The best racers Classics Today

[Denkoff]

Best hill classic rider's today:
Top 3:
Gilbert
Kolobnev
Vinokourov
-----------
top 4-8
Rodrigues
Evans
Ivanov
A.Shleck
-----------
................
The remaining results are not very stable, which is a key factor in this Classics

 

[ericthesportsman6]

Pretty good list, but I would definitely include Damiano Cunego and maybe Ryder Hesjedal. Samu could be on the list if he really wanted to focus on the ardennes. And it might be a little pre-mature to put Vino on the list.

 

[Ferminal]

Vino
Gilbert
Evans
Kolobnev
Rodriguez
A. Schleck
Gesink
Cunego

 

[tretow95]

Cobbled classics

Cabcellara
Cancellara
Oh and Cancellara

Seriously

Cancellara
Boonen
Flecha
Hushovd
Pozzato

Hilly Ardenes

Gilbert
Cunego
Rodriguez
Evans

 

[tgsgirl]

Pretty good list, but I would definitely include Damiano Cunego and maybe Ryder Hesjedal.

Hesj has had one really great year, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Does one year make him better than Frank Schleck for instance?

23/04/2006 1.PT1 [Bel] 7 Liège - Bastogne - Liège
19/04/2006 1.PT2 [Bel] 4 Flèche Wallonne
16/04/2006 1.PT2 [Ned] 1 Amstel Gold Race

29/04/2007 1.PT1 [Bel] 3 Liège - Bastogne - Liège
25/04/2007 1.PT2 [Bel] 6 Flèche Wallonne
22/04/2007 1.PT2 [Ned] 10 Amstel Gold Race

27/04/2008 1.XPT1 [Bel] 3 Liège - Bastogne - Liège
20/04/2008 1.PT2 [Ned] 2 Amstel Gold Race

25/04/2010 1.HIS1 [Bel] 8 Liège - Bastogne - Liège
18/04/2010 1.PT2 [Ned] 7 Amstel Gold Race

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Cobbles

Cancellara
Boonen
Pozzato
and sometimes, when he has a good day, Flecha

Hills

Gilbert
Evans
Fränk Schleck
Andy Schleck

And then a random list of at least 20 people who could do top 3 or even win on a good day, with all the usual names. Gesink, Rodriguez, Cunego, Hesjedal, Vinokourov, Sammy Sanchez, etc etc. Even Bert de Waele

 

[ergmonkey]

Cobbled classics

Cabcellara
Cancellara
Oh and Cancellara

Seriously

Cancellara
Boonen
Flecha
Hushovd
Pozzato

Boonen's still got more cobbled classics and total classics wins than Cancellara. Great season by Fabian, sure, by I am still looking forward to seeing Tommeke equal RDV at Roubaix. I don't expect Cancellara to beat him to it.

 

[El Pistolero]

^ That's how cycling goes I guess, one bad season and you all of a sudden "suck".

I hope Boonen wins Paris-Tours/World championship road race this year, but that stupid knee!

 

[tgsgirl]

^ That's how cycling goes I guess, one bad season and you all of a sudden "suck".

And with 2nd at MSR, 2nd at RVV, 2nd at E3 and 5th at PR I wouldn't even say he had a bad season. Just not such a good one as FabFab, but then again, who does?

 

[El Pistolero]

And with 2nd at MSR, 2nd at RVV, 2nd at E3 and 5th at PR I wouldn't even say he had a bad season. Just not such a good one as FabFab, but then again, who does?

Yup, but I'm the kind of person that doesn't actually care for runner up places. You either win or you don't. But of course all those runner up places prove he still has it in him

I think the only one that can come close to a Spartacus season this year is Berti. But I reckon the Vélo d'or award will go to Spartacus this year.

 

[taiwan]

Everyone forgotten about Haussler? He could have done great things, were it not for injury.

 

[Denkoff]

Hausler loser!!! what do you mean, you want to compare Gilbert, Rodriguez Schleck, Kolobnev, Vinokourov with some sort of a goose?

 

[taiwan]

Hausler loser!!! what do you mean, you want to compare Gilbert, Rodriguez Schleck, Kolobnev, Vinokourov with some sort of a goose?

a) Not for the Ardennes, b) Yes I'm rating Haussler. c) If you're going to be like that...

 

[Ryaguas]

Hausler loser!!! what do you mean, you want to compare Gilbert, Rodriguez Schleck, Kolobnev, Vinokourov with some sort of a goose?

WTF Denkoff? this is not UFC... easy mate...

Cobbles:
Boonen
Cancellara
Flecha
Pozzato
Hushovd

Hilly Classics:
Gilbert
Cunego (Dang! He could be the 1st... 3 Giro di Lombardia - 1 Amstel Gold Race, and solid results in L-B-L and Fleche Wallone)
Vino (I wish he was younger)
Evans
Kolobnev
Joaquim Rodriguez

 

[El Pistolero]

Uhm, isn't the term Hilly classics better than the term Ardennes? Last time I checked the Ardennes were mostly located in Belgium.

 

[taiwan]

Uhm, isn't the term Hilly classics better than the term Ardennes? Last time I checked the Ardennes were mostly located in Belgium.

If you like.

 

[taiwan]

Cobbles:
Boonen, Cancellara, Hushovd, Gilbert, Haussler, Pozzato, Breschel, Flecha, Leukemans, Chavanel

Hills:
Gilbert, Vinokourov, Rodriguez, Sanchez Gonzalez, Kolobnev, Schleck 1, Schleck 2, Cunego, Evans, Gesink

Ten each in no particular order.

 

[Nick C.]

I'll throw in my list tho I can't say it will break new ground

Cobbles: Boonen, Cancellara, Flecha, Hushovd, O'Grady, Hincapie, Haussler, Hoste, Breschel, Pozzato

Hills: Cunego, Schlecks, Rodriguez, Kolobnev, Sammy Sanchez, Gesink, Ivanov, Evans, Vino

Both: Gilbert

 

[ingsve]

He doesn't race classics that often but when he shows up Contador definately deserves some mention.

 

[ergmonkey]

Haussler has shown huge potential, definitely, but I (and most other posters, I suspect) haven't "forgotten" about all of the Classics that he hasn't won yet. It's tough to be a living legend without ever winning one of the big ones. That said, I hope he gets healthy and exacts some revenge on Cavendish at M-SR.

As for a "goose" (whatever that was supposed to mean...) this is, unfortunately, about how HH's season has been so far, to take the goose metaphor a little further:

 

[Ryaguas]

He doesn't race classics that often but when he shows up Contador definately deserves some mention.

Top 10 in Liege - Bastogne - Liege and 3rd in Fleche Wallone in his first appareance that's awesome I think... Next year He will have more experience and will has better timing in the Mur de Huy for Fleche Wallone and for Liege - Bastogne - Liege, He just needs to catch the right breakaway...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Not one person has mentioned the best hilly classics rider of the last five years. So I guess I have to.

And because it's me, you know who I'm going to say, and you're going to groan, and then the protests will come.

But his record stands for itself.

The one, the only, Alejandro Valverde.

 

[ergmonkey]

Not one person has mentioned the best hilly classics rider of the last five years. So I guess I have to.

And because it's me, you know who I'm going to say, and you're going to groan, and then the protests will come.

But his record stands for itself.

The one, the only, Alejandro Valverde.

Fair enough, but if you want to go down that road, don't forget to say, "man, I can't wait for that Davide Rebellin comeback!"

 

[taiwan]

<IMG=dog ****ing duck>

It's a duck. Pozzato sucked this year too, and for no clear reason. If we're talking about the current best classics riders, I'm including Haussler.

 

[ak-zaaf]

Fair enough, but if you want to go down that road, don't forget to say, "man, I can't wait for that Davide Rebellin comeback!"

1. Valverde
2. Rebellin
3. Schumacher

=/