The Best Solo Wins of 2014

[jens_attacks]

simon gerrans @ liege-bastogne-liege

 

[BeagRigh]

Slightly hard to define, and it doesn't always hold true, but to me a solo victory is attacking before the last selection making section of the stage/race. So if a flat stage, attacking before the sprint, if a MTF finish attacking before the last climb...

So. My list would be:

Kwia's WC
Contador at TA
Quintana in the Giro
Tony Martin in the Tour
Tuft's NC

Contador's is probably the one that stands out not just due to the ride itself, but also because it announced his "return" and increased the tension/expectation of future battles. (okay the Tour one didn't happen but we didn't know that then)

 

[pastronef]

Navardauskas at the Tour. Slagter in the break, helping him, and him holding off the peloton. just great

 

[LaFlorecita]

Depends if it's a mountain finish or not.
If it's a flat finish, attacking from 5k's out can easily count as a solo win. Any win that isn't a sprint win is a solo win.

Yeah I agree, if it's a flat finish an attack from 5km out is a solo. Not on a mountain, though.

 

[Akuryo]

simon gerrans @ liege-bastogne-liege

I would say Kittel in the Giro. More than 3 bike-lengths in a flat sprint should also be considered a solo.

 

[Bushman]

That's true, Booms should probably go in honorable mentions, edited.

And Nibs Hautacam ride was the embodiment of awesomeness! In my mind at least. followed Horners attack at 10K to go then went solo himself about .5K later and stormed his way to the stage win. Perfect mountain and perfect way to cap off a great Tour for himself.

It was a great win, sure, but nothing compared to some of the other solo rides of this year.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Lars Boom for obvious reasons

 

[HappyLoser]

Top 3 solos this year...

1. Contador at T-A with 30 km's to the line.
2. Kwiatkowski RRWC
3. Tony Martin TdF.

 

[peloton]

Contador's win in Tirreno by an absolute mile. A lot of solo wins are just down to other riders looking at each other or, in stage races, letting a rider who isn't a threat just go up the road. Contador's win was achieved without either of those advantages, he just blew the opposition apart.

This for me too. It was epic.

Really liked Kwiats Worlds too.

 

[Afrank]

It was a great win, sure, but nothing compared to some of the other solo rides of this year.

Sure, there have been better solos this year, but I did enjoy Nibs win on Hautacam greatly so figured I'd list that too.
________

And another to add the list, Kwiat at worlds.

 

[cineteq]

Contador's win at TA was an epic win, but it does not qualify as a solo win. Geske was there to spoil it.

I forgot to mention Nibali's Huatacam! Emphatic!

My list:
T. Martin's TdF
Rogers's TdF
Nibali's Huatacam TdF
Phinney's TdC
Kwiatkowski's Worlds

 

[LaFlorecita]

Contador's win at TA was an epic win, but it does not qualify as a solo win. Geske was there to spoil it.

I forgot to mention Nibali's Huatacam! Emphatic!

My list:
T. Martin's TdF
Rogers's TdF
Nibali's Huatacam TdF
Phinney's TdC
Kwiatkowski's Worlds

you're the biggest troll on the forum

 

[Miburo]

Some of you guys have a very strange definition of solo win.

Contador and Martin, no one else comes even close. In male cycling at least, i learned my lesson with LS.

 

[Miburo]

Cineteq, go predict some more GT's and fail again like always.

 

[damian13ster]

Nibali's Hautacam 9.5km solo ride takes the cake. Where are the others defending GC riders for riding defensive when they have a lead? Quintana at Giro 'not giving his all' according to most here, Contador 'justified to stay on Froome's wheel all the time and doing an uphill sprint'.

Nibali said **** that and put a monster attack from over 9km out. Epic.

Kwiatkowski's win in Worlds was great as well, especially since on that stage everybody was sure that it will come to the reduced bunch sprint and Gerrans taking the gold.

Then its' Tony Martin TdF stage win. Truly epic, especially considering the work he put in beofrea and after this stage.

Of course Majka's stage wins were very enjoyable for me, but my judgement here is clouded so not going to rate those.

 

[Bushman]

The thing is, Nibali didn't really risk anything with his attack. He was far superior to his competitors and had a big lead. If he was to find out it was too far out he could just drop back and follow wheels and not lose any time.

Contador's ride was just fantastic. Pure class and panache.

 

[theyoungest]

Contador's win at TA was an epic win, but it does not qualify as a solo win. Geske was there to spoil it.

If someone dropping the favourites, catching the breakaway, having them sit on for 10 k, and then still dropping them all on the final uphill doesn't count as a solo win, I don't know what does.

 

[LaFlorecita]

The thing is, Nibali didn't really risk anything with his attack. He was far superior to his competitors and had a big lead. If he was to find out it was too far out he could just drop back and follow wheels and not lose any time.

Contador's ride was just fantastic. Pure class and panache.

Some Nibali fans live in a fantasy world in which Nibali is a god and everything he does is amazing and epic.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Cineteq, go predict some more GT's and fail again like always.

Lol! It's what he does best.

 

[damian13ster]

Some Nibali fans live in a fantasy world in which Nibali is a god and everything he does is amazing and epic.

unlike Contador fans.....
It doesn't change the fact that Nibali was the only one (among winners of course) that has shown any kind of guts in the GT, and won the most important one.

 

[LaFlorecita]

unlike Contador fans.....
It doesn't change the fact that Nibali was the only one (among winners of course) that has shown any kind of guts in the GT, and won the most important one.

And what has that got to do with solo victories?

 

[Electress]

The thing is, Nibali didn't really risk anything with his attack. He was far superior to his competitors and had a big lead. If he was to find out it was too far out he could just drop back and follow wheels and not lose any time.

Contador's ride was just fantastic. Pure class and panache.

I have to agree.

It's not that I have a problem with Nibali's win - he rode the Tour like a champion, when he could have sat on the lead and done nothing. But he didn't risk much - and however glad I was to see him ride away and put his stamp on the Tour victory, I don't think it is comparable. Contador made a full-on long range attack and saw it through to the finish. It was stunning, and I would say the same about it if Nibali or Quintana or any one else had done it.

 

[Pentacycle]

unlike Contador fans.....
It doesn't change the fact that Nibali was the only one (among winners of course) that has shown any kind of guts in the GT, and won the most important one.

At least his attacks weren't as controversial as Quintana attack in the 'neutralized' descent. Which by the way also required some guts to do.

 

[Afrank]

The thing is, Nibali didn't really risk anything with his attack. He was far superior to his competitors and had a big lead. If he was to find out it was too far out he could just drop back and follow wheels and not lose any time.

Contador's ride was just fantastic. Pure class and panache.

Is anybody saying Nibali's ride was greater then Contador's?

 

[Afrank]

Some Nibali fans live in a fantasy world in which Nibali is a god and everything he does is amazing and epic.

Well...everything he does is kinda amazing and epic...

JK