This years unsung hero's

[Rob_Roy]

I know

But people NEVER check on results by a guy and only go by what they've last remembered or seen, or worse, by what they hear from the pundits. (most pundits are terrible)
No offense meant.

Am I the only results-checking freak?
It sometimes feels that way. And even though Rodriguez and Gesink are not that horrible tt-ers as pundits suggest, it'll get ignored by those 1 or 2 exceptionally bad time trials.

Grr

I blame the bad memory on my age..

I can only keep one race in my head nowadays and TdS is the last one I saw with Gesink

After checking the results,and with a motivated Gesink,I think he will perfom good enough to easily hold his place.

I wonder if there will be any nerve at all in the ITT .

 

[shouldawouldacoulda]

I know

But people NEVER check on results by a guy and only go by what they've last remembered or seen, or worse, by what they hear from the pundits. (most pundits are terrible)
No offense meant.

Am I the only results-checking freak?
It sometimes feels that way. And even though Rodriguez and Gesink are not that horrible tt-ers as pundits suggest, it'll get ignored by those 1 or 2 exceptionally bad time trials.

Grr

Ahh no you're not the only results checking freak.

CQRanking is the most underrated tool used by DS's all over the world to understand what they are in fact up against.

But in terms of fans and pundits... yes, you may stand alone, or at least in a pretty small crowd

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

But it's also true what they say,
Results in the past...don't mean anything on the day.

Especially in cycling where we see suprises each day and each year. It's a funny unpredictable sports.

But I always try to know what to expect, and that's why I freekishly look at past results to have some sort of indicator who's up against who and what the chances are...

Never paid dividents however... always damn suprises.
Going by past results it's almost impossible that Jurgen Vandenbroeck finishes the Tour ahead of Gesink, Leipheimer, Basso, Evans etc...
Not to mention Hesjedal being up there and finishing ahead of all those big names after him.

 

[Weapons of @ss Destruction]

Comparing head to head ITT results is only useful if both of the riders are trying for their best result. Domestiques or those tasked with trying for opportunistic stage wins are given instructions to put in an OK effort, but otherwise conserve energy for other purposes required by the team.

You can't compare that to the effort and result of a rider in an ITT who is handling the role of team leader for the GC.

Facts disagree with you
CQ ranking head-2-head
Individual time trial

Going by 2010, recent time trials, Rodriguez improved drastically and beat Hesjedal in the last 3 serious longer time trials (Prologue isn't his forté)

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Even if you compare the best ITT results of Hesjedal, Rodriguez and Gesink in their best form and against comparable opposition, the result is the same

Hesjedal isn't as good as in time trials as he is hyped up to be
And Rodriguez and Gesink aren't as bad as the pundits claim they are.

That is what all ITT results from the past tell me.
More likely, they are almost dead-even with eachother.

 

[Mach Schnell]

One name, and one name only: Ryder.

 

[El Pistolero]

But it's also true what they say,
Results in the past...don't mean anything on the day.

Especially in cycling where we see suprises each day and each year. It's a funny unpredictable sports.

But I always try to know what to expect, and that's why I freekishly look at past results to have some sort of indicator who's up against who and what the chances are...

Never paid dividents however... always damn suprises.
Going by past results it's almost impossible that Jurgen Vandenbroeck finishes the Tour ahead of Gesink, Leipheimer, Basso, Evans etc...
Not to mention Hesjedal being up there and finishing ahead of all those big names after him.

Well, Jurgen lost about 6 minutes on the team time trial in last years Tour de France because of a crash. So you need to see the results in context as well.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

You don't have to tell me. Still think Jurgen Vandenbroeck never showed this kind of ability before.

In the Tour last year, even in his best days, he was at the level of Le Mevel and Kreuziger. Not the dudes he is in front of now

 

[zealot66]

navarro. BTW, I was suprised to see Cancellara giving everything he had in the mountains. Its too bad that many of these other cyclists arent well known. I hope they are paid well.

I dont really like Vino but he did his job and then got some for himself. A stud. Had frank schleck been there, I think he would have been a candidate.

 

[HL2037]

I don't even know the names of any other Lotto-rider than van den Broeck, but there must be some unsung heroes between them. I seem to remember that vdB was never really alone, and often he had two of three domestiques around him when most other leaders were isolated.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Mario Aerts shouldn't be unknown, neither should Dani Moreno or Matt Loyd.

Aerts goes back a long way and in his height years he was one of the better classic specialists and a very nice climbing domestique. The last, he still is. And he was also instrumental in Gilberts ardennes succes.

Dani Moreno was one of the most important Caisse domestiques in the Vuelta last years and close to the top 10 of the general classification. He didn't impress at Lotto yet but did help Vandenbroeck decently enough

Matt Loyd won the Giro mountains classification and did around top 30 in the Giro before.
Those where the domestiques you saw most.

 

[HL2037]

Thank you and forgive my ignorance

 

[Mambo95]

Definitely David Millar. He's been grovelling in last and injured every stage. Why bother? Only true pro cyclists know.

 

[scribe]

The domestique who has had the most impact on the race is hands down Navarro. Noone else comes close, although a case can be made for Cancellara's efforts on the cobbles but that was as much a result of the crash as spartacus himself.

Navarro rides with a death mask expression. Frozen right at the point of his death.

 

[franciep10]

Either Navarro or kyrienka, Navarro was the best domestique in the tour, literally forced the selection on the madeleine, he better get a big gift from AC. Kyrienka the definition of a workhorse he was in breakaways trying to win stages, in the mountains helping out LLS and the other CDE riders, really sad he hasn't won a stage.

 

[El Pistolero]

I don't even know the names of any other Lotto-rider than van den Broeck, but there must be some unsung heroes between them. I seem to remember that vdB was never really alone, and often he had two of three domestiques around him when most other leaders were isolated.

You don't know Philippe Gilbert?

 

[Ripper]

On a more serious note, I agree that Mario Aerts has been amazing.

Otherwise - pretty much everyone who has not received any TV time is an unsung hero at le Tour.

 

[Roadrage]

I'll weigh in for Chris Horner. He worked hard for Lance, Levi and Kloden and finishes ahead of all of them. For a domestique, especially one near 39 years of age, to get a top 10 finish is outstanding, and well deserved.

 

[ansimi]

Most of the guys who really impressed me this year were the older riders sticking it out with their battered bodies.

Now I'm looking forward to being impressed by young talent at the Vuelta.

 

[richwagmn]

I though I'd see who people have been impressed with but won't be going home with trophies, jersey etc. Just the kudos of their team mates and the watching public.

My vote is for Daniel Navarro. He has pretty much been the busiest man in the peloton when the road goes upwards and has frankly been pace setting all the way through the mountain stages for his man AC, always the last Astana man with Alberto. And to top it off, I just love the face of suffering he wears when he's working on the front, the kind of face that says: why on earth am I here, when is this stage going to finish. That I can relate to.

This. This guy put everyone at that limit. Shame JB kept him off the 09 TDF team. He puts Levi, Horner and Klodi to shame.

 

[richwagmn]

Navarro rides with a death mask expression. Frozen right at the point of his death.

Wow. Well said.