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markrosen said:As my photo profile reflects.....hands down Eddy Merckx!
red_flanders said:That there is even one vote for someone else is amazing to me. Get real people, it's not even close, not by orders of magnitude.
Michielveedeebee said:some people actually didn't vote for the Cannibal ?
Ryo Hazuki said:ugh you flemish chauvinists make me sick.
Ryo Hazuki said:you do know that cycling in europe was unglobal until the 80s and 90s right??
Ryo Hazuki said:merckx always rode against the same guys
Ryo Hazuki said:and has been caught on doping no less than twice during his career
Michielveedeebee said:some people actually didn't vote for the Cannibal ?
You need to check your geography chap!Ryo Hazuki said:ugh you flemish chauvinists make me sick. you do know that cycling in europe was unglobal until the 80s and 90s right?? merckx always rode against the same guys and has been caught on doping no less than twice during his career
When asked on one occasion whether he considered himself Flemish or a Walloon, Eddy Merckx famously answered, “I’m a Belgian,” and left it at that. In doing so, he may have avoided a civil war between Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern half of the country, and Wallonia, the French-speaking south. Both were anxious to claim the great champion, who hailed from Brussels suburb Woluwe-St. Lambert. The capital city straddles the line between the two regions and afforded Merckx his diplomatic, if ambiguous, answer.
ultimobici said:Bartali, Coppi, Anquetil, Merckx & Hinault are the only ones who should be on the short list.
baker0127 said:In my opinion if GOD were a cyclist he would have been Eddy Merckx. JB
ultimobici said:Bartali, Coppi, Anquetil, Merckx & Hinault are the only ones who should be on the short list.
ak-zaaf said:It's like a poll asking what color is yellow?
-blue
-yellow
-red
Why answer seriously? ;p
Angliru said:@ultomici
In defense of Indurain, he did win the Tour and Giro in the same season twice so to say that his focus was entirely on the Tour and lump him in the same sentence with Armstrong was a bit unfair. Additionally he did take the time to contest the hour mark.
AngusW said:True. Further, unlike some Tour-centric riders, he did not end his season in July during his Tour-winning years. He contested the world champs regularly (finishing in the top 3 three times in the road race and winning the TT once) even when they were moved to October. He was also Olympic champion.
As to the poll, a case can be made for Coppi being second ahead of Hinault due to the number of competitive years he lost in WW2. Only two votes for Lance Armstrong as the greatest cyclist of all time. Maybe Flicker and Eddy Merckx voted for Lance?
Angliru said:...and in one of his podium placings in the WC road race in Colombia, he pretty much gave the win to Olano so that Pantani wouldn't get it, although Olano earned it by riding the final few km's on a flat tire all while Indurain was shadowing Pantani. If not for Indurain Pantani would've been a world champion!
Ferminal said:Should be minus Merckx, or at least debate who is 2nd.
(otherwise there is no debate).
Echoes said:Yes because these same guys were the best in history. They could race classics, GT's, cross, track, sprint, ITT, etc.
blutto said:...and how exactly was Pantani going to beat Indurain?...he certainly wasn't going to outclimb him on that course at that point in the race...and given the opportunity Mikey was a very very good sprinter ( see his performance in Olso where he beat Ludwig for the silver ) so a sprint victory was out of the question especially considering what a powerhouse, or is that powerless, sprinter Pantani was ( not ! )...
Cheers
blutto
Ryo Hazuki said:uhh, no. back then there was no specilaisation so all riders rode all races so the natural fittest oners came on top. that doesn't make you the best cyclist ever, especially not when 90% of the world wasn't racing in europe back then.
Angliru said:Relax. My point was that had Indurain not been there, Pantani was the next strongest rider there. Indurain had already won the TT WC so had he chosen to compete in just the TT and not the road, considering the course and Pantani's form at the time, he would've been the likely WC.
Ryo Hazuki said:boardman beat merckx' time while boardman was long past his prime in his career. even a guy like sosenka was stronger than mercks so out goes your ridiuclous argument.