The Better Overall Rider: Evans or Contador

[The Hitch]

I reckon Evans is a better descender than Contador (though there isn't much difference there), and has been mentioned earlier, he's better on the cobbles and on hills.
.

How do you know this?

 

[auscyclefan94]

How do you know this?

The stage in 2010 tdf. I would guess that Evans would be better on the cobbles than Contador, but judging it outright on one stage would be unfair.

 

[The Hitch]

Evans beat Contador when Evans lead out in the sprint in a headwind uphill finish. Contador coming off the Giro would have very minimal effect on the way he sprints in a hilly stage in the 1st week of the Tour.

If fatigue and form have no.impact on uphill sprinting then why did Gilbert suck so.much this year? By your logic since form doesn't matter, how did.Phil go from winning agr by a mile to.failing to.make the podium?

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

If fatigue and form have no.impact on uphill sprinting then why did Gilbert suck so.much this year? By your logic since form doesn't matter, how did.Phil go from winning agr by a mile to.failing to.make the podium?

He was taken down by the right wing political machine my friend

 

[The Hitch]

The stage in 2010 tdf. I would guess that Evans would be better on the cobbles than Contador, but judging it outright on one stage would be unfair.

Lets bare in mind that in the 2010 stage Andy schleck finished in the same group as Evans and then proceeded to cry that he should never have to ride over those things again.

We know that the rest of the peloton was delayed by the frank crash. We have no idea if Evans hejsdal and schleck were actually superior cobbles specialists than people who finished behind, like for example flecha.

 

[auscyclefan94]

If fatigue and form have no.impact on uphill sprinting then why did Gilbert suck so.much this year? By your logic since form doesn't matter, how did.Phil go from winning agr by a mile to.failing to.make the podium?

Gilbert simply wasn't good enough this year. I really don't see how fatigue would have played a difference in a 250m sprint to the finish. Amstel Gold Race is also far different to a stage race.

Lets bare in mind that in the 2010 stage Andy schleck finished in the same group as Evans and then proceeded to cry that he should never have to ride over those things again.

We know that the rest of the peloton was delayed by the frank crash. We have no idea if Evans hejsdal and schleck were actually superior cobbles specialists than people who finished behind, like for example flecha.

They certainly were not. That is simply incorrect. Watch the footage. The split at the front of the race was already moving away at that point.

 

[airstream]

Lets bare in mind that in the 2010 stage Andy schleck finished in the same group as Evans and then proceeded to cry that he should never have to ride over those things again.

We know that the rest of the peloton was delayed by the frank crash. We have no idea if Evans hejsdal and schleck were actually superior cobbles specialists than people who finished behind, like for example flecha.

Lol, only you on this forum came to such marasm like to equate bales and cobblestone stage. Race theory is attached for this case too?

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Lets bare in mind that in the 2010 stage Andy schleck finished in the same group as Evans and then proceeded to cry that he should never have to ride over those things again.

So maybe Andy is better than Contador on the cobbles as well

 

[uphillstruggle]

Evans beat contador by a nose hair in the tdf sprint on that uphill stage in 2011. Contador was coming off the giro while Evans was in the form of his.life.

Also look.at the short climbs in short stage races where.Contador has excelled like mende where he won twice, and also flew away from sanchez and schleck as if they were sprinters in the tdf 2 years ago. And samu and schleck are 2 of the best hill riders in the world.

Contador is one of the best at hills, just that with his mountain and tt skills, he rarely focuses on it.

On the sprints Evans is much better. Contador is quite a poor sprinter in the grand scheme of things.As for hills I would tend to agree that Contador is as good as most of the top guys including Evans, but as you mentioned he just doesn't focus on the classics as even though he is so good he is still not an out right favourite like he is in stage races. He can't punch out of hills like Evans can so I would back Evans in a classic over Contador for that reason. Also finishes like those you tend to get at Tirreno that require the punch after the climb.

To be honest Mende is a more of a proper climb than a hill and he has won there during stage races where recovery and fatigue are factors. In terms of recovery Contador is the best of the two, far less off days than Evans in stages races.

 

[airstream]

Hitch, don't overpaint. Contador was on a very very big chunk of form of his life too.

 

[Miburo]

They certainly were not. That is simply incorrect. Watch the footage. The split at the front of the race was already moving away at that point.

The crash split everything apart and the cobbles were just starting. Contador was behind cause of bad positioning.

Commentator says "As they came on to the cobblestones."

Contador was delayed with the crash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKihoE5hqe8

Look at 3:33. The 2nd guy above the yellow jersey is Contador. He completely lost his speed.

 

[Ferminal]

Evans was coming off the Giro in 2010

Evans isn't actually a sprinter, it's more his incredible power over 1-2 minutes. The same attribute which makes him able to win in Macerata or Huy is what makes it possible to win flatter finishes like in Montalcino and Saint-Vallier.

 

[Miburo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8F2ycQvAkI

 

[airstream]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8F2ycQvAkI

no problem. Evans was not in top shape.

 

[Miburo]

no problem. Evans was not in top shape.

Contador aswell. His topshape was paris-nice

Yeah I know he didn't win it

 

[cineteq]

Answering strictly the question at hand, Evans is the better overal rider.

The next poll should be Who is the better rider Robo Basso 2006 or Cyborg Wiggins 2012.btw I think not evans in this poll.

Yeah, who's going to open this thread? I wouldn't mind seeing also biohazard in the mix.

 

[The Hitch]

So maybe Andy is better than Contador on the cobbles as well

Looking down the list he is also better than Vansummeren, Ballan Flecha, Boom, Hincapie, Breschel, Ogrady

 

[trevim]

The "epicness" of Contador beats the "allroundness" of Evans. So Velasco it is

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8F2ycQvAkI

Awesome go go go Alberto I hope we see this in le tour next year

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Looking down the list he is also better than Vansummeren, Ballan Flecha, Boom, Hincapie, Breschel, Ogrady

That only goes to show just how underrated Andy is...

 

[El Pistolero]

Judging Evans vs Contador on cobbles is irrelevant unless ASO decides to have a cobbled stage every year. Or they both show up in Roubaix.

Juding Evans vs Contador sprinting abilities on a flat piece of road is also irrelevant for the same reasons.

The only relevant areas to compare them are:

- Climbing: Contador is better
- Descending: Evans is better
- Recuperation: Contador is better
- Consistency over a season: Contador is better
- Time trial: Contador is better
- Hilly one day races: Evans is better
- Uphill sprints: Meh, not enough to go by... It's very close anyway.

 

[Scott SoCal]

Judging Evans vs Contador on cobbles is irrelevant unless ASO decides to have a cobbled stage every year. Or they both show up in Roubaix.

Juding Evans vs Contador sprinting abilities on a flat piece of road is also irrelevant for the same reasons.

The only relevant areas to compare them are:

- Climbing: Contador is better
- Recuperation: Contador is better
- Consistency over a season: Contador is better
- Time trial: Contador is better
- Hilly one day races: Evans is better
- Uphill sprints: Meh, not enough to go by... It's very close anyway.

Evans crushes AC on the stones, especially if it's raining.

Nobody cares about three week races anyways.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

If Evans had realized he had a shot at winning classics 5 years earlier, this might have been close. But as it stands now, Contador is the better rider by a mile. Simply because the difference on the hills between them is small, but on mountains and GTs, Contador wins easily.

Comparing Evans to someone like Valverde might have been more fair to be honest.

 

[El Pistolero]

If Evans had realized he had a shot at winning classics 5 years earlier, this might have been close. But as it stands now, Contador is the better rider by a mile. Simply because the difference on the hills between them is small, but on mountains and GTs, Contador wins easily.

Comparing Evans to someone like Valverde might have been more fair to be honest.

And a lot more interesting.

 

[Tom375]

Contador by a country mile.. next poll