Vélo d'Or 2015

[Arredondo]

Re:

Arredondo: I'm not saying Purito's 2013 season is as good as Valverde's 2015 season. I only said Purito showed in 2013 that winning classics and podium in the Tour is not a rare feat.
Jalabert 1997 won Lombardia, Fleche, Paris-Nice and World champion TT, plus some 15 wins. Fondriest won 3 classics (1 monument), Tirreno, World Cup and 20 wins! Better seasons by objective standards


Yes but Jalabert 1997 was nowhere to be seen in GT's (in terms of GC), and Fondriest 1993 was not even the best rider that year, Indurain was. Better season by YOUR objective standards, by mine they aren't!

It's not like riding GC's is required to be cyclist of the year. Jalabert still won 2 stages + points jersey in La Vuelta that year, and was 7th in GC, which is better as 7th + stage win + points jersey. Winning is more important then some minor places.

Jalabert won classics, stages races and became World Champion. And in TT, so that shows he was the best in classics, sprints, climbing in one week races and TT'ng that year. Even more impressive then what Bala did.

And you're right about Indurain. But it's possible more riders in 1993 had more impressive seasons then Bala had this year. You can even make a point Rominger had a better year that year then Bala did this year, with a GT, Pais Vasco and 2nd in the Tour + 3 stages + polka dots.

Rominger 1992 and 1994 season's are better anyway.

 

[Karaev1]

Valverde and Degenkolb were the best this season in my opinion. Why this award even exists if the TdF winner gets it anyway?

Anyway what about the best U25 cyclist of the year?

 

[Jspear]

Re:

Valverde and Degenkolb were the best this season in my opinion. Why this award even exists if the TdF winner gets it anyway?

Anyway what about the best U25 cyclist of the year?

Yes, they like the the Tour, but they don't always award it to the Tour winner. Last year AC won it.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Valverde and Degenkolb were the best this season in my opinion. Why this award even exists if the TdF winner gets it anyway?

Anyway what about the best U25 cyclist of the year?

Yes, they like the the Tour, but they don't always award it to the Tour winner. Last year AC won it.

But Nibs came extremely close in the voting. You have to be exceptional to beat the TDF winner

 

[Gigs_98]

I wonder who voted for Contador. He is the only one from the list (besides NQ and Nibali who don't have one single vote) for whom I don't see one single reason why he should be better than anyone else.

 

[Brullnux]

I wonder who voted for Contador. He is the only one from the list (besides NQ and Nibali who don't have one single vote) for whom I don't see one single reason why he should be better than anyone else.

He won the best GT

Nah, but he won the giro, then did an alright double attempt, 2nd Andalucia, 4th Catalunya, 5th Tirreno and 1st Route de Sud. Alright year, not the best though.

 

[Gigs_98]

I wonder who voted for Contador. He is the only one from the list (besides NQ and Nibali who don't have one single vote) for whom I don't see one single reason why he should be better than anyone else.

He won the best GT

Nah, but he won the giro, then did an alright double attempt, 2nd Andalucia, 4th Catalunya, 5th Tirreno and 1st Route de Sud. Alright year, not the best though.

It was right to put him into the poll, because a giro win almost automatically makes him one of the top ten riders of the season. I just don't understand why anyone would rate higher with only one single stage besides his gt (not even a stage in this gt) and that win was only european tour.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I wonder who voted for Contador. He is the only one from the list (besides NQ and Nibali who don't have one single vote) for whom I don't see one single reason why he should be better than anyone else.

He won the best GT

Nah, but he won the giro, then did an alright double attempt, 2nd Andalucia, 4th Catalunya, 5th Tirreno and 1st Route de Sud. Alright year, not the best though.

It was right to put him into the poll, because a giro win almost automatically makes him one of the top ten riders of the season. I just don't understand why anyone would rate higher with only one single stage besides his gt (not even a stage in this gt) and that win was only european tour.

He also won a stage and GC at Route du Sud

 

[Gigs_98]

I wonder who voted for Contador. He is the only one from the list (besides NQ and Nibali who don't have one single vote) for whom I don't see one single reason why he should be better than anyone else.

He won the best GT

Nah, but he won the giro, then did an alright double attempt, 2nd Andalucia, 4th Catalunya, 5th Tirreno and 1st Route de Sud. Alright year, not the best though.

It was right to put him into the poll, because a giro win almost automatically makes him one of the top ten riders of the season. I just don't understand why anyone would rate higher with only one single stage besides his gt (not even a stage in this gt) and that win was only european tour.

He also won a stage and GC at Route du Sud

oh, forgot about that one. Okay, I give him that point

 

[Valv.Piti]

I wonder who voted for Contador. He is the only one from the list (besides NQ and Nibali who don't have one single vote) for whom I don't see one single reason why he should be better than anyone else.

Do you really, REALLY wonder who voted for Contador?

 

[Jspear]

I wonder who voted for Contador. He is the only one from the list (besides NQ and Nibali who don't have one single vote) for whom I don't see one single reason why he should be better than anyone else.

Do you really, REALLY wonder who voted for Contador?

It was actually me.

I said somewhere in the first two pages...couldn't really pick a solid winner so I went with a fan pick.

 

[Jspear]

Hey, on that note....why can't we view who voted what? Seriously what's the point of a poll if you can't see the particulars?....

 

[phanatic]

I wonder who voted for Contador. He is the only one from the list (besides NQ and Nibali who don't have one single vote) for whom I don't see one single reason why he should be better than anyone else.

Aru deserves to be here, and Contador beat Aru. He beat Aru convincingly, he beat Aru and an even more impressive Landa and their entire squad of heroes. Everyone from the Tour saw what Contador was up against when they saw Aru and Landa ripping up the Vuelta. GT contenders this year are sort of like Rock, Paper, Scissors: Contador beat Aru who beat Quintana who beat Contador. Froome stands apart from them, but his unfinished Vuelta is a big what-if.

I voted for Piti over Kristoff, mostly because AK didn't win G-W. A bit unfair I suppose.

 

[jaylew]

Sagan won the best rider of the year poll on the homepage by a landslide. Clearly a popularity contest.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Who won this in the end?

 

[barmaher]

The argument or the award?

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

The argument or the award?

The actual award

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re: Re:

The argument or the award?

The actual award

Christopher Froome.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah, it's like the unofficial "Who won the Tour de France award?". You need to do something pretty crazy to get it you don't win the Tour.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

Yeah, it's like the unofficial "Who won the Tour de France award?"

Unfortunately, yes it is.

That's why it is vital to not pay attention to this award.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Er, no. Just half of the post-Armstrong Vélos d'Or have gone to the TDF winner ('07, '09, '12, '13, '15).

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Yeah, it's like the unofficial "Who won the Tour de France award?". You need to do something pretty crazy to get it you don't win the Tour.

Yeah, the Tour winner always gets a ridiculous number of votes. In 2014 Nibali was only 5 points or so behind Contador.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Er, no. Just half of the post-Armstrong Vélos d'Or have gone to the TDF winner ('07, '09, '12, '13, '15).

Reasons why Tour winners don't win Velo d'Or

06, Landis tests positive
08, Contador wins the Giro, Vuelta, (and Pais Vasco)
10, Contador tests positive
11, Gilbert happens
14, Nibali has an absolute lackluster season besides his Tour win, and almost wins it, Contador goes on an absolute tear in the spring, wins TA, PV, 2nd in Volta, DL, wins Vuelta and wins by 5 votes.

Then last year happens

15, Tour + DL is apparently better than, LBL, FW, 3rd in the Tour, stages in Vuelta (1 + Green jersey), Catalunya (3), 7th in the Vuelta, 2nd in AGR, 4th in Lombardia, 3rd in CSS, 5 in the WRR. Wins UCI WT by over 200 points margin.

Don't know how the votes exactly went, but Froome winning it over Valverde is ridiculous. And I don't even like Valverde

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re: Re:

Reasons why Tour winners don't win Velo d'Or

06, Landis tests positive
08, Contador wins the Giro, Vuelta, (and Pais Vasco)
10, Contador tests positive
11, Gilbert happens
14, Nibali has an absolute lackluster season besides his Tour win, and almost wins it, Contador goes on an absolute tear in the spring, wins TA, PV, 2nd in Volta, DL, wins Vuelta and wins by 5 votes.

So you're basically confirming what I said, that it's perfectly possible to win the Vélo d'Or without winning the Tour.

 

[SeriousSam]

Your post suggested that it's easier to overcome the Tour winner in the Velo d'Or competition than it actually is. I read your post and formed an opinion how difficult it is, then I read RR's and revised that opinion upwards.

The non GT riders basically need an absolutely absurd uber form.