Top ten cyclists of all time which you have actually seen live

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

New topic, don't know if there is another, if there is, please merge this one with it. Rules are simle, which rider, top ten, little explanation, maybe a nice picture with it.

I'll start off.

1:
Surprise surprise, Greg LeMond. First saw him at the worlds 1982 when he went after his 'compatriot' Jonathan Boyer, finishing second after Beppe Saronni. Second time I saw him, was 9 at that time, he WON the worlds. So much willpower, he got me into following cycling, not my father who was a huge Hinault fan. Hinault was boring, he won everything, LeMond was new.

Still have that ugly shirt, kinda still fits me also.

2:
Marco Pantani
Why? Well, to be fair. It took me a few years to realise what was going on in pro-cycling. Didn't have the internet back then, we relied on the 'media'. The media who told us Miguel Indurain had lungs of 44444 litres of oxygen. That's why he was soooooo good. Yet sooooo boring. I thought my hero Greg had just got lazy and didn't train anymore. Totally had forgotten that same Indurain slipstreamed him in 1990 on Luz Ardiden without even breathing. Then the little Italian stood up, challenged Indurain in the Giro 1994, broke his neck which gave Berzin his first and luckily his last GT. This little Italian broke the boringness pro - cycling had become. In the Tour, Giro, everywhere he would ride there was a 'woooooosh'.

Too bad he got killed by Verbruggen et all on Pampeago.

3:
Eric Vanderaerden
Maybe translated into now the Mark Cavendish of his age but then a complete cyclist. Arrogant, allmost not Belgian, allmost Dutch [n dikke nek], great sprinter, fearless. A 'sprinter' who wins Paris-Roubaix...

4:
Steve Bauer
When u think of Steve you think on willpower. Not the biggest talent around but he would fight till the end. Criquillion got to know that too. Big cojones.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

5:
Andrew Hampsten
Really, has there ever been a more gracefull rider than this one? Rode his bike like a gazelle. I am glad he was in time to win a Grand Tour.
just in time to win a Grand Tour.

6:
Phil Anderson
Willpower, willpower and then you have Phil. One of the most prolofic riders on the Peter Post Panasonic team. Wherever, whenever, Phil brought home the bacon.

7:
Fabian Cancellara
Let's be honest, if you like cycling, you lover Der Fabian, Godzilla. His attacking style of riding is what cycling is all about. Nothing more has to be said on him.

8:
Eddie Bouwmans
Huge Dutch talent, won the 'white jersey' in the 1992 Tour de France. Refused to dope himself with EPO and had to quit cycling at the age of 29. Winner of the the prestigious Classique des Alpes in 1993.
Such a shame.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

9:
Wilfried Nelissen
Belgian sprinter, knucklehead, powerhouse, fearless, kamikaze, only a bit dumb, remember Armentieres 1994. Carreer cut short on Gent - Wevelgem 1996 were he broke almost every bone in his leg.

10:
Peter Winnen
Dutchman, two times winner on 'the Alpe', great early carreer before they made a mockery of him because he wouldn't do the EPO. Great writer/thinker nowadays.

Let's hear it, who is your top ten, or, when this topic already exist: continue!

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Hinault
Fignon
Pantani
Cancellara
Contador

 

[Old School]

LeMond...riding up a mountain in VA during the Tour depont...Coors Light team...he was last up the hill...it was after the shooting

Fignon....during a timetrial in Washington, DC, at the end of Tour depont....almost ran me over!

Davis Phinney
Raul Alcala

 

[auscyclefan94]

In no particular order:


Cancellara
Hushovd
Evans
Freire
Gilbert
S. Sanchez
Nibali
Pozzato
Martin
Boasson Hagen

All from the Melbourne Worlds.

 

[Parrulo]

In no particular order:


Cancellara
Hushovd
Evans
Freire
Gilbert
S. Sanchez
Nibali
Pozzato
Martin
Boasson Hagen

All from the Melbourne Worlds.

i think FGL meant both live in person and live on tv

is this a list about your 10 favourite riders of all time( as in the ones you have actually seen)?

 

[baj32161]

Danny Pate
Lars Michaelsen
Bobby Julich
Roger Hammond

all in Corestates Triple Crown in Piladelphia / Trenton NJ, USA

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

i think FGL meant live on tv

Not particullary, both would be great of course. I didn't see Cancellara, yet.

 

[auscyclefan94]

i think FGL meant both live in person and live on tv

is this a list about your 10 favourite riders of all time( as in the ones you have actually seen)?

Oh, I get it now. My list was the 10 best cyclists I have seen live meaning seeing them 'in person'.

 

[jamiephillips]

Contador.


*edit* also seen Kelly but he wasn't racing. Come to think of it Hinault too but he wasn't racing either!

 

[Le breton]

New topic, don't know if there is another, if there is, please merge this one with it. Rules are simle, which rider, top ten, little explanation, maybe a nice picture with it.

Since I raced as "independent" in Brittany in 1964, I had the opportunity to race in criteriums with a huge number of the stars of the mid sixties, such as Anquetil, Bahamontès, Van Looy, Beheyt wearing his world champ jersey, Simpson, Janssen, Altig, etc, etc. Since I had raced with his brother Philippe earlier in the season, I used that to start conversation with Maître Jacques.

Living near Geneva, of course, it's easy to go watch the TdF, Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse sometimes. Before a TT I remember being allowed by his team to go see Boardman's famous Lotus bike.

In Switzerland they have pro-Am handicap races which gave me the opportunity to race when I was approaching 50, with people like Glaus, Zberg and Pascal Richard. In 1986 and 1988 I also entered and finished Bordeaux-Paris when it was pro-am.

Once, about 10 years ago, I was passed on the Telegraph by Simoni, Di Luca and 2 of their teammates whom I had seen earlier in the Maurienne as they were getting their bikes off the team car.

Christophe Moreau, Jalabert and Virenque trained around here regularly. Once I caught Virenque on a slight downhill, but the conversation was short, he didn't seem very pleased to have to talk to a cyclist who could be his father.

Going home from work, once, I spotted LeMond coming out of his hotel (Novotel) in Prévessin, France, not far from Geneva airport, and it so happened that I had a couple of Tour de France magazines - he , as winner, was on the cover - and I had just bought them for a friend in College Park (Md). So I stopped to have him sign them.

Much later, in 2006, I happened to be in the same peloton as him in the Etape du Tour after the first mountain pass, so I went to speak with him for a long while (He insisted on speaking French). (later Olano caught our group and of course exchanged a few words)

In Valloire at the end of the 80's I had a conversation with Hinault ("acting" as PR for Look) who was really pleasant and relaxed.

In 1995, in l'Alpe d'Huez was staying in the same hotel as Pantani (everybody applauded him when he walked in the restaurant), Chiappucci, etc (4 teams where staying there). At dinner I happened to be at the same table as Thévenet ( I told him I had first seen him at the world road championship in Montreal in 1974 when I hadn't the faintest idea who he was - he had been in a very long breakaway - I was too busy with life in those years to follow cycling). I had watched the tour go by at hairpin number 1, the best spot, this was before barriers.

I remember once going- on my bike of course - watch the finish of a Dauphiné stage in Annecy, must have been 1992. Herrera had caught Jeff and won. After the stage I was near the Peugeot team cars and saw Pensec, Millar coming in completely destroyed. Then another guy came in, he looked like he had just gotten out of bed, as fresh as could be. So I started to talk with him, he was Laurent Madouas. After that encounter I went to support him and talk with him whenever he raced in the area. He is such a nice guy (he is friend with Bobby Julich)

As for Bobby Julich, I have already talked another time on this forum about the time when I was in the same hotel as the US team in Lugano for the world championship and happened to be with him in the elevator which gave me the opportunity to strike conversation)

Well, I better stop.

As for Fignon, I avoided him, as I would have LA (although I did applaude them both on the road of course)

 

[Afrank]

None no pros ever come to Oregon, and I don't have the money to travel.
On the other hand maybe Ian Boswell will become a big time pro, I saw him racing the A's at one of the Cross Crusades last year.

 

[Carols]

1- Eddy Merckx on the boards in the USA. Don't remember the year but I have film, yep that old time reel to reel film of him LOL!

2- Greg LeMond - Multiple times as an amateur and as a pro in the USA

3- Met Bjarne Riis but he was manager CSC, not riding. But he is the only TdF winner whose hand I've shaken.

4- Lauren Fignon - Tour DuPont

5- Gianni Bugno - Tour DuPont

6- Jens Voight - Philly Classic

7- George Hincapie - to many times to count

8- Bobbie Julich

9- Floyd Landis

10 - Matti Goss

And a host of others, including Lance many times, but he doesn't count anymore!!!

 

[Oldman]

Since I raced as "independent" in Brittany in 1964, I had the opportunity to race in criteriums with a huge number of the stars of the mid sixties, such as Anquetil, Bahamontès, Van Looy, Beheyt wearing his world champ jersey, Simpson, Janssen, Altig, etc, etc. Since I had raced with his brother Philippe earlier in the season, I used that to start conversation with Maître Jacques.

Living near Geneva, of course, it's easy to go watch the TdF, Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse sometimes. Before a TT I remember being allowed by his team to go see Boardman's famous Lotus bike.

In Switzerland they have pro-Am handicap races which gave me the opportunity to race when I was approaching 50, with people like Glaus, Zberg and Pascal Richard. In 1986 and 1988 I also entered and finished Bordeaux-Paris when it was pro-am.

Once, about 10 years ago, I was passed on the Telegraph by Simoni, Di Luca and 2 of their teammates whom I had seen earlier in the Maurienne as they were getting their bikes off the team car.

Christophe Moreau, Jalabert and Virenque trained around here regularly. Once I caught Virenque on a slight downhill, but the conversation was short, he didn't seem very pleased to have to talk to a cyclist who could be his father.

Going home from work, once, I spotted LeMond coming out of his hotel (Novotel) in Prévessin, France, not far from Geneva airport, and it so happened that I had a couple of Tour de France magazines - he , as winner, was on the cover - and I had just bought them for a friend in College Park (Md). So I stopped to have him sign them.

Much later, in 2006, I happened to be in the same peloton as him in the Etape du Tour after the first mountain pass, so I went to speak with him for a long while (He insisted on speaking French). (later Olano caught our group and of course exchanged a few words)

In Valloire at the end of the 80's I had a conversation with Hinault ("acting" as PR for Look) who was really pleasant and relaxed.

In 1995, in l'Alpe d'Huez was staying in the same hotel as Pantani (everybody applauded him when he walked in the restaurant), Chiappucci, etc (4 teams where staying there). At dinner I happened to be at the same table as Thévenet ( I told him I had first seen him at the world road championship in Montreal in 1974 when I hadn't the faintest idea who he was - he had been in a very long breakaway - I was too busy with life in those years to follow cycling). I had watched the tour go by at hairpin number 1, the best spot, this was before barriers.

I remember once going- on my bike of course - watch the finish of a Dauphiné stage in Annecy, must have been 1992. Herrera had caught Jeff and won. After the stage I was near the Peugeot team cars and saw Pensec, Millar coming in completely destroyed. Then another guy came in, he looked like he had just gotten out of bed, as fresh as could be. So I started to talk with him, he was Laurent Madouas. After that encounter I went to support him and talk with him whenever he raced in the area. He is such a nice guy (he is friend with Bobby Julich)

As for Bobby Julich, I have already talked another time on this forum about the time when I was in the same hotel as the US team in Lugano for the world championship and happened to be with him in the elevator which gave me the opportunity to strike conversation)

Well, I better stop.

As for Fignon, I avoided him, as I would have LA (although I did applaude them both on the road of course)

Very cool memories.

 

[Oldman]

In no particular order:
Rominger-training in San Diego
Cipo-San Diego training
Mark Cavendish-off back TofC climb of Howell Mtn
Schlecks-off back of ToC climb of Howell Mtn
Cancellara-showing slightly more dignity, TofC
Lemond-charity ride
Tyler Farrar-training ride
Hinault-descending solo, TofC Oakville Grade
Andy Hampsten-party
Greg Randolph-former Motorola capable of beating teammates in TT...clean
Kirk Willett-dedicated American Pro

honorable mentions-
J. Vaughters-amateur beating many pros, Berzin at Mammoth Stage Race
Bunch of Aussies/early 90's-defending our GC leader, BC stage race
Michael Carter-watched as he climbed away; Tour of Willamette
Roy Knickman-watched as he followed Carter
Greg Oravetz-strong Coors pro as he rode me into curb


Infamous list
Lance-getting dropped in race as National team amateur
Alexi Grewal-acting like a d*ck, Tour of Willametter
Chris Horner-training in Bend
Tyler Hamilton-can't remember the race; he was amateur and getting shelled

 

[Izzy eviel]

Sir Bradley Wiggins.
David Millar
Marianne Vos
Lizzie Armistead
Fabian Cancellara
Kristian House - Far too talented to be riding pro-con.

 

[CobbleStoner]

I have had the honor of either racing or training with:
Robert Millar
Greg LeMond
Andy Hampsten
Chris Horner
Davis Phinney
Steve Bauer
Alexi Grewal
Raul Alcala
Thurlow Rodgers
Roy Knickman
and lucky to be teammates with:
Max Sciandri
John Brady
Dave Brinton
Steve Spratt

 

[Cavendash]

No particular order......

My cousin who used to be able to do kilometer long wheelies.

That monkey at the circus on the penny farthing.

Me and my mate on the moutain bikes we had just stolen from a driveway followed by a chase from the old bill.

My nan.

 

[trevim]

I've only watched the Volta a Portugual live so I saw almost all the portuguese riders and also Atapuma on a TT bike, what a view Other than that, I saw Rui Costa once and I wanted to tell to ride Flanders but he was surrounded by lots of people.

 

[McLovin]

I don't know. But the Lepard team was in a hotel near mine in Serre Chevalier in 2011, between two mountain stages. I took some photos with Cancellara, the Schlecks, Gerdeman, Voigt and Monfort. And some autographs. By the way, they are all so 'small'. I am 187 cm and 83 kg and Spartacus looked like Chicken near me.

 

[deValtos]

Top 8 (started watching approx year 2000)

1. Jan Ullrich - Favourite rider of all time, not much to say Wish I had got to see him win a GT though.

2. Haimar Zubeldia - Best carrot.

3. Lance Armstrong - Well it is an interesting story.

4. Ivan Basso - Only during his comeback (I hated him pre 2006 because he was a rival of Jan), but now I think he's great !

5. Carlos Sastre - Never thought he'd win a GT but that made it so much sweeter when he did!

6. Francisco Mancebo - Sickest head slant in all of pro cycling.

7. Andreas Kloden - I think he had the quality to win a GT, he doesn't seem to mind/care though, shame

8. Peter Sagan - Funnest cyclist.

 

[Capablanca and me]

Sella, Ricco, Bodrogi - Tour of Austria/Österreichische rundfahrt

Soler, Cunego, Di Luca, Armstrong, Klöden, Petacchi, Evans - Giro

wanna go to the 100. TDF, but it seems not gonna happen

 

[Xavier.Lopez]

I really started to follow cycling in 2003, so I'll try to do my best for making up a list of my 10 best cyclist since that.

1. L.Armstrong, yes he doped, but the only cyclist in the history who never failed during his 7 objectives, TDF 1999 to 2005. 100%, nobody can say so.

2.Fabian Cancellara, never seen such a power from a cyclist, his palmares at his end of his carreer will be huge, but not as huge as he deserves because... He was too strong.

3.Alberto Contador, even when he's not the strongest rider during a race he left his print on it. Champion.

4.Philippe Gilbert, In 2011 he was just unbelievable, not sure he could get back at the same level anymore.

5.Tom Bonnen, probably one of the best palmares among the current riders. Several times he found the strenght for coming back after some difficult moments in his career, a great champion.

6.Paolo Bettini, he almost won all the classic he could, most of the time with a great style and he always staid simple and smiling, big champion.

7.Alejandro Valverde, probably one of the best palmares among the current riders And he also did well this year, after 2 years ban. Congrats for being back.

8.Alexandre Vinokourov, maybe he's hated by many people, but I have to include him in my list, a rider with such a panache and who managed to build up a big palmares along his career even if he rarely was the strongest one.

9.Cadel Evans, he got a TDF, world champion, he is regular even if I don't like the person and his style, I have to say he's very efficace.

10.Andy Shleck, Does he deserve to be on this list ? Yes, because I want to believe in him, and he could be bloody impressive...