The Best Cyclist Of the Last 5 Years.

[El Pistolero]

Boonen has been better on every single cobbled classic season than Cancellara except 2010 and 2011(injuries from the year before and he was sick during Tirreno-Adriatico).

Cobbled classic season: Dwars door Vlaanderen, E3 Prijs Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. You could include Scheldeprijs but who are we kidding.

Cancellara is a more versatile one day rider though, sadly for him it doesn't reflect in his palmares (yet).

 

[Netserk]

Boonen has been better on every single cobbled classic season than Cancellara except 2010 and 2011(injuries from the year before and he was sick during Tirreno-Adriatico).

Also 2011?

 

[woodenswan]

Boonen has been better on every single cobbled classic season than Cancellara except 2010 and 2011(injuries from the year before and he was sick during Tirreno-Adriatico).

Cobbled classic season: Dwars door Vlaanderen, E3 Prijs Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. You could include Scheldeprijs but who are we kidding.

2006 goes to Cancellara too i reckon?

 

[Netserk]

2006 goes to cancellara too i reckon?

e-3 + rvv > p-r imo

 

[El Pistolero]

2006 goes to Cancellara too i reckon?

Nah, Boonen won the Ronde van Vlaanderen(Cancellara was 6th or something there) and E3 Harelbeke. Cancellara "just" won Roubaix. Boonen was second there(or fifth). Leif Hoste was actually second twice that season in the cobbled Monuments.

 

[Netserk]

Boonen has been better on every single cobbled classic season than Cancellara except 2010 and 2011(injuries from the year before and he was sick during Tirreno-Adriatico).

Cobbled classic season: Dwars door Vlaanderen, E3 Prijs Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. You could include Scheldeprijs but who are we kidding.

Cancellara is a more versatile one day rider though, sadly for him it doesn't reflect in his palmares (yet).

No love for Het Volk? (and K-B-K )

 

[woodenswan]

e-3 + rvv > p-r imo

i dunno.. lets call it even and go with =

maaaaaan.. still so far away, april is..

 

[El Pistolero]

No love for Het Volk? (and K-B-K )

Yeah, but they don't take place during the same period.

You have Het Volk/Kuurne, Italian races and then the cobbled season aka de Vlaamse wielerweek.

 

[Old School]

I voted "other" for Boonen.

Canc can't touch him when both are on even levels of fitness.

Plus, i just can't ever forgive Canc for "neutralizing" that one stage of the Tour because sorry old Schelck couldn't stop from falling down. That goes down in history as one of the most pathetic moves by the Yellow jersey.

 

[HiCadence]

Voted other because Jonathan Tiernan-Locke wasn't in the poll.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Cause they're the only 2 who had a super high level each year.

Correct, but only Contador got banned for it.

 

[Echoes]

Cancellara, without the shadow of a doubt. There's not even a debate.


Never tested positive.

Won twice the greatest race on earth

Two Montepaschi

The second greatest classic + twice a runner-up

The best ITT specialist of his generation, which means the best engine.

And most of all, he wins mightily, taking the lead of a chase without ever asking anyone for help, and the only rider to whom you can't give one meter advantage on the flat otherwise he's gone.

+ the only rider in the last 15 years to have won Paris-Roubaix and mountain stage races

 

[Netserk]

Cancellara, without the shadow of a doubt. There's not even a debate.


Never tested positive.

Won twice the greatest race on earth

Two Montepaschi

The second greatest classic + twice a runner-up

The best ITT specialist of his generation, which means the best engine.

And most of all, he wins mightily, taking the lead of a chase without ever asking anyone for help, and the only rider to whom you can't give one meter advantage on the flat otherwise he's gone.

+ the only rider in the last 15 years to have won Paris-Roubaix and mountain stage races

Der Ronde '11?

 

[El Pistolero]

Cancellara, without the shadow of a doubt. There's not even a debate.


Never tested positive.

Won twice the greatest race on earth

Two Montepaschi

The second greatest classic + twice a runner-up

The best ITT specialist of his generation, which means the best engine.

And most of all, he wins mightily, taking the lead of a chase without ever asking anyone for help, and the only rider to whom you can't give one meter advantage on the flat otherwise he's gone.

+ the only rider in the last 15 years to have won Paris-Roubaix and mountain stage races

Luigi Cecchini.

Strade Bianche is a small race, who gives a damn?

Suisse and Tirreno had no mountains by the way.

 

[El Pistolero]

Der Ronde '11?

Or the 2007 Ronde.

 

[airstream]

carlos sastre

 

[Afrank]

I would have to say Andy Schleck

In all seriousness though this poll is incomplete, your comparing different types of cyclists that cannot be compared. Contador will always be the best of the past 5 years in grand tours, but if your talking classics then it would be Boonen, time trials it would be Cancellara, or if your talking sprints it would be Cav (why wasn't he included?), or in the ardennes classics you could say Gilbert because of 2011.

you can't compare which rider is best over the past 5 years because success in cycling can come from many different types of races (GT's, classics, hilly classics, time trials, etc.)

 

[The Hitch]

Boonen:
7 monument victories, and is shared record holder of the two cobbles ones.
WC
Have won the green jersey in TdF, and worn the yellow.
MANY (semi-)classic victories.
Most impressive victories in one year: E-3, RVV, PR and WC

Canc:
4 monument victories, though in 3 different.
4*ITT WC
The active rider with most days in the yellow jersey (?)
Some (semi-) classic victories
Most impressive victories in one year: E-3, RVV, PR and ITT WC

Winner: Boonen

7 monument victories?

The poll asks for last 5 years so its 4 for boonen 3 for cancellara though canc has an msr in there.

But then we get to cancellara having a life outside of April. All those days in yellow. The 2 tdf prologue wins and 2 tt wins ( and another 2 if we dq ss) the vuelta prologue and tt.
The 3 itt stripes. The stage race wins.

Its not really a contest.

 

[El Pistolero]

Isn't it strange that the so called best time trial specialist in the history of the sport only won one long time trial in the Tour?

Beating Zabriskie, Bodrogi, Clement, Gustav Larsson and old Millar is nice and all, but you know...

Glad we finally get to see some of the GC contenders at the time trial WC this year.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

carlos sastre

yea, he would be high up there

 

[Miburo]

Isn't it strange that the so called best time trial specialist in the history of the sport only won one long time trial in the Tour?

Beating Zabriskie, Bodrogi, Clement, Gustav Larsson and old Millar is nice and all, but you know...

Glad we finally get to see some of the GC contenders at the time trial WC this year.

Contador ftw lol I really think he can win it, maybe i'm being too much of a fanboy But Martin is beatable this year and especially on this course.

Canc won 2 long TT. One in 2010 and one in 2008 when SS got suspended although yeah not really count you can argue. And in 2009 he was second after Contador, Contador beated him, nothing he can do against that greatness

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Why did you put this poll up while I wasn't at the computer? Not one but at least three people have pre-empted my trademark Vos pick.

Nevertheless: Marianne Vos.

 

[Miburo]

Why did you put this poll up while I wasn't at the computer? Not one but at least three people have pre-empted my trademark Vos pick.

Nevertheless: Marianne Vos.

She's damn good, and a fan of Contador. How can you not like her lol

 

[happychappy]

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke.

 

[The Hitch]

Isn't it strange that the so called best time trial specialist in the history of the sport only won one long time trial in the Tour?

Beating Zabriskie, Bodrogi, Clement, Gustav Larsson and old Millar is nice and all, but you know...

Glad we finally get to see some of the GC contenders at the time trial WC this year.

Why are you hijacking this thread? If you want to debate cancellaras place in the all time tt specialists list could you create a new thread?