Top 10 Cyclists from your country of all time

[BLRC56]

Also Brian Robinson and Vin Denson - 2 of the first guys to go continental from these shores.
Robinson was first Briton to win a Tour stage and first to finish Tour and also won 1961 Dauphine overall.
Denson rode as trusted domestique for both Rik van Looy and Jacques Anquetil.

Good call with Brian Robinson and Vin Denson
Would also put out a shout for Bill Bradley, a true pioneer of British road racing

 

[Clemson Cycling]

Lance had better results in the Grand Tours, it is not his fault that the competition was not there. The competition that was there he blew away winning 6 of his 7 races by 4:40+ mins. Lemond's biggest victory was 3:10.

 

[Boeing]

I am from the United States so here is my list (its going to be a little rough since I am not great on my cycling history)

1. Lance Armstrong
2. Greg Lemond
3. Andrew Hampsten
4. Levi Leipheimer
5. Christian Vande Velde
6. George Mount
7. Bobby Julrich
8. George Hincapie
9. David Zabriskie
10. Davis Phinney

Unhonorable Mention
1. Floyd Landis
2. Tyler Hamilton
3. Scott Moninger

Vande Velde and Zabriski are not worthy of this list compared to Alexi Grewal, Rebecca Twigg and Connie Carpenter-Phinney

 

[auscyclefan94]

If you want to be fair, when Greg won his first TDF he had to defeat a five time winner, his later tour wins came against a two time winner and also Stephen Roche who had the rare triple crown in one year Giro, TDF, Worlds.
So lets see he defeated previous Tour winners
Hinault 5
Fignon 2
Joop Zoetemelk 1
Pedro Delgado 1
Stephen Roche 1
and also
Miguel Indurain who would win 5
Lance Armstrong who would win 7

Who did Armstrong beat?
Ulrich 1
Pantani 1
Gosh that is impressive competition

You can only beat the cyclists in front of you. There was some fierce competition he had to beat ovver the years even if those riders where druged up.

 

[rhubroma]

I have duel residency between Italy and the US, so:

Coppi
Bartali
Bottecchia
Lemond
Gimondi
Pantani
Armstrong
Moser
Bugno
Hampsten

 

[runninboy]

I have duel residency between Italy and the US, so:

Coppi
Bartali
Bottecchia
Lemond
Gimondi
Pantani
Armstrong
Moser
Bugno
Hampsten

I like your list, especially Coppi
but why Pantani in front of Moser?

 

[Nick C.]

I have duel residency between Italy and the US, so:

Coppi
Bartali
Bottecchia
Lemond
Gimondi
Pantani
Armstrong
Moser
Bugno
Hampsten

Fiorenzo Magni and the original Campionissimo, Constante Girardengo are fuming to say nothing of Alfredo Binda.

 

[Leandro]

its a bit difficult to do all time because few of us are 100 years+ and visit this forum. Based on riders i have watched (Ita).

Rebellin
Pantani
Cippolini
Bettini
Simoni
Pettachi
Basso
Di Luca
Pellizzoti

unfortunately there is also a negative connection to a lot of these guys

 

[TRDean]

Jonathan Boyer? Eric Heiden?

Thank YOU!!! I can't believe I had to wade through 8 pages before I saw the name Jonathan Boyer. Blazed trails for Americans...before LeMond...and this just in: That Cat Could Ride!! I don't care about his personal life...he was a stud on a bike.

 

["flahute"]

1=Robert Millar
2= Mark Cavendish
3=Tom Simpson
4=Barry Hoban
5=Sean Yates
6= Paul Sherwen
7=Graham Jones
8=Malcolm Elliott
9=Vin Denson
10=Brian Robinson

I'm too young to remember the majority of these riders but the dvd the brit pack was a big help.

 

[TRDean]

Since the precedent has been set, I'll stick up for the French.

1. Bernard Hinault
2. Jacques Anquetil
3. Louison Bobet
4. Laurent Fignon
5. Jean Robic
6. Bernard Thevenet
7. Raymond Poulidor
8. Laurent Jalabert
9. Charley Mottet
10. Jean-Francois Bernard (OK, so I punted.)

Dang...I loved Mottet!!! Still do!! Good memories.

 

[TRDean]

I know he really does not belong on the list of Belgian riders but I really admired the speed of Etienne de Wilde. What a horse!! He always came off the 6 day circuit and kicked **** in the sprints on the road in the early season. When I think of him I smile!!!

 

[The_Z_man]

I guess I could have put Mottet ahead of Jaja, but I couldn't rank him above a tour winner.

Charley was a great rider. I still remember him holding off the peleton by 5 seconds or something like that, for a stage win in '89. That year he won two stages in a row, and it was a pretty big deal.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

1 Tommy Simpson
2 Nicole Cooke
3 Bradley Wiggins
4 Chris Boardman
5 Chris Hoy
6 Beryl Burton
7 Robert Millar
8 Mark Cavendish
9 Barry Hoban
10 Sean Yates

Hon Mention to some great riders that would have done more internationally with the sort of set ups available now: Sid Barras, Dave Lloyd, Les West, Hugh Porter - classy riders all - and how about Malcolm Eliot for sheer longevity? A top european pro with Teka, then a dominant presence in the US for years and now a player in the UK again.

I am suprised that Paul Sherwen hasn't got in the honorable mention list. H edid finish 5 Tours and was a reliable domestique for many years.

Also for the South African contingent - wasnt David George on a Pro Tour team some years ago?

 

[ak-zaaf]

I am suprised that Paul Sherwen hasn't got in the honorable mention list. H edid finish 5 Tours and was a reliable domestique for many years.

Also for the South African contingent - wasnt David George on a Pro Tour team some years ago?

i am surprised he put a women in second place.
women can have great cycling careers, but it's in a womens field.
this is a top-10 cyclist thread and i can't imagine any women competing with the top-10 male cyclists in any country. so they are not actually one of the 10 best.

 

[Nastyy]

How many times did he race it? To be fair, he didn't only make the podium, he won the thing.

In Lance's first 12 Tour de France races he made the podium 8 times. Has anyone ever done that?

Everytime Hinault finished the Tour he was 1st or 2nd. In 1980 he would have won but had to abandon because of his knee injury.

 

[Tugboat]

i am surprised he put a women in second place.
women can have great cycling careers, but it's in a womens field.
this is a top-10 cyclist thread and i can't imagine any women competing with the top-10 male cyclists in any country. so they are not actually one of the 10 best.

????? Completely denigrate women and women's sport in general... yay for you. Why don't you go off and join one of those old school gentlemens' club that won't even let women in the door. Or are you already a member?

 

[ak-zaaf]

????? Completely denigrate women and women's sport in general... yay for you. Why don't you go off and join one of those old school gentlemens' club that won't even let women in the door. Or are you already a member?

you're sexist, you idiot ****.

it's about the 10 best cyclist to come from a country and women can't physically compete with men.

i admire nicole cooke and her abilities, but putting her above wiggins makes no sense at all. she may have won great races, but if wiggins competed he would have won them all. that's nature. therefor wiggins is a better cyclist and should be ranked above cooke in a 'who is/was a better cyclist' ranking.

but i guess i'm a old school gentlemens' club member for measuring both man and women by one standard.

 

[Merckx11]

Americans, Brits and Canadians.

It's good to see some people remembering Major Taylor for the U.S.
I would add the Simes family.
for women, Mary Jane Reoch.
Canadian Woman- Karen Strong
Canadian Man- Gordon Singleton along with Bauer and other usual suspects.
And Britain must have Terry Davenport!

 

[pmcg76]

I guess I could have put Mottet ahead of Jaja, but I couldn't rank him above a tour winner.

Charley was a great rider. I still remember him holding off the peleton by 5 seconds or something like that, for a stage win in '89. That year he won two stages in a row, and it was a pretty big deal.

I was a big fan of Mottet and more so when Willy Voet said he was one of the few clean riders in the peloton. His two stage wins were 91 not 89, he finished 4th the same year and in 1987, 6th in 89. He had a great palmares.

If only there had been a few more like Mottet. Personally I think he retired at just 32 in 1994 because he didnt want to deal with the EPO generation.

 

[Merckx11]

Trackies

For America, Marty Nothstein and as mentioned before Major Taylor.
For Australia, John Nicholson, the great sprinter from the 70's.

 

[TwoWheelsGood]

Let's add Jocelyn Lovell to Canada's shortlist.

http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=14236

 

[Dr. Maserati]

I guess I could have put Mottet ahead of Jaja, but I couldn't rank him above a tour winner.

Charley was a great rider. I still remember him holding off the peleton by 5 seconds or something like that, for a stage win in '89. That year he won two stages in a row, and it was a pretty big deal.

Actually looking at the debate between Tugboat & Ak-zaaf - I think everyone overlooked Jeannie Longo.

She deserves a very high placing in the top 10 - with over 1000 victories & 50+ National Titles.

 

[kiwirider]

you're sexist, you idiot ****.

it's about the 10 best cyclist to come from a country and women can't physically compete with men.

One day, go and introduce yourself to either Kathy Lynch or Erin Baker and make that comment. Once you've picked yourself up off the ground after they've "expressed their opinion of you", do some checking out on their performances.

Erin was one of the strongest Ironman triathletes in the world for a number of years - beating many of the best pro men in the world comfortably (including, on occassion, the guy who she ended up marrying). The bike was her strength.

Kathy is a machine! Not only has she represented NZ in road, track and MTB, but she is a demon adventure racer - one of the best in the world at the sport. Do some searching and watch a few of the videos of her towing (literally - as in with a rope tied to her bike) her male team mates on bike legs of these races after 2 or 3 days with no sleep. Then tell me that women can't compete with men ...

If Sarah Ulmer - who most Kiwis would put as our best ever rider - was allowed to compete in the men's field for the IP when she was at the peak of her career, her pace would've had her being capable of finishing mid-field in most of the world cups and the world champs ....

I have also had the pleasure of watching Ina Teutenberg destroy a criterium field at the end of a 5 day tour - and do a faster time than the (international professional) men did on the same course a couple of weeks previously!

I think you get the point ...

But just in case you need it spelled out - just because a woman may not push out as many watts as a man, doesn't make her a lesser athlete. Oh, and because there's nowhere near the same money as in the men's side of the sport (so they can't afford the PED regimes that their male counterparts use) - remember that most women are doing it clean ...

 

[Tugboat]

you're sexist, you idiot ****.

it's about the 10 best cyclist to come from a country and women can't physically compete with men.

i admire nicole cooke and her abilities, but putting her above wiggins makes no sense at all. she may have won great races, but if wiggins competed he would have won them all. that's nature. therefor wiggins is a better cyclist and should be ranked above cooke in a 'who is/was a better cyclist' ranking.

but i guess i'm a old school gentlemens' club member for measuring both man and women by one standard.

Using a very similar logic, it becomes impossible to compare who is the better of a sprinter against a time trial specialist or a stage race GC contender.

I find it very funny that you're calling me sexist for defending women being included in people's top 10 lists. How does that work??

Both Wiggins and Cooke are cyclists, irrespective of gender, and after evaluating their palmares from their respective specialist disciplines there's a very strong argument for both to rank very highly on a top 10 list.