The Monuments Men – Or who will win all 5 of them?

[hrotha]

Fernández is talking from a typically Spanish point of view. Even though true cycling fans in Spain are well aware of how important the classics are, and even though many of them may like the Ronde or PR better than any GTs out there, we still lack a certain emotional attachment to them, because growing up what we picked up from our environment was that the classics were nice and all, but the GTs were the real deal.

 

[Fernandez]

Re: Re:

So the conclusion is that most of you had been classics riders. But the truth is that the GTs riders/winners are the most known. Usually when It speaks about the greatest in the sport are almost always GT champions.
If you ask me, Id chose to be Indurain or Contador instead of Museuw, Bartoli, Boonen, Cancellara, Gilbert, etc.

The greatest in the sport win both.

They are remember for their GTs and the classics are complements to their palmarés.

No. They are remembered and are the best because they won such a variety of races. 1980, Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Do you know the classics champions that shared their time with Anquetil, Coppi or Bartali?

 

[Fernandez]

Re: Re:

So the conclusion is that most of you had been classics riders. But the truth is that the GTs riders/winners are the most known. Usually when It speaks about the greatest in the sport are almost always GT champions.
If you ask me, Id chose to be Indurain or Contador instead of Museuw, Bartoli, Boonen, Cancellara, Gilbert, etc.
In 25 ir 50 years time the people will remember more Contador or Froome than Cancellara or Boonen.

As long as you are not from Belgium.
I can imagine that winning 3 monuments RVV, PR, LBL in one year and being somebody born somewhere in Gent gives you almost Royal status and you will be remembered for generations.

But just for the belgiums

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

So the conclusion is that most of you had been classics riders. But the truth is that the GTs riders/winners are the most known. Usually when It speaks about the greatest in the sport are almost always GT champions.
If you ask me, Id chose to be Indurain or Contador instead of Museuw, Bartoli, Boonen, Cancellara, Gilbert, etc.
In 25 ir 50 years time the people will remember more Contador or Froome than Cancellara or Boonen.

I disagree. I remember the likes of De Vlaeminck or Kelly more than Anquetil or even Gimondi, and Gimondi won his fair share of classics (Kelly is below Gimondi but De Vlaeminck is above imo). Indurain too.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

So the conclusion is that most of you had been classics riders. But the truth is that the GTs riders/winners are the most known. Usually when It speaks about the greatest in the sport are almost always GT champions.
If you ask me, Id chose to be Indurain or Contador instead of Museuw, Bartoli, Boonen, Cancellara, Gilbert, etc.
In 25 ir 50 years time the people will remember more Contador or Froome than Cancellara or Boonen.

As long as you are not from Belgium.
I can imagine that winning 3 monuments RVV, PR, LBL in one year and being somebody born somewhere in Gent gives you almost Royal status and you will be remembered for generations.

Does this refer to a particular person, or is it just an imaginary situation?

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

So the conclusion is that most of you had been classics riders. But the truth is that the GTs riders/winners are the most known. Usually when It speaks about the greatest in the sport are almost always GT champions.
If you ask me, Id chose to be Indurain or Contador instead of Museuw, Bartoli, Boonen, Cancellara, Gilbert, etc.

The greatest in the sport win both.

They are remember for their GTs and the classics are complements to their palmarés.

No. They are remembered and are the best because they won such a variety of races. 1980, Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Do you know the classics champions that shared their time with Anquetil, Coppi or Bartali?

Yes, Coppi, Bartali and Van Looy

 

[del1962]

Coppi 9 monuments, Bartali 7

 

[Fernandez]

Most people dont know the monuments Merckx or Hinault won, they know they won 5 Tours and others GTs

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Most people dont know the monuments Merckx or Hinault won, they know they won 5 Tours and others GTs

Link to that global survey please.

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

Most people dont know the monuments Merckx or Hinault won, they know they won 5 Tours and others GTs

7 Milan-San Remos spring to mind, as does Hinault in Liege 1980.

 

[Fernandez]

:razz: Checking Wikipedia is not fair

 

[Max Rockatansky]

I wonder when the first one will post the number of Google results...

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

So the conclusion is that most of you had been classics riders. But the truth is that the GTs riders/winners are the most known. Usually when It speaks about the greatest in the sport are almost always GT champions.
If you ask me, Id chose to be Indurain or Contador instead of Museuw, Bartoli, Boonen, Cancellara, Gilbert, etc.

The greatest in the sport win both.

They are remember for their GTs and the classics are complements to their palmarés.

No. They are remembered and are the best because they won such a variety of races. 1980, Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Do you know the classics champions that shared their time with Anquetil, Coppi or Bartali?

Yes. Kubler, Ockers, Van Looy, De Bruyne, Godefroot, Bobet, Post, Binda, Magni, Van Steenbergen...

 

[del1962]

When people say GT riders are the most known the ones who win the Tour, those who just won the Vuelta are less well known than multiple monument winners

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Most people dont know the monuments Merckx or Hinault won, they know they won 5 Tours and others GTs

I doubt that most people who don't know about the monuments they won, know about the Giri and Vueltas that they both won either.

There are probably more casual followers of the Tour de France in the world than there are genuine fans of cycling as a sport in general. Which is why it's both by far the biggest races, and produces the most famous names in the sport. I don't think it's to do with GTs v monuments in general. Just the Tour.

 

[Fernandez]

Re:

When people say GT riders are the most known the ones who win the Tour, those who just won the Vuelta are less well known than multiple monument winners

Im not speking from an spanish point of view. Generally people around the world dont care too much about classics. People know Froome or Contador, not Cancellara nor Boonen

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

Most people dont know the monuments Merckx or Hinault won, they know they won 5 Tours and others GTs

I just always assume that Merckx won every race that existed during his time. And probably also some that didn't.

When people say GT riders are the most known the ones who win the Tour, those who just won the Vuelta are less well known than multiple monument winners

You're saying that Vino is less well known than Gerrans? *Watches the forum explode*
Yes, I know Vino also won LBL.

 

[Fernandez]

Re: Re:

Most people dont know the monuments Merckx or Hinault won, they know they won 5 Tours and others GTs

Link to that global survey please.

Come on... You know its the truth

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

Most people dont know the monuments Merckx or Hinault won, they know they won 5 Tours and others GTs

I remember Hinault more for his second success in Liège, his Worlds' win in Sallanches and his win in Roubaix than any particular Tour he won.

He's remembered for his Tour wins mostly because he shares the record of victories. 1979, 1981 and 1982 are not really generating lot of discussion.

His other GTs are not discussed at all.

 

[RedheadDane]

Isn't Hinault also - at least partially - remembered as a TdF winner because he's the last French winner?

 

[the asian]

Re: Re:

When people say GT riders are the most known the ones who win the Tour, those who just won the Vuelta are less well known than multiple monument winners

Im not speking from an spanish point of view. Generally people around the world dont care too much about classics. People know Froome or Contador, not Cancellara nor Boonen

This isn't true for hardcore cycling fans.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

Isn't Hinault also - at least partially - remembered as a TdF winner because he's the last French winner?

Don't remind me.

I'm younger than his last success.

 

[Mr.White]

Re:

When people say GT riders are the most known the ones who win the Tour, those who just won the Vuelta are less well known than multiple monument winners

You mean Valverde, Ullrich, Rominger, Heras and Fuente are less known than Devolder, Cunego, Gerrans, Van Hooydonck and Duclos-Lassalle?

 

[SKSemtex]

Re: Re:

Most people dont know the monuments Merckx or Hinault won, they know they won 5 Tours and others GTs

I doubt that most people who don't know about the monuments they won, know about the Giri and Vueltas that they both won either.

There are probably more casual followers of the Tour de France in the world than there are genuine fans of cycling as a sport in general. Which is why it's both by far the biggest races, and produces the most famous names in the sport. I don't think it's to do with GTs v monuments in general. Just the Tour.

Who cares about casual followers of TdF and who cares about history.

Froome will never have in England status similar to Boonen in Belgium nor Sagan in Slovakia.

 

[Fernandez]

The thing, and dont get angry for this, is that people in these forums use to overestimate monuments because that way they believe they are more cycling fans and they know more about the sport.