Top 20 Cyclists of all time

[rghysens]

From the top of my head, a more or less chronological list of all time greats without too much data to back it:
François Faber
Philippe Thys
Henri Pélissier
Alfredo Binda
Gino Bartali
Briek Schotte
Fausto Coppi
Rik Van Steenbergen
Louison Bobet
Rik Van Looy
Fred De Bruyne
Ferdi Kübler
Jacques Anquetil
Charly Gaul
Raymond Poulidor
Felice Gimondi
Eddy Merckx
Roger De Vlaeminck
Freddy Maertens
Luis Ocaña
Bernard Hinault
Sean Kelly
Laurent Fignon
Greg LeMond
Francesco Moser
Giuseppe Saronni
Miguel Indurain
Tony Rominger
Johan Museeuw
Laurent Jalabert
Lance Armstrong (yeah, I know)
Paolo Bettini
Tom Boonen
Alejandro Valverde
Fabian Cancellara
Alberto Contador
Chris Froome
Philippe Gilbert
Vicenzo Nibali
Peter Sagan

That are, if i counted well, 40 names.

From those 40, following should certainly feature in the top 20:
Alfredo Binda
Gino Bartali
Fausto Coppi
Louison Bobet
Rik Van Looy
Jacques Anquetil
Eddy Merckx
Roger De Vlaeminck
Bernard Hinault
Sean Kelly
Miguel Indurain
Alberto Contador
Chris Froome

If you scrutinize that list, you'll notice that there are no 1-day riders from the 1990-2020 era. That's because I find it too difficult to make a distinction between Boonen, Cancellara and Museeuw. Somehow I rate Philippe Gilbert higher than Boonen and Cancellara, just because of the versatility of his palmares (all types of 1-day races, ranging from paris-roubaix to Lombardia, and that in an era of specialization) and the only reason I don't say I rate him higher than Museeuw is because I was too much a Museeuw-fan in my youth. Bettini has less monument wins than Museeuw, Boonen or Cancellara, but has an olympic gold and at least 1 extra wc title.
Valverde built too much of his palmares on his hilltop sprint abilities, in an era where too much races were concluded in hilltop sprints.
There's also no-one included from cyclings prehistoric times, allthough I think at least one of the first three names I mentioned should be, just for the sake of completeness.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

It says cyclists, not road cyclists, but only lists road cyclists.

 

[gregrowlerson]

It says cyclists, not road cyclists, but only lists road cyclists.

True, though we are in the road racing forum.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

From the top of my head, a more or less chronological list of all time greats without too much data to back it:
François Faber
Philippe Thys
Henri Pélissier
Alfredo Binda
Gino Bartali
Briek Schotte
Fausto Coppi
Rik Van Steenbergen
Louison Bobet
Rik Van Looy
Fred De Bruyne
Ferdi Kübler
Jacques Anquetil
Charly Gaul
Raymond Poulidor
Felice Gimondi
Eddy Merckx
Roger De Vlaeminck
Freddy Maertens
Luis Ocaña
Bernard Hinault
Sean Kelly
Laurent Fignon
Greg LeMond
Francesco Moser
Giuseppe Saronni
Miguel Indurain
Tony Rominger
Johan Museeuw
Laurent Jalabert
Lance Armstrong (yeah, I know)
Paolo Bettini
Tom Boonen
Alejandro Valverde
Fabian Cancellara
Alberto Contador
Chris Froome
Philippe Gilbert
Vicenzo Nibali
Peter Sagan

That are, if i counted well, 40 names.

From those 40, following should certainly feature in the top 20:
Alfredo Binda
Gino Bartali
Fausto Coppi
Louison Bobet
Rik Van Looy
Jacques Anquetil
Eddy Merckx
Roger De Vlaeminck
Bernard Hinault
Sean Kelly
Miguel Indurain
Alberto Contador
Chris Froome

If you scrutinize that list, you'll notice that there are no 1-day riders from the 1990-2020 era. That's because I find it too difficult to make a distinction between Boonen, Cancellara and Museeuw. Somehow I rate Philippe Gilbert higher than Boonen and Cancellara, just because of the versatility of his palmares (all types of 1-day races, ranging from paris-roubaix to Lombardia, and that in an era of specialization) and the only reason I don't say I rate him higher than Museeuw is because I was too much a Museeuw-fan in my youth. Bettini has less monument wins than Museeuw, Boonen or Cancellara, but has an olympic gold and at least 1 extra wc title.
Valverde built too much of his palmares on his hilltop sprint abilities, in an era where too much races were concluded in hilltop sprints.
There's also no-one included from cyclings prehistoric times, allthough I think at least one of the first three names I mentioned should be, just for the sake of completeness.

I'm sorry, but Museeuw wasn't even close to the level of Boonen or Cancellara.

 

[pmcg76]

It says cyclists, not road cyclists, but only lists road cyclists.

Original list was from Cycle Sport magazine in 1997 and restricted to male road cyclists so staying with that formula in the Road Racing forum.

 

[Blanco]

I'm sorry, but Museeuw wasn't even close to the level of Boonen or Cancellara.

I wouldn't say difference is that big, at least in terms of classics...

 

[Red Rick]

I would put him a slight touch below those 2.

2 other names that are hard to place: Cavendish, Freire

 

[Juan Pelota]

For an objective list. Here is procyclingstats point based ranking

1	1	-	MERCKX Eddy	3798.2
2	2	-	MOSER Francesco	2093.9
3	3	-	KELLY Sean	2065.6
4	4	-	HINAULT Bernard	1962.8
5	5	-	DE VLAEMINCK Roger	1961.3
6	6	-	ANQUETIL Jacques	1870.3
7	7	-	VALVERDE Alejandro	Movistar Team	1752.5
8	8	-	VAN LOOY Rik	1702
9	9	-	JALABERT Laurent	1538.6
10	10	-	SARONNI Giuseppe	1512.2
11	11	-	BARTALI Gino	1494
12	12	-	COPPI Fausto	1493.1
13	13	-	GIMONDI Felice	1464.4
14	14	-	MAERTENS Freddy	1437
15	15	-	ZOETEMELK Joop	1394.4
16	16	-	ROMINGER Tony	1327.7
17	17	-	INDURAIN Miguel	1273.7
18	18	-	BINDA Alfredo	1264.8
19	19	-	POULIDOR Raymond	1258.3
20	20	-	ZABEL Erik	1256.9

Now, of course, Lance has been taken out due to nonsense. But I'd put him back in. Knock out Zabel and Binda, and give Lance and Contador their due.

Sagan is 21 on the list and will be top ten by the time he retires probably.

 

[skippo12]

I would put him a slight touch below those 2.

2 other names that are hard to place: Cavendish, Freire

Sprinters are really hard to judge but I think Cavs palmares isn´t more impressive than Petacchis or Cipollinis.


Cipollini 166 Wins, 55 GT stage wins, MSR , Worlds
Petacchi 149Wins, 48 GT stage wins, MSR
Cav 146 Wins, 48 GT stage wins, MSR, Worlds

Cavs big advantage are Tour stage wins but considering the lack of competition he faced at his peak I don´t think the numbers are as impressive. A 36 year old Petacchi was able to win two stages and the green jersey vs prime Cav.

I don´t think any of them would make my top 30. I also have more versatile sprinters/classic riders ahead of them. For example:

Freire with 3 Worlds and 3 MSR wins. 11 GT stages and one green jersey.
Zabel with 4 MSR wins. 20 GT stages. 6 green jerseys and an all time best 9 GT point classifications.

 

[pmcg76]

Sprinters are really hard to judge but I think Cavs palmares isn´t more impressive than Petacchis or Cipollinis.


Cipollini 166 Wins, 55 GT stage wins, MSR , Worlds
Petacchi 149Wins, 48 GT stage wins, MSR
Cav 146 Wins, 48 GT stage wins, MSR, Worlds

Cavs big advantage are Tour stage wins but considering the lack of competition he faced at his peak I don´t think the numbers are as impressive. A 36 year old Petacchi was able to win two stages and the green jersey vs prime Cav.

I don´t think any of them would make my top 30. I also have more versatile sprinters/classic riders ahead of them. For example:

Freire with 3 Worlds and 3 MSR wins. 11 GT stages and one green jersey.
Zabel with 4 MSR wins. 20 GT stages. 6 green jerseys and an all time best 9 GT point classifications.

I wouldnt put any sprinters in my Top 50. Grossly over-rated the lot of them, especially Cavendish. Totally agree that the opposition during Cavs peak was the worst I have seen in my 30+ years of following cycling.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

It is so often said that these historical comparisons are made more difficult "as cycling is so much more specific nowadays" (the way PMcG put it in the OP).

So what if there were someone born in c1985 with exactly the skillset of Merckx, or Kelly, Hinault, Anquetil, De Vlaeminck or Bartali: what palmares might they have now, as they enter the final years of their careers? Which of their successes would they not be able to maintain? Which races would they have had to drop from their ambitions to be competitive in others in the modern era?

 

[Parker]

Sprinters are really hard to judge but I think Cavs palmares isn´t more impressive than Petacchis or Cipollinis.


Cipollini 166 Wins, 55 GT stage wins, MSR , Worlds
Petacchi 149Wins, 48 GT stage wins, MSR
Cav 146 Wins, 48 GT stage wins, MSR, Worlds

Cavendish never had the benefit of the Giro laying on an all-you eat sprinter's buffet as they often did with Cipollini and Petaachi

 

[Big Doopie]

I wouldnt put any sprinters in my Top 50. Grossly over-rated the lot of them, especially Cavendish. Totally agree that the opposition during Cavs peak was the worst I have seen in my 30+ years of following cycling.

aside Maertens.

greatest all-time sprinter. and yet he also dominated ITTs and won some classics. and won a Vuelta and 14 of its stages. and finished 8th in his first TDF.

 

[Blanco]

Cipollini 166 Wins
Petacchi 149Wins

Cippo has 168, and Ale Jet 163 wins

 

[Red Rick]

Yes, the sprinters field was a joke.

But the field in a race in which you can win 14 stages must be absolutely amazing

 

[Blanco]

aside Maertens.

greatest all-time sprinter. and yet he also dominated ITTs and won some classics. and won a Vuelta and 14 of its stages. and finished 8th in his first TDF.

Maertens was a sprinter of old, a different beast totally. More of an all-rounder, like Poblet, Darrigade and Van Steenbergen were before him. Definitely in another league compared to Cav and co.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

It is so often said that these historical comparisons are made more difficult "as cycling is so much more specific nowadays" (the way PMcG put it in the OP).

So what if there were someone born in c1985 with exactly the skillset of Merckx, or Kelly, Hinault, Anquetil, De Vlaeminck or Bartali: what palmares might they have now, as they enter the final years of their careers? Which of their successes would they not be able to maintain? Which races would they have had to drop from their ambitions to be competitive in others in the modern era?

De Vlaeminck is kind of an outlier on that list (no GC / not able to be consistent in mountains). You can find riders sort of like him. Gilbert is probably the closest approximation. Maybe Van der Poel but I'm not convinced he can do well in Lombardia or other races with longer climbs.

IMHO it's not the specialization but the fact that there are many more top level riders compared to even 25 years ago (which forces specialization). Going back a little further, LeMond and Fignon both had Top 5 in Paris-Roubaix. I don't think similar riders could do that now because there are too many riders normally considered domestiques that finish would outperform them.

Kelly is similar to Sagan now but was better on mountains. Maybe Sagan could do OK on GC in some of those 80's Vuelta courses.
Bartali's palmares isn't much different than Nibali, just more win volume.
Anquetil isn't much different than any other GC rider today.
I don't think an Hinault could win Paris-Roubaix today, which really leaves Merckx as the one who a top rider in all terrain. But he was too heavy too be competitive in the mountains today so would concentrate on classics.

Edit to add... I don't understand why Contador is on so many of these lists. A GC-only rider that only won the Tour twice? Even if you give credit for 2010, then you have to deduct the gift win in 2007. Among modern (post-2000) cyclists, Valverde, Froome (and Armstrong) clearly rank above him and the only ones who should definitely be in the Top 20.
Nibali, Boonen, Cancellara and maybe Sagan and Gibert around the same level. Of those, I think Boonen and Cancellara are the only ones to consider for a top 20 list.

 

[Red Rick]

Boonen and Canc also just won the same damn races every time.

I rate a guy who won 7 (or 8 or 9) GTs higher than a guy who won 7 cobbled monuments.

Many top 20 lists will see dudes like Zoetemelk on them ffs.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Boonen and Canc also just won the same damn races every time.

I rate a guy who won 7 (or 8 or 9) GTs higher than a guy who won 7 cobbled monuments.

Many top 20 lists will see dudes like Zoetemelk on them ffs.

Maybe I was too hard on Contador because he was only at the very top level of a 3 to 4 year period and then was overshadowed by Froome. Post-ban, he wasn't any better than Quintana or Nibali.
Boonen has the best record all-time in the pave classics. So, the more I think about it, I've agreed with myself that he should be closer to top 10 than borderline top 20.
Cancellara is a little lower but he did win San Remo and multiple ITT WCs.

 

[Jspear]

Maybe I was too hard on Contador because he was only at the very top level of a 3 to 4 year period and then was overshadowed by Froome. Post-ban, he wasn't any better than Quintana or Nibali.
Boonen has the best record all-time in the pave classics. So, the more I think about it, I've agreed with myself that he should be closer to top 10 than borderline top 20.
Cancellara is a little lower but he did win San Remo and multiple ITT WCs.

And Cancellara won gold twice in the Olympics.

 

[Red Rick]

Windows are incredibly arbitrary. I think dismissing Giro's and Vuelta's in this day and age isn't that fair either, especially in like 2008 when Contador couldn't even ride the Tour and Sastre of all people won it.

 

[hayneplane]

Early 2000s Giro was very much a home playground for the Italians as they duked out the GC between themselves and rarely showed up in any shape to face off with Armstrong and Ullrich (Pantani excepted) and the amount of flat stages for Petacchi and Cipollini to rack up the wins was worse than any Tour de France.

For that reason between the sprinters I would put Cavendish highest but not close to the top 50 all time.

Sagan has to be top twenty for the almost inconceivable achievement of winning the Worlds 3 years on the spin.

Cancellara over Boonen for me as he had inferior team support in the classics and I rate his TT successes above Boonens sprinting results.

 

[Escarabajo]

Boonen and Cancellara not even a remote chance IMHO.
These are the type of riders for the die hard fans but we have to be more objective and look at things for farther away.

 

[samhocking]

The impossible top 20 lol. I think more meaningful to just rank by points like cyclingranking do, but over top 50 and 10 years best. You then get a much better picture of riders truly standing out generationally and within their contemporaries context I think.

1.	Eddy MERCKX	1964 - 1978	5327	58300	1
2.	Sean KELLY	1977 - 1994	3777	45705	2
3.	Francesco MOSER	1971 - 1988	3257	38438	5
4.	Gino BARTALI	1934 - 1954	3245	45683	3
5.	Bernard HINAULT	1975 - 1986	3198	33091	10
6.	Alejandro VALVERDE BELMONTE	2000 - 2020	3071	41467	4
7.	Felice GIMONDI	1963 - 1979	2947	35251	9
8.	Roger DE VLAEMINCK	1967 - 1988	2906	35269	8
9.	Jacques ANQUETIL	1952 - 1969	2806	32773	13
10.	Laurent JALABERT	1988 - 2002	2758	31794	14
11.	Fausto COPPI	1938 - 1959	2738	32907	12
12.	Rik VAN LOOY	1953 - 1970	2715	32921	11
13.	Joop ZOETEMELK	1969 - 1987	2650	37446	6
14.	Costante GIRARDENGO	1912 - 1936	2646	31223	15
15.	Alberto CONTADOR VELASCO	2002 - 2017	2631	29705	18
16.	Fiorenzo MAGNI	1938 - 1956	2624	27910	21
17.	Lance ARMSTRONG	1990 - 2011	2614	30405	16
18.	Miguel INDURÁIN	1984 - 1996	2563	26742	24
19.	Alfredo BINDA	1921 - 1942	2485	26014	25
20.	Raymond POULIDOR	1960 - 1977	2456	35441	7
21.	Louison BOBET	1946 - 1962	2423	28341	20
22.	Jan JANSSEN	1960 - 1973	2396	24355	31
23.	Vincenzo NIBALI	2004 - 2020	2309	27397	22
24.	Franco BITOSSI	1961 - 1978	2308	27295	23
25.	Tony ROMINGER	1985 - 1997	2308	23943	33
26.	Christopher FROOME	2006 - 2020	2305	23345	36
27.	Giuseppe SARONNI	1977 - 1990	2288	24207	32
28.	Peter SAGAN	2009 - 2020	2255	22678	39
29.	Cadel EVANS	1998 - 2015	2231	24684	28
30.	Ferdi KÜBLER	1940 - 1957	2226	23875	34
31.	Jan ULLRICH	1993 - 2006	2204	22719	38
32.	Erik ZABEL	1990 - 2008	2203	28365	19
33.	Joaquim RODRÍGUEZ OLIVER	2000 - 2016	2172	24530	29
34.	Hennie KUIPER	1971 - 1988	2110	25285	26
35.	Claudio CHIAPPUCCI	1985 - 1999	2090	22479	40
36.	Herman VAN SPRINGEL	1964 - 1981	2072	24508	30
37.	Stan OCKERS	1941 - 1956	2060	21689	41
38.	Freddy MAERTENS	1971 - 1987	2027	20338	55
39.	Phil ANDERSON	1980 - 1994	1996	23244	37
40.	Alex ZÜLLE	1990 - 2004	1991	21237	46
41.	Nicolas FRANTZ	1922 - 1934	1979	20151	58
42.	Davide REBELLIN	1991 - 2020	1968	30129	17
43.	Fabian CANCELLARA	2000 - 2016	1956	23352	35
44.	Stephen ROCHE	1978 - 1993	1948	20860	51
45.	Paolo BETTINI	1996 - 2008	1937	20541	52
46.	Greg LEMOND	1981 - 1994	1933	19897	61
47.	Greg VAN AVERMAET	2005 - 2020	1923	21268	45
48.	Philippe GILBERT	2001 - 2020	1918	24751	27
49.	Gianni BUGNO	1985 - 1998	1889	20272	56
50.	Marino LEJARRETA	1978 - 1992	1880	21397	43

 

[skippo12]

Boonen and Cancellara not even a remote chance IMHO.
These are the type of riders for the die hard fans but we have to be more objective and look at things for farther away.

Agree that neither is among the top 20 alltime. I think the already mentioned Zabel for example might not be as popular but comparing his palmares to Boonens he has a legit case depending on the value of monuments vs GT stages/jerseys.
Cancellara is a different story. Time trial specialist and dominant classic rider. Including worlds and the olympics he has 47 world tour level wins. 32 of them were TTs. He only won one non TT GT stage. I don´t really know how to judge the value of TTs at the worlds and olympics. They clearly aren´t as valuable as a road race win but how do we rank them? 2:1, 3:1?