Velo d’Or 2023

[Netserk]

Honestly think VdP has it locked up right now.

Did you also have him in front yesterday? Because I think winning the Vuelta after winning the Tour counts for more than winning the worlds after a successful spring.

 

[meat puppet]

Hard to say about velo d'or, but above big-howmanyever there is a big two: Vinge and MvdP

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

MvDP after the WC, but Vingegaard can come back if he wins the Vuelta.
Without a Vuelta, I don't really rate him above Pogi's spring/2nd in tour even.

If Pogi goes on to win Lombardia as well I think we can have a genuinely tight race where MvDP has perhaps the most significant victories but Pogi might be seen as the "objectively" strongest rider based on his year-round performances.

 

[Volderke]

Maybe we should look at stand-out performances, against other velo d’or competitors. Mvdp has those performances in MSR and worlds. Pogacar in RVV. Vingegaard in the Tour. Remco in LBL. WvA in collecting 2nd places.

So at the moment, I have mvdp, Vingegaard and pogacar as top 3, but it’s still hard to rank them, especially as the season isn’t over. If mvdp wins mtb worlds, he is always in pole position to win for me, as he then has won cx, road and mtb worlds, but in that case Vingegaard should not win the Vuelta with panache.

 

[Valv.Piti]

How in the world do you have Remco ahead of Pogacar right now?

 

[houtdffan]

How in the world do you have Remco ahead of Pogacar right now?

Nobody should have Remco ahead now.

But watch everyone's opinion change again like the wind after the WTT

 

[Bolder]

I said upthread that if MvdP wins the WCRR he should be the favorite. Still believe that, even if Vingegaard wins the Vuelta. Winning MSR, P-R and the WC is yuge.

 

[Red Rick]

Did you also have him in front yesterday? Because I think winning the Vuelta after winning the Tour counts for more than winning the worlds after a successful spring.

Winning the Worlds didn't feel like a >50% gimme to me.

Also there's winning the Worlds Sagan style and doing it as emphatically as today

 

[Netserk]

Van der Poel has won in as great style as you can (well, if he had beaten Van Aert without a mechanical in Roubaix), and his 2nd in Ronde was great as well, but he has only been "on" for 4 days this season (on the road).

While minor races, Vingegaard won Itzulia and Dauphiné in as great style as you can as well, and it's not like his Tour was bad in that regard either. So we'll just have to see what the Vuelta brings.

 

[Nick2413]

I’d put MVdP in pole position right now. There’s always a Tour winner, but rarely a double monument and WCRR winner in a year. Pog would still need to win Lombardia to leapfrog both MVdP and Vingo though.

 

[Red Rick]

Van der Poel has won in as great style as you can (well, if he had beaten Van Aert without a mechanical in Roubaix), and his 2nd in Ronde was great as well, but he has only been "on" for 4 days this season (on the road).

While minor races, Vingegaard won Itzulia and Dauphiné in as great style as you can as well, and it's not like his Tour was bad in that regard either. So we'll just have to see what the Vuelta brings.

I'm talking mainly based on who I think will win, not who I think should win. I think you can go either way, and as a road season only I'd just give it to Jonas if he won the Vuelta.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Did you also have him in front yesterday? Because I think winning the Vuelta after winning the Tour counts for more than winning the worlds after a successful spring.

its an unfair battle in that case anyway

MVDP won, basically, everything a rider of his exact type can win, except maybe RVV where he met an ET Pogacar.
only thing he could add now is a Renewi Tour or Paris Tours.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Van der Poel has won in as great style as you can (well, if he had beaten Van Aert without a mechanical in Roubaix), and his 2nd in Ronde was great as well, but he has only been "on" for 4 days this season (on the road).

While minor races, Vingegaard won Itzulia and Dauphiné in as great style as you can as well, and it's not like his Tour was bad in that regard either. So we'll just have to see what the Vuelta brings.

but you are forgetting how incredibly hard it is to win a monument or one day race since so much more can go wrong.
Yes GT's are also incredibly difficult on a different spectrum. But one bad stage does't immediately mean you lose the tour.

To win 2 monuments + worlds and basically get it right 3 times should not be underestimated in your comparison.

"only" 4 days is a great injustification of this

 

[Parker]

This is a two horse race. And Van der Poel is currently in the lead. If he wins the MTB Worlds next week (which I don't think he will) then it should be all over - three WCs plus MSR and Roubaix.

If he doesn't the Vingegaard must win the Vuelta - Dauphine, Tour, Vuelta tops Froome's double. I don't think he'll do it though.

I don;t see how any other rider is in the conversation. Roglic can do a Giro/Vuelta double and he's still the second choice GT rider in his team.

 

[Escarabajo]

The only thing that bothers me about MVDP is his poor showing at the Tour, the biggest race of the year. i just don't understand how he can win monuments and world championships like today with such power and do poor at the Tour. Not even one stage. Last year we thought it was because of the Giro, but this year he did not have any excuse (not that I know of).

But yeah, it is between him and Vingegaard. Winning Vuelta for Vingegaard should do it for the best rider of the year. But I don't think he will win it. We'll see.

 

[Breezy1985]

This is a two horse race. And Van der Poel is currently in the lead. If he wins the MTB Worlds next week (which I don't think he will) then it should be all over - three WCs plus MSR and Roubaix.

If he doesn't the Vingegaard must win the Vuelta - Dauphine, Tour, Vuelta tops Froome's double. I don't think he'll do it though.

I don;t see how any other rider is in the conversation. Roglic can do a Giro/Vuelta double and he's still the second choice GT rider in his team.

Pog should be in 2nd after VdP for being the first rider since the 1980s to be a contender across so many races.

 

[Parker]

Pog should be in 2nd after VdP for being the first rider since the 1980s to be a contender across so many races.

The Velo d'Or isn't about contenders. It's about winners.

What was Pogacar's number 1 priority this year? The Tour. He didn't win it.

 

[Blanco]

The only thing that bothers me about MVDP is his poor showing at the Tour, the biggest race of the year. i just don't understand how he can win monuments and world championships like today with such power and do poor at the Tour. Not even one stage. Last year we thought it was because of the Giro, but this year he did not have any excuse (not that I know of).

But yeah, it is between him and Vingegaard. Winning Vuelta for Vingegaard should do it for the best rider of the year. But I don't think he will win it. We'll see.

Tour was a prep race for Van Der Poel, and he get it right. 1 or 2 stages wouldn't change much, if any. And when he feels he needs a couple of Tour stages, he will get them, believe me.

 

[Parker]

The only thing that bothers me about MVDP is his poor showing at the Tour, the biggest race of the year. i just don't understand how he can win monuments and world championships like today with such power and do poor at the Tour.

He was lead out for a rider who won four stages. So not a failure. And he got ill.

 

[Tonton]

Roglic or Vingegaard can win La Vuelta and take the bag, that's two GTs plus Tirreno and Catalunya ahead of Remco for Rog, or Itzulia and Dauphiné for Vingo. To me, it would take them not winning in Spain or Matthieu getting the W in Lombardia to keep him in the discussion.

 

[Gratemans]

Maybe we should look at stand-out performances, against other velo d’or competitors. Mvdp has those performances in MSR and worlds. Pogacar in RVV. Vingegaard in the Tour. Remco in LBL. WvA in collecting 2nd places.

So at the moment, I have mvdp, Vingegaard and pogacar as top 3, but it’s still hard to rank them, especially as the season isn’t over. If mvdp wins mtb worlds, he is always in pole position to win for me, as he then has won cx, road and mtb worlds, but in that case Vingegaard should not win the Vuelta with panache.

This got me thinking: let's just take a step back and look at the riders and results you just mentioned.
So many incredibly talented riders, that are also incredibly entertaining to watch. This really is a golden age of cycling if I ever saw one.*

The asterisk is there because, well, you know... I just immensely enjoy what I'm seeing right now, ain't nobody gonna take that joy away.

 

[topcat]

I’m a member of the BWM movement (Big Wins Matter). MVDP is in the lead with 3 big wins. All the others have 1 big win.
If Vingo wins the vuelta, he will overtake MVDP.
If Rog wins the vuelta, it won’t be enough.
Remco would have to win WITT (not a big win, but it’s something), the vuelta and Lombardia.
Pog will not overtake MVDP.
Congratulations MVDP on winning the Topcat d’Or.

 

[ALC]

From my perspective winning two GTs in a single season is something that would make its winner a lock for the Velo d’Or… let’s see what happens in a few weeks…

 

[ppanther92]

Surprisingly little love for Pogacar on this page. No matter what points ranking you look at - CQ or Procyclingstats - he leads it quite comfortably. And that with having crashed out in LBL, where he would have scores big as well.

That said, MvdP and Vingegaard indeed probably have the bigger wins. My ranking: 1. MvdP (critic: his non-showings outside of about 4 road race days), 2. Pogacar (critic: only big win RVV), 3. Vingegaard (critic: does what the best GC rider does, not more - win the TdF and some prep races).

Actually for Vingegaard I am a bit unfair now considering the nature of his Tour win, delivering the best package since Contador 2009 at least. Also still has the Vuelta.

 

[jaylew]

Is it just a road award or does it encompass all disciplines? I hadn't even been considering Mathieu's cross worlds victory in any of this.