Top 10 current cyclists

[El Pistolero]

Umm that is kind of all season

Observe how Cancellaras diet consists of minor long hillyish classic - MSR, Cobbled hilly classics, pure cobbled classics, then Time Trials/ mountains if TDS is easy enough, then domestiquing on mountains - July, then pure hills - World Road race.

Im sure he wouldnt have these off periods if he was doing just hills hills and hills

It's really not all season, it's 3 major events spread over a season. That's something totally different. He's no Armstrong or Andy Schleck, that's for sure. But he's no Gilbert in this one either. And how can you say Gilbert just does hills hills hills? He rides every classic except Roubaix.

I just get the feeling that after Paris-Roubaix Cancellara stops caring for a while. It's as if he feels too good to try and win a race called the Tour of Luxembourg for example.

 

[raddone]

Based on the CQ Ranking
Last 3 years (2009-2011):
Contador Velasco Alberto
Gilbert Philippe
Evans Cadel
Rodriguez Oliver Joaquin
Sanchez Gonzalez Samuel
Cancellara Fabian
Cavendish Mark
Nibali Vincenzo
Boasson Hagen Edvald
Greipel Andre

Last year (2011):
Gilbert Philippe
Contador Velasco Alberto
Rodriguez Oliver Joaquin
Evans Cadel
Voeckler Thomas
Martin Tony
Sagan Peter
Sanchez Gonzalez Samuel
Cavendish Mark
Scarponi Michele

 

[Richeypen]

Evans
Contador
Gilbert
Martin
Cavendish
A.Schleck
Cobo
Sagan
Scarponi
Rodriguez

Hmmmmmm missing someone who podiumed at 3 monuments whilst getting 3&4th at the WC!

 

[cineteq]

1. Alberto Contador
2. Cadel Evans
3. Philippe Gilbert
4. Fabian Cancellara
5. Tony Martin
6. Vincenzo Nibali
7. Robert Gesink
8. Peter Sagan
9. Edvald Boasson Hagen
10. Mark Cavendish

Note: If Alejandro Valverde would be competing, he'll be somewhere on the list.

 

[airstream]

And if you want you can also list the best top 10 cyclists of this season.

He said overall, not just this year.

Or do you really think that JJ Cobo is better than Fabian Cancellara?

I have opinion only for this year.

 

[woodenswan]

for the last 3 seasons

1. Contador
2. Cancellara
3. Gilbert
4. Cav
5. Evans
6. Tony Martin
7. Nibali
8. Hushovd
9. Scarponi
10. Menchov

uhmm 11. Purito
and how do i forget about Andy?
Andy at 6th and Menchov outta there

 

[Ferminal]

Who are the current top ten of cycling according to you? Let's not just base this on this season alone, but the last 3 seasons to get a broader picture and no one season wonders. And if you want you can also list the best top 10 cyclists of this season.

Here's my list based on last 3 seasons:

1. Alberto Contador
2. Philippe Gilbert
3. Fabian Cancellara
4. Cadel Evans
5. Mark Cavendish
6. Tony Martin
7. Thor Hushovd
8. Vinokourov
9. Vincenzo Nibali
10. Samuel Sanchez

Tough to go past the top 5. I'd maybe swap Cancellara and Gilbert, at least until the end of 2012.

From there I'd probably go:

6. Rodriguez
7. Samu
8. EBH
9. Greipel
10. Martin

For 2011 I'd probably go:

1. Gilbert
2. Evans
3. Contador
4. Martin
5. Rodriguez
6. Cancellara
7. Voeckler
8. Sagan
9. Samu
10. Andy

 

[King Of The Wolds]

For 2011 I'd probably go:

1. Gilbert
2. Evans
3. Contador
4. Martin
5. Rodriguez
6. Cancellara
7. Voeckler
8. Sagan
9. Samu
10. Andy

You forgot Cavendish.

 

[Ferminal]

I don't think I did actually, but he can take one of the last two spots if that looks better.

 

[OlavEH]

Well, it's difficult to compare different type of cyclists, but i'll give it at shot.

1. Alberto Contador
2. Phillipe Gilbert
3. Fabian Cancellara
4. Mark Cavendish
5. Andy Schleck
6. Cadel Evans
7. Vincenzo Nibali
8. Samuel Sanchez
9. Joaquin Rodriguez
10. Thor Hushovd

I choose lo leave out Tony Martin because i mean that all the best cyclists in the world should be either: a) able to reach the podium in a grand tour, or b) fight for a win in one of the monuments. Martin may be the best time trialist in the world, but i don't believe that he is a real contender for the GT or the monuments.

The same goes for a rider like EBH, great in one day and one-week races, but still not a real contender for the monuments.

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

It's the sort of thing that is incredibly subjective, and also affected by the diversity of different riders, ie. climber/sprinter/all rounder etc.

For what it's worth, my top 10 (for this year and in no particular order) would be
Contador
Evans
Gilbert
Martin
Wiggins
Cavendish
Voeckler
Sagan
Hushovd
Kittel

Made this list and then realised that I had no Cancellara. This is because, by his high standards, he had a disappointing season. Kittel is admittedly a bit left field, but think he had a good breakthrough year, and is a young sprinter with a lot of potential.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Don't get all this man crush for A Schleck.
Swans around in the bus, or at the rear of the peloton for most of the season and turns up for a few weeks in July.

This year:
Gilbert
Contador
Evans
Cavendish
Sagan
Voeckler
Rodriguez
EBH
Sanchez
Kittel

3 years:
Contador
Gilbert
Nibali
Cancellara
Evans
Cavendish
Sanchez
Rodriguez
EBH
Scarponi

 

[Richeypen]

I don't think I did actually, but he can take one of the last two spots if that looks better.

2 stages of the Giro, 5 Tour stages, Tour Green jersey and the Road Race World Championship and you dont consider him to be one of the top 10 of the year

 

[Echoes]

Fabian Cancellara
Philippe Gilbert
Cadel Evans
Tom Boonen
Zdenek Stybar
Niels Albert
Sven Nys
Lars Boom
Kevin Pauwels
Johan Van Summeren

 

[cineteq]

Tour riders
Contador
Evans

Sprinter
Cavendish

Hilly classics
Gilbert

Cobbles
Cancellara

Time trialist
Martin

For what I see, a good percentage of posters agree those names should be on the list.

 

[airstream]

7. Voeckler
8. Sagan
9. Samu
10. Andy

Very interesting. Is this part of your rating built according to strength of their perfomances or the way they matched your expectations?

 

[El Pistolero]

Well, it's difficult to compare different type of cyclists, but i'll give it at shot.

1. Alberto Contador
2. Phillipe Gilbert
3. Fabian Cancellara
4. Mark Cavendish
5. Andy Schleck
6. Cadel Evans
7. Vincenzo Nibali
8. Samuel Sanchez
9. Joaquin Rodriguez
10. Thor Hushovd

I choose lo leave out Tony Martin because i mean that all the best cyclists in the world should be either: a) able to reach the podium in a grand tour, or b) fight for a win in one of the monuments. Martin may be the best time trialist in the world, but i don't believe that he is a real contender for the GT or the monuments.

The same goes for a rider like EBH, great in one day and one-week races, but still not a real contender for the monuments.

I don't agree with you about Tony Martin, but I do agree with Edvald Boasson Hagen. So far he has never been close to winning a Monument or prestigious one week race. He also can't win Grand Tours or important time trials, so yeah... Tony Martin on the other hand can win big time trials in Grand Tours and one day event(s) and can also win prestigious one week races(second at Suisse and Romandie, first at Paris-Nice).

 

[*Falze*]

1. Contador
2. Gilbert
3. Evans
4. Cancellara
5. Cavendish
6. Martin
7. Hushord
8. Samu
9. Wiggins
10. F.Schleck

Its hard to be objective about your favorite riders, because you always see the potential and ability. I've tried to be non biased.

I tried to cover sprints, grand tours and week long tours with my own super team for 2012. (no doms allowed) altough thats not a bad idea for a thread. The best nine man tour team (inc doms and water carriers - not just saying "i'd have gilbert being my biddon guy for the tour)

 

[Sophistic]

1 Evans
2 Gilbert
3 Contador
4 ASchleck
5 Cancellara
6 FSchleck
7 Martin
8 Purito
9 Goss
10 Wiggins/Cavendish

a)Stage wins are worthless imo no matter if flat or MTF or TT, the point of a stage race is to be win at the end. b)Whoever wins the Tour is King.

 

[El Pistolero]

1 Evans
2 Gilbert
3 Contador
4 ASchleck
5 Cancellara
6 FSchleck
7 Martin
8 Purito
9 Goss
10 Wiggins/Cavendish

a)Stage wins are worthless imo no matter if flat or MTF or TT, the point of a stage race is to be win at the end. b)Whoever wins the Tour is King.

Grand Tour stages aren't worthless. I rather win a stage in the Tour then get second without stage wins.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

This year:
Gilbert
Contador
Evans
Cavendish
Sagan
EBH
Sanchez
bavarianrider Martin
Thor
leipheimer.

Last 3 years:
Contador
Fabian
Gilbert
Nibali
Evans
Cavendish
Sanchez
Rodriguez
Andy or Scarponi.
Basso coz he won 2010 Giro.

 

[LaFlorecita]

First things first, IMO, anyone who doesn't have Contador as their top pick for the last three years is either an ignorant fool, brainless, a stupid hater or someone who has spent the entire past three years with the Hutus in Africa/somewhere in the desert in Mongolia.

I'll have a go at this as well.

Last three years:
1 Alberto Contador
2 Fabian Cancellara
3 Mark Cavendish
4 Philippe Gilbert
5 Vincenzo Nibali
6 Cadel Evans
7 Joaquin Rodriguez
8 Samuel Sanchez
9 Denis Menchov
10 Tony Martin

This year:
1 Philippe Gilbert
2 Alberto Contador
3 Cadel Evans
4 Tony Martin
5 Thor Hushovd
6 Mark Cavendish
7 Edvald Boasson Hagen
8 Michele Scarponi
9 Bradley Wiggins
10 Samuel Sanchez

(I might have forgotten someone.)

edit: see, I forgot someone. Leipheimer *cough* He can share #9 with Wiggo.

 

[luckyboy]

Contador
Gilbert
Cancellara
Evans
Cavendish
Hushovd
Menchov
Martin
Rodriguez
Sagan

 

[Zoncolan]

Last three years:
1. Contador
2. Cancellara
3. Evans
4. Gilbert
5. Nibali
6. Cavendish
7. Hushovd
8. A. Schleck
9. Martin (Tony)
10. Valverde

2011:
1. Gilbert
2. Evans
3. Contador
4. Cavendish
_______________
5. Sagan
6. Voeckler
7. Wiggins
8. Rodriguez
9. Boasson Hagen
10. Cobo (purely because a "GT" winner has to have a place on my list)

 

[Nick C.]

more of a last three years ranking

Contador
Gilbert
Cancellara
Evans
Andy Schleck
Cavendish
Rodriguez
Nibali
Hushovd
Sammy Sanchez

I almost give the last spot to Sagan, I had Scarponi in there then I went with Samu though perhaps Menchov was a better choice
Greipel probably has as many wins as anyone and could fit but more like 2nd 10
I like the inclusion of Kittel in the 2011 lists