changes more rapidly than in other specialisms of road cycling and the debate is taking over some race threads.
feel free to disagree with both my rankings and categories:
Pure Sprinters;
Tier 1: Ewan, Groenewegen, Gaviria, Viviani, S. Bennett
Tier 2: Jakobsen, Ackermann
Tier 3: Bouhanni, Hodeg, Bauhaus, Walscheid, Cavendish
For me the tier 1 is guys you would be happy to bet on in a grand tour flat finish at short odds and who rarely fail to at least get in the frame.
The tier 2 guys I think will be viewed as tier 1 by the end of 2020 but have not yet consistently beaten the tier 1 guys.
The tier 3 guys are either on the dcline, not fast enough or are poor at positioning thus reducing their chances of consistently.
Hardman sprinters:
Tier 1: Sagan, Kristoff, Trentin, Van Der Poel, Van Aert
Tier 2: Van Avermaet, Degenkolb, Laporte
The tier 1 hardman sprinters are guys who thrive best when the race is tougher but still pack a punch at the end and can on occasion rival and beat the pure sprinters in a bunch gallop.
The tier 2 guys in my view generally cant beat out the top pure sprinters on any finishes where the pure sprinters have managed to survive.
feel free to disagree with both my rankings and categories:
Pure Sprinters;
Tier 1: Ewan, Groenewegen, Gaviria, Viviani, S. Bennett
Tier 2: Jakobsen, Ackermann
Tier 3: Bouhanni, Hodeg, Bauhaus, Walscheid, Cavendish
For me the tier 1 is guys you would be happy to bet on in a grand tour flat finish at short odds and who rarely fail to at least get in the frame.
The tier 2 guys I think will be viewed as tier 1 by the end of 2020 but have not yet consistently beaten the tier 1 guys.
The tier 3 guys are either on the dcline, not fast enough or are poor at positioning thus reducing their chances of consistently.
Hardman sprinters:
Tier 1: Sagan, Kristoff, Trentin, Van Der Poel, Van Aert
Tier 2: Van Avermaet, Degenkolb, Laporte
The tier 1 hardman sprinters are guys who thrive best when the race is tougher but still pack a punch at the end and can on occasion rival and beat the pure sprinters in a bunch gallop.
The tier 2 guys in my view generally cant beat out the top pure sprinters on any finishes where the pure sprinters have managed to survive.