Top 10 rides ever

[Magnus]

Ok. So instead of a top 10 riders list, let's have a top 10 rides.

My pick at the moment (not in any particular order).

Hinault LBL 80
Merckx Tourmalet 69
Koblet Agen TdF 51
Coppi Sestrieres TdF 52
Poli Ventoux TdF 94
Rudi Altig Trofeo Barrachi 62
Ryder Hesjedal TTT TdF 2009
Anquetil Dauphine/Bordeaux-Paris 65
Gaul Chartreuse TdF 58
Cancellara Paris-Roubaix 2010

 

[ak-zaaf]

How about the Ronde van Vlaanderen where Merckx attacked with something like 70km to go and his DS, Lomme Driessens, drove his car up to him and told him he was crazy and should go back to the group.
Merckx basically told him to suck his balls and won by a great margin.
Forgot what year it was.

Chiapucci to Sestriere in 92(?) also comes to mind.

And the Olympics in 1980. I think Soukorouchenkov (again ?) rode away from the start never to be caught again.
Maaybe that was the most awesome win ever.

 

[Seattleallstar]

there isnt a Lance Armstrong ride there anywhere, which is insane

 

[Hmmmmm]

How about the Ronde van Vlaanderen where Merckx attacked with something like 70km to go and his DS, Lomme Driessens, drove his car up to him and told him he was crazy and should go back to the group.
Merckx basically told him to suck his balls and won by a great margin.
Forgot what year it was.

That would be 1969. Awesome!

 

[Ryaguas]

there isnt a Lance Armstrong ride there anywhere, which is insane

Ok Cry me a river... nah just kidding... What about Lance in Hautacam against Pantani, Ulrich et al?

Ok mmmm Do those top rides have that have ended in a victory???

Well I don't know... What about:

Il Pirata in Galibier?}
Contador Verbier 09?
Contador - The Chicken in Peyresourde 07? Also Vinokourov in the same stage?

mmmm Can we focus in the actual cycling? just cuz Merckx, Hinault, Miguelon, Coppi, Bartali and those other legends will always take that top 10...

By actual cycling I mean the cycling in this 15 years... I don't know... is just and advice to the post...

 

[David Suro]

Lemond's 1989 time trial on the Champes

Theunisse on Alpe d huez

Pretty good rides!

 

[jobiwan]

Contador Verbier 09?
Contador - The Chicken in Peyresourde 07? Also Vinokourov in the same stage?

Those were two impressive rides.
Cancellara in this year Paris-Roubaix is also quite impressive.
Contador's 07 TdF ITT comes to mind as well.

 

[McClimber]

1989 Worlds

Greg Lemond

Chased a bunch of attacks and then sprinted for the win from a long way out. In the Rain.

 

[Digger]

Ullrich 2003 ITT stage 12 in the heat.
Roche 1987 La Plagne.
Kelly 1992 MSR.
Andy Hampsten 1992 Alpe d'Huez.
Fignon 1989 Villard de Lans.
Lemond final TT.

 

[kuat2770]

1) Coppi Giro d' Italia 1949 stage to Pinerello (he won by 11minutes leading over so many huge climbs).
2) Hinault Liege Bastogne Liege 1980 only man racing that day in the snow.
3) Merckx Flanders in 1969 its Merckx at his best
4) Tchmil in Roubaix 1994 being chased by Musueew in the mud.
5) Pantani Tour de France to Les Deux Alpes the attack on the Galibier in the fog brought me to cycling as a 10 year old...
6) Merckx Tour de France Moreux 1969 just because he could...
7) Armstrong Tour de France 2003 to Luz Ardiden, not an Armstrong fan but having been attacked on the Tourmalet, crashed on the lower slopes and then to ride away... Wow.
8) Di Luca Giro 2007 Tre Cime, having been attacked by Astana (Mazzoleni and Savodelli) with a climb to go, and isolated from his team for a long time he opened up the gas on the lower slopes, and rescued his giro (the stage went to Ricco and he lost 1min+ to Mazzoleni but he was 3min+ down at the foot of the climb).
9) Musueew Roubaix 2002 attacking in the mud with 40km to go and his time gap never dropping. stunning.
10) Jalabert Tour de France 1995. Brought Indurain to his knees on Bastille day...

 

[auscyclefan94]

there isnt a Lance Armstrong ride there anywhere, which is insane

I agree. I don't like the guy but he rides with style and is great to watch if you just like watching the sport as a spectacle.

Luz ardiden 2003, Alpe D Huez 2001, Hautacam 2000, Sestriere 99.

Everyone knows my favourite of top rides of all times.

MENDRISIO 2009!!!!

 

[icefire]

Ocaña, Tour de France 1971 to Orcieres-Merlette. Merckx was third... 8'42" behind!

 

[Gcraenen]

Just from my own memories, rather then going through a history book, I would have to say the top 2 are Lemond's ITT to win the 1989 TdF and Hinaults massive victory in the 1980 LBL through rain, sleet, snow, and hail.
Other images burned into my mind are De Vlaeminck's last Paris-Roubaix and Boonen's first RvV.

 

[Gcraenen]

...oh, and van Impe on Alpe d' Huez.

 

[Carlo Algatrensig]

Tchmil 1994 Paris Roubaix. I seem to remember it was 70k on his own in atrocious conditions.

And also 2 seperate rides on the same day

Both Otchoa and Armstrongs rides to Hautacam in 2000.

 

[skidmark]

Ocaña, Tour de France 1971 to Orcieres-Merlette. Merckx was third... 8'42" behind!

I was going to mention this in conjunction with the next day. I've obviously only read about this, as I was born 9 years later, but Ocana's ride was one of those special TdF-winning moves that would have gone down in history if he hadn't crashed out. But a beaten Merckx at his prime must have been fascinating. The next day, Merckx attacked on a small descent with some teammates (and a small group) on a pretty flat stage. Apparently it was so hot that 2 of his teammates had their tires come unglued and flatted. The end result was that he pulled the break for most of 280km on his own. The peloton, obviously not wanting to let Merckx go, pulled like mad behind. They still never caught him. He only gained back 2 minutes, but to hold off a peloton on that kind of a break is just insane. There was no TV footage of the stage either, according to the account I read, because they finished the stage 45 minutes faster than the fastest forecast time.

Also, of rides that I can remember since becoming a fan, Tyler Hamilton's 140km solo stage win with a broken collarbone in the 2003 Tour was pretty good.

And I can't not mention one of the most exciting days I can remember in cycling, despite how history will contextualize that day - Stage 17, 2006 Tour.

As far as the OP, I get that Hesjedal's performance in the TTT was gutsy and above his capabilities, but I'm not sure how that can really be seen in the same league with any of the other examples people are giving. Maybe it can be discussed as a very good thankless ride, but the stakes weren't really that huge, in the sense that the worst that would have happened was that their GC guys would have lost 20 seconds or so if they had had to slow down (more) for him.

 

[Seattleallstar]

2004 stage 17 TDF Lance catching Kloden

ventoux ride to catch the pirate

 

[pedaling squares]

Andy Hampsten on the Gavia. Didn't win the stage but he took the maglia rosa. A memorable stage to say the least.

 

[rghysens]

Since it is nearly impossible to judge rides you haven't seen, I will only name 10 I have seen on tv (in no particular order). I admit it is "a bit" biased towards riders I like(d)

Pantani, TDF stage to Les deux Alpes, 1998
Bartoli, Flêche Wallone, 1999
Indurain, tour stage to Liege, 1995
Museeuw, Paris-Roubaix, 2002
Ballerini, Paris-Roubaix, 1998
Ullrich, tdf tt Cap Découverte, 2003
VDB, LBL, 1999
Cancellara, MSR, 2008
many racers, giro stage7, 2010
Armstrong, tour stage Hautacam, 2000

 

[ak-zaaf]

VDB, LBL, 1999

Can't believe I forgot that one. Also Avila '99.

 

[maltiv]

I have to add this one:

Cancellara, stage 3 TDF 2007

 

[happychappy]

1994 prologue, Chris Boardman.

 

[Derrick]

Roger Rosiers, Paris-Roubaix, 1971.

 

[ultimobici]

My 10 in no particular order

1. Charly Mottet's 88 Giro di Lombardia - ignoring Guimard and putting his head down for 70km!
2. Kelly's 92 Milan San Remo - Poor Argentin!
3. Coppi's 1949 Giro Epic - Words fail me
4. Hinault's 1980 Liege Bastogne Liege
5. Christophe's 1910 Milan San Remo - Only 3 of the 71 starters finished!
6. Vanderaerden's 1985 Ronde in appaling conditions
7. Madiot's 1985 Paris Roubaix in similar conditions
8. Lemond's 89 World Title
9. Bettini's 2006 Giro di Lombardia
10.Fignon's 84 Tour de France in its entirety

 

[Willy_Voet]

1993 Worlds was pretty epic. Leaving behind 4 Italians, Indurain, Tchmil? was pretty impressive.

No helmet to boot in the rain with lots of white road strips.