Top 5 GT Riders: Order & Discussion

[DFA123]

1. Contador
2. Froome
3. Nibali
4. Quintana
5. Valverde

Agree with this; although Quintana is the relative unknown for me. He won the Giro at a canter and his TdF performance last year was despite wasting energy for Valverde on some of the earlier stages.

 

[Arredondo]

1. Contador
2. Froome
3. Nibali
4. Quintana
5. Valverde

Agree with everything bar Valverde. I think there 4/5 guys who are quite level to Bala, but if you're looking short-vision to it, you can put him on 5th place.

 

[Arredondo]

Another GT (almost!) behind us. What has changed?

IMO Purito is declining, I have to admit I had him in 5th place, but I dont think anymore he is so strong.
Alberto nor Dawg werent on their best,question is how they were (95% vs 95% etc), IMO they were more or less the same, maybe someone were a bit better form wise, but I cant guess who...

Did you really expect him to fight for Vuelta-victory after such a unlucky season?

I still think you can't really judge him on this Vuelta. Ofcourse he will decline at some point, but i mostly think he wasn't near his best level because of his injuries.

 

[super_domestique]

Contador
Nibali
Froome
Quintana
Valverde

Contador's place at the top is based on current and previous triumphs. His palmares is well known and needs no introduction.

Nibali, winner of all 3 has earned his place at the top table.

Froome, masterful in last years tour has not been able to replicate his form this year. His class has shown through in the latter stages of the Vuelta. Provided team SKY support him with a good group (Unlike in the tour) he has every chance to win another GT.

Quintana, the little climber is a worthy winner, but has yet to prove he can compete with the best and beat them in a GT.

Valverde - won't win any GT but is probably the best of the rest (at this moment in time)

 

[ILovecycling]

Did you really expect him to fight for Vuelta-victory after such a unlucky season?

I still think you can't really judge him on this Vuelta. Ofcourse he will decline at some point, but i mostly think he wasn't near his best level because of his injuries.

Honestly, yes I did.I knew AC,Froome won't be at their best, so I expect at least a podium or a fight with Quintana ftw (or ac,cf).
It might be because of injuries, but from 2012 it is worse and worse (2013 froome wasnt that epic great)

Well I dont know what are his goals,but if he wants to ever win a GT I dont know how he will do that.With Nibali not in top form at Giro maybe.Tour is not a chance for him and he didnt peak well for vuelta last 2 years.

 

[Arredondo]

Honestly, yes I did.I knew AC,Froome won't be at their best, so I expect at least a podium or a fight with Quintana ftw (or ac,cf).
It might be because of injuries, but from 2012 it is worse and worse (2013 froome wasnt that epic great)

Well I dont know what are his goals,but if he wants to ever win a GT I dont know how he will do that.With Nibali not in top form at Giro maybe.Tour is not a chance for him and he didnt peak well for vuelta last 2 years.

I rate his last week in the Tour '13 just as high as the Vuelta 2012. Even higher. 2013 overall was at the same level as 2012, only in the Ardennes classic he had bad luck, which cost him the victory in FW. But 2012 and 2013 were definitely his best two seasons to date.

I mean, he was as good as Quintana in the alps. So you don't rate the perfomance of Quintana in that Tour very high either?

He will not win a GT ofcourse anymore. He had his chances in 2012. But i still think he can fight with the best in the classics, and play his part in a GT.

 

[icefire]

1. Contador
2. Froome
3. Nibali
4. Quintana
5. Valverde

4 out of the 5 in that list are wussies who can only finish 1 GT per year.

It's Valverde, Aru and then the rest

 

[perico]

1- Contador- No explanation really required; goes into 2015 as a super favorite for the Tour. If he dedicates himself this offseason as he did last year, I don't see anyone able to beat him except Froome barring misfortune on the road.

2- Froome: On the same level of talent as Contador. I don't rate him as strongly in the mountains, but it is a pretty small margin between the two and he is the superior TTer on a flat course. He is the co-favorite for the Tour, and rightly so. Who can beat him realistically besides Contador (barring misfortune for either)? There likely won't be a cobble stage like the one in this Tour, and Froome's obvious weakness at this point is crashing.

3- Nibali: The guy who best placed to take advantage of the misfortune of the top 2 because he is the smartest rider of the top rated GT riders. Not on the same level as Contador or Froome in the high mountains or in the TT, but the gap isn't monstrous. I think he is the one with an outside shot of dethroning the top 2 at the tour.

4- Quintana: A lot of potential to improve between now and 2015, as age is on his side. I don't rate him as a much better climber than the Top 2. In 2013, Froome really didn't need to chase him down, and it is obvious now that Contador just had a pitiful season. He doesn't have AC's acceleration, but we will see.

5- Aru: Just going by potential here. After the Top 4, there is a huge dropoff. Valverde on palmares, but he seems to be in a slow decline. I think Purito missed his chance at a grand tour victory. Either he or Uran.

 

[super_domestique]

1- Contador- No explanation really required; goes into 2015 as a super favorite for the Tour. If he dedicates himself this offseason as he did last year, I don't see anyone able to beat him except Froome barring misfortune on the road.

2- Froome: On the same level of talent as Contador. I don't rate him as strongly in the mountains, but it is a pretty small margin between the two and he is the superior TTer on a flat course. He is the co-favorite for the Tour, and rightly so. Who can beat him realistically besides Contador (barring misfortune for either)? There likely won't be a cobble stage like the one in this Tour, and Froome's obvious weakness at this point is crashing.

3- Nibali: The guy who best placed to take advantage of the misfortune of the top 2 because he is the smartest rider of the top rated GT riders. Not on the same level as Contador or Froome in the high mountains or in the TT, but the gap isn't monstrous. I think he is the one with an outside shot of dethroning the top 2 at the tour.

4- Quintana: A lot of potential to improve between now and 2015, as age is on his side. I don't rate him as a much better climber than the Top 2. In 2013, Froome really didn't need to chase him down, and it is obvious now that Contador just had a pitiful season. He doesn't have AC's acceleration, but we will see.

5- Aru: Just going by potential here. After the Top 4, there is a huge dropoff. Valverde on palmares, but he seems to be in a slow decline. I think Purito missed his chance at a grand tour victory. Either he or Uran.

I agree with all the above, save for swapping Nibali and Froome for postitions 2 and 3. Although i think Froome is the superior rider in the tour he hasn't won the Giro or the Vuelta. At the end of the day, winning is what counts. A 3 time Grand tour champion you do not become by chance. The way Nibali has ridden the grand tours since 2012 when he finished 3rd has impressed me hugely. He dominated and showed as much authority on last years giro as he did in this year's tour.

 

[Electress]

1- Contador- No explanation really required; goes into 2015 as a super favorite for the Tour. If he dedicates himself this offseason as he did last year, I don't see anyone able to beat him except Froome barring misfortune on the road.

2- Froome: On the same level of talent as Contador. I don't rate him as strongly in the mountains, but it is a pretty small margin between the two and he is the superior TTer on a flat course. He is the co-favorite for the Tour, and rightly so. Who can beat him realistically besides Contador (barring misfortune for either)? There likely won't be a cobble stage like the one in this Tour, and Froome's obvious weakness at this point is crashing.

3- Nibali: The guy who best placed to take advantage of the misfortune of the top 2 because he is the smartest rider of the top rated GT riders. Not on the same level as Contador or Froome in the high mountains or in the TT, but the gap isn't monstrous. I think he is the one with an outside shot of dethroning the top 2 at the tour.

4- Quintana: A lot of potential to improve between now and 2015, as age is on his side. I don't rate him as a much better climber than the Top 2. In 2013, Froome really didn't need to chase him down, and it is obvious now that Contador just had a pitiful season. He doesn't have AC's acceleration, but we will see.

5- Aru: Just going by potential here. After the Top 4, there is a huge dropoff. Valverde on palmares, but he seems to be in a slow decline. I think Purito missed his chance at a grand tour victory. Either he or Uran.

I'd agree with much of this; I'm interested to see how the potential of 4 and 5 develops but I'm actually more interested in / excited by Aru. I don't think Froome is as flexible tactically on the road as 1 and 3; I'd love to see him in another team other than Sky…

 

[Angliru]

Agree with everything bar Valverde. I think there 4/5 guys who are quite level to Bala, but if you're looking short-vision to it, you can put him on 5th place.

Who are they? Aru? Kelderman? Talansky? Van Garderen? Majka? Valverde is coming off going all out in the Tour and he still is among the top five in a pretty strong field of contenders. Of course we can anticipate these youngsters getting better (or maybe not with one of two) but Valverde doesn't really appear to be on a steep decline right now if at all.

 

[Angliru]

Did you really expect him to fight for Vuelta-victory after such a unlucky season?

I still think you can't really judge him on this Vuelta. Ofcourse he will decline at some point, but i mostly think he wasn't near his best level because of his injuries.

I agree with you here.

 

[Escarabajo]

1- Contador- No explanation really required; goes into 2015 as a super favorite for the Tour. If he dedicates himself this offseason as he did last year, I don't see anyone able to beat him except Froome barring misfortune on the road.

2- Froome: On the same level of talent as Contador. I don't rate him as strongly in the mountains, but it is a pretty small margin between the two and he is the superior TTer on a flat course. He is the co-favorite for the Tour, and rightly so. Who can beat him realistically besides Contador (barring misfortune for either)? There likely won't be a cobble stage like the one in this Tour, and Froome's obvious weakness at this point is crashing.

3- Nibali: The guy who best placed to take advantage of the misfortune of the top 2 because he is the smartest rider of the top rated GT riders. Not on the same level as Contador or Froome in the high mountains or in the TT, but the gap isn't monstrous. I think he is the one with an outside shot of dethroning the top 2 at the tour.

4- Quintana: A lot of potential to improve between now and 2015, as age is on his side. I don't rate him as a much better climber than the Top 2. In 2013, Froome really didn't need to chase him down, and it is obvious now that Contador just had a pitiful season. He doesn't have AC's acceleration, but we will see.

5- Aru: Just going by potential here. After the Top 4, there is a huge dropoff. Valverde on palmares, but he seems to be in a slow decline. I think Purito missed his chance at a grand tour victory. Either he or Uran.

Valverde is beating Aru right now you know. So what is the excuse?

Yes, Aru will get better, and yes, Valverde will decline at some point. But as of right now Valverde is better.

 

[Parker]

1= Contador and Froome. We've not really seen them go against each other fit and on top form yet. Contador has the palmares, but that's not the question here. It depends on the course. Time bonuses and 15+% climbs help Contador, flat time trials help Froome.

3. Nibali. He's more complete and inventive rider than the two above him. But he needs an unusual stage to exploit. He's rarely really looked at AC & CF's level in climbs or TTing.

4. Quintana. Largely untested against the other three so far. Weaker TT, but maybe not at his full potential yet.

5. Take your pick. They're a long way behind. I'll say Valverde because 4th & 3rd in consecutive GTs is strong riding.

 

[ILovecycling]

I rate his last week in the Tour '13 just as high as the Vuelta 2012. Even higher. 2013 overall was at the same level as 2012, only in the Ardennes classic he had bad luck, which cost him the victory in FW. But 2012 and 2013 were definitely his best two seasons to date.

I mean, he was as good as Quintana in the alps. So you don't rate the perfomance of Quintana in that Tour very high either?

He will not win a GT ofcourse anymore. He had his chances in 2012. But i still think he can fight with the best in the classics, and play his part in a GT.

He wasnt as good as quintana, but slightly worse . And no,I dont rate quintana climbing in '13 that high, I think his potential is bigger.
Agree about those injuries, its particularly bad for older riders.Im suprprises you think he cant win a GT, he just needs Nibali to not be in super shape next May (rather bad shape).

Valverde is beating Aru right now you know. So what is the excuse?

Yes, Aru will get better, and yes, Valverde will decline at some point. But as of right now Valverde is better.

This,I think we should compare how they are right now.And right now Valverde is better than Aru.

 

[ILovecycling]

IMHO

1.Froome (+ 40km flat tt)
2.Contador (or 1st if less tt)
3.Quintana
4.Nibali
5.Valverde / Uran

 

[greenedge]

Not going to bother with 5th.
Contador
Nibali
Froome
Quintana.

 

[Arredondo]

IMHO

1.Froome (+ 40km flat tt)
2.Contador (or 1st if less tt)
3.Quintana
4.Nibali
5.Valverde / Uran

But how can you pick Uran, if you say you have to judge them at this particular moment?

 

[ILovecycling]

But how can you pick Uran, if you say you have to judge them at this particular moment?

because I think ,in form he is better gt rider than Purito,Aru...

 

[ILovecycling]

Not going to bother with 5th.
Contador
Nibali
Froome
Quintana.

but thats the most interesting to discuss about...ok maybe

 

[Arredondo]

because I think ,in form he is better gt rider than Purito,Aru...

Really? I'm still wondering how he is.

Well, beter then Aru you're right, i'm thinking now. But next year i don't think so anymore

But i think you mean a Tour with quite heavy TT kilometers? Not a super hard, mountains filled Vuelta or Giro right?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

This year

1. Contador
2. Nibali
3. Quintana
4. Froome
5. Valverde - only because of his consistency. Not in the top-5 of individual GT performances. Seemed stronger in last year's TDF also.

Taking into account their best level of the past two years:

1. Contador / Froome (depends on the course really)
3. Nibali (maybe tied for 1st with Froome / Contador, but not enough to go on - very impressive on Hautacam though)
4. Quintana
5. Rodriguez (don't know if he still has it)

 

[richo36]

1. Contador. I feel him and froome are on a level playing field when strongest but the difference is in there race tactics. That is what this veulta just confirmed. Froome doesn't have the tactics needed to beat a full strength contador. While I feel contador has proven in the past that his race tactics are superior.

2. Nibali. Same as above. Race tactics and an opportunist. He isn't afraid to get those extra seconds. If there is a descent into the final climb or a descent finish he will gain time on froome. Then hold his or contadors wheel on the big mtf.

3. Froome. As stated above, has the strength but I feel just needs to get more race smart. It's like everyone following Fabians wheel in cobbled classic, he can't just ride them off his wheel anymore. Froome is the same. He can't just ride contador off his wheel in the final 5km of a mtf, needs to learn when to attack. If he learns this he most likely be number 1.

4. Nairo. Unless there are some solid mountain stages he will be 4th. However the giro showed, controversy or not, that he ain't afraid to go from afar. This is a good sign and I feel if he does go hard on a mountain stage he could cause caos. But I think for it to work against the above riders they will have to isolated. As in not have the whole sky train to reel you in.

5. Aru. I'm going for aru. As he actually has what it takes to win. If everyone was in top form, he probably isn't going to come in 5th but he will be the only rider 5th or above still going for the win. Valverde and purito do not have the killer instinct to win a gt. They will always be up there but if your not fighting for the win then really your not the best.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

because I think ,in form he is better gt rider than Purito,Aru...

He has proven to be a better GT rider than Aru based on his 2nd place in the Giro. But better than Rodriguez??? And Valverde for that matter?

There's a reason Uran has two 2nd place finishes in the Giro, and that is a low level of competition. I, actually, wouldn't rate him among the top 10 climbers in the world

 

[Pentacycle]

5. Aru. I'm going for aru. As he actually has what it takes to win. If everyone was in top form, he probably isn't going to come in 5th but he will be the only rider 5th or above still going for the win. Valverde and purito do not have the killer instinct to win a gt. They will always be up there but if your not fighting for the win then really your not the best.

Valverde won a GT five years ago, and finished ahead of Aru this Vuelta. So it's hard to argue that the Italian is already better than the Spaniard.