The Legends of tomorrow

[El Pistolero]

I disagree, his acheivements are pretty big in the Cross Country Mountain Biking and then to go across the road and be one of the top riders in the world in that is pretty massive. Being dominant across two disciplines is quite impressive imo.

He never was dominant(I prefer to use the word good here though, he's not the dominant type of rider) at two disciplines at the same time though.

In 30 years, no one will know what Evans did in the Cross Country Mountain biking, he will just be remembered as a Tour winner and World champion with the occasional mention of his Flèche Wallonne victory. IMO that's not good enough to be a legend though. In his home country perhaps.

Right now, only Contador is a nominee for legend. 6 Grand Tours at age 28(or is he 29 already?).

 

[Mellow Velo]

Evans will become a legend?
An afterthought more like.
As much chance as Carlos Sastre.
'Tis the season to be trolling down in Oz.
Talk about a one track mind.

I agree that all the signs are that Pantani's name will stand the test of time.
His life and career have all the ingredients. A unique talent, who was a key player in some of cycling's epic encounters, yet dogged by controversy and ultimately consumed by tragedy.


Given the criteria that appears to determine legend status, I see only Contador has having the potential to turn up in CN polls, in the decades to come.

 

[Echoes]

maybe that's because grand tours are a lot harder to win then classics

Say what?



------

Kevin Pauwels obviously !


Edit:

Ullrich will probably be remembered if LA is; Zootemelk certainly is remembered and he was 2nd six times.

We're in 2011 and I completely forgot who this guy is.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Who of the current riders will be remembered as legendary in 30 years...?

Contador
Possibly Cancellara
Cavendish

Gilbert if he keeps going the way there is, the Ardennes treble is superb, but there are a lot of riders won ardennes classics who arent remembered. I think Gilbert needs to do a bit more yet to be remembered in 30+ years time.
Huschovd would be close to that as well along with Boonen

Contador, Cancellara and Cavendish, agreed. If they all retired tomorrow, they'd go down as one of the greatest GC riders, rouleurs and sprinters, respectively, of all time. That makes them legends, in my book. Gilbert doesn't quite fit that decription yet.

 

[will10]

agree with the above. Gilbert is getting there and his 2011 will be remembered as one of the most dominant years a classics rider can have, but it will take him winning the last remaining races missing from his palmares - San Remo, Flanders, (Roubaix) and the Worlds before he's one of the very best.

 

[gustienordic]

agree with the above. Gilbert is getting there and his 2011 will be remembered as one of the most dominant years a classics rider can have, but it will take him winning the last remaining races missing from his palmares - San Remo, Flanders, (Roubaix) and the Worlds before he's one of the very best.

How would you rank Gilbert compared with Bettini? Do you think Bettini will be remembered?

Also, not related, but do people think Richard Virenque will be remembered?

 

[L'arriviste]

Also, not related, but do people think Richard Virenque will be remembered?

He will but perhaps not for his performances on the bike.

 

[The Hitch]

With regard to Cadel, can a modern rider be a legend without ever even winning Velo d'Or

 

[Panda Claws]

I think that the riders that will be remembered are:


- The best sprinter, Cavendish
- The best ITT'ers, Cancellara and/or T. Martin
- The best GT rider, Contador

But for the classics I think you will need a few very good years rather than consistency. I think that Bettini for example will not be remembered all that much because he never had years where he won a lot. Yes he had some good years but not something like Gilbert's 2011. I think a classics rider will need several of those years to be remembered as classics are less memorable to a larger audience.


In short, if Gilbert or Boonen for example wants to become a legend in 50 years then he will need 2-3 years of dominating the classics. Like Gilbert did in 2011 and perhaps Cancellara in 2010 too.

 

[Nick C.]

I think from the classics riders: Bettini for back to back WCs, Olympics, 2 GDL, LBL, and MSR, GT stages, points and top 10 at Giro.
Freire 3 WCs, points at TDF, 3 or is it 2 MSR, Amstel
Gilbert just for 2011 much like Maertens is for 1976.
Boonen, Cancellara

Rebellin and VanPetegem as trivia answers for the triple and double

I don't think the TT gusy will be remembered any more than the hour record holders are

Cav will get sprinter status for the stage wins and WC, Zabel for the green jerseys, Hushovd and Petacchi I'm indifferent to.

Lance, Ulle, Bertie and Contador for the stage racers, Pantani too

I 'm sure I missed some. Sagan would be my best bet for the under 25 crowd, not that that is going out on a limb.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Alberto Contador.

 

[dolophonic]

Levi.. Phinney... Na only joking.

After this season Phil Gilbert.
Contador.
There are a few.

 

[scullster46]

An interesting issue is that we now have a much better infrastructure with the internet, and 50 years from now we will still be able to access much more from this era than we could from the past. Because of this, I think that a larger percentage of riders from this era will be seen as legends, as there will be easier ways to directly compare riders from different eras

 

[dolophonic]

Pantani. He is a legend.

 

[will10]

OP: Perhaps wait until Sagan is a legend of today before talking him up as a legend of tomorrow

 

[Panda Claws]

OP: Perhaps wait until Sagan is a legend of today before talking him up as a legend of tomorrow

I only said that I would give him a good chance if he keeps growing. Because of his versitality. Perhaps you put more value in those words than I did.

 

[Angliru]

Don't think many of today's will stack up historically, just because the sport has moved on and become more professional, so in terms of pure palmares no-one will ever achieve the sort of breadth of results several guys did up until Sean Kelly as the last of that breed.

Contador's denying Armstrong of a much publicized triumphant return to the sport alone makes him a legend. Now add to that his accomplishments up to this point and the likely continued victories in the future will only add to that legend.

 

[Angliru]

Cadel will forever be considered a legend in Australia.
Sagan, EBH and a few others ( Shleck ) spring to mind.

Of course to the bolded part.

Sagan and EBH just maybe. Schleck?????????? Unless there is a 4th Schleck brother waiting in the wings with all the talent of Andy but none of tactical buffoonery I don't see it happening.

 

[Angliru]

Who of the current riders will be remembered as legendary in 30 years...?

Contador
Possibly Cancellara
Cavendish

Gilbert if he keeps going the way there is, the Ardennes treble is superb, but there are a lot of riders won ardennes classics who arent remembered. I think Gilbert needs to do a bit more yet to be remembered in 30+ years time.
Huschovd would be close to that as well along with Boonen

Thor has a long, long way to go and not enough years left in his career to be thought of as a legend.

 

[Angliru]

but, bias aside, will he be remembered in 30 years time as one of the legends of cycling,. doubtful.. he will be in there with the rest of the 1 time tour winners that everyone has forgotten about. He may have done well at mountainbiking, but the vast majority of cycling fans dont know that, and those that do probably cant mention any famous races that he won (i certainly cant).

Evans will be remembered in 30 years like, Stephen Roche is, or Joop Zoetemelk, or Ocana. Remembered by serious cycling fans, or australians, but not a name that drops off the tongue when asked to name "legends"

Legends in my time watching cycling.. Hinault, Indurain, Cippollini, Zabel, Armstrong, Pantani, Kelly, Lemond.

Evans will be in that second division list, with the likes if Jaja, Boonen, the riders some people remember, but most dont straight off.

Not even on the same level as Roche who is the only rider to do the triple: WC, Tour and Giro in the same year. That by itself cements Roche's legend status in the sport.

 

[Angliru]

How would you rank Gilbert compared with Bettini? Do you think Bettini will be remembered?

Also, not related, but do people think Richard Virenque will be remembered?

I'll personally always remember him as the crying little b*@#h at the 1998 Tour, wondering why he was being treated so unfairly.

 

[yellowjersey]

i think Tejay Van Garderen will be a legend

 

[Cobblestoned]

How could I forget the man.

Everyone will remember him. Everyone knows Jens Voigt.
He (soon) is a legend, not so much from winning.
Jens doesn't win - Jens destroys

 

[Anonymous]

Where does Vino fit in all of this..?


Im surprised nobody has mentioned TLBM (The legendary Bauke Mollema)

 

[Anonymous]

How could I forget the man.

Everyone will remember him. Everyone knows Jens Voigt.
He (soon) is a legend, not so much from winning.
Jens doesn't win - Jens destroys

Jens doesnt need to win.. Winning is for Pussies. Jens takes winning, swallows it, and craps it out the other end.