Velo d’Or 2023

[houtdffan]

He doesn't give a damn about the Tour, he rode it like a prep race for the Worlds, and he's still the best rider of the season! Grande Van Der Poel!

VDP did not come close to having the best season

 

[Carols]

Seriously, you post so much and so often that it really gets boring to read you sometimes. No, Primoz does not deserve to win Velo d'Or. Sorry.

Put him on ignore if you find his posts boring. Simple.

 

[Elos Anjos]

Put him on ignore if you find his posts boring. Simple.

Some are, some are very insightful. I don't add no one to the ignore list as a principle.

 

[houtdffan]

CQ Ranking

CQ Ranking is the world's leading cycling ranking and extensive results database. Also known as Cycling Quotient.

cqranking.com

Pog had TWICE as many CQ points as VDP. TWICE.

Shouldn't the best rider not have 8 others who had better overall seasons then did he?

Who is the best rider in 2025?

Tadej PogaÄar accumulated 3911 PCS points so far this season and is best rider so far this season. He is followed by Jonas Vingegaard with 2399 points and João Almeida with 2270 points.

www.procyclingstats.com

PCS: VDP merely 10th

That is not a rider worthy of the Velo d'or

 

[tobydawq]

im getting a bit annoyed by the constant "VDP was absent in the Tour"

I guess Philipsen won all his sprints by himself?
But apparently that doesn't count.

In a context of Vélo d'Or, no it doesn't.

If anything, being a helper in the biggest race of the world should be an automatic disqualification in that conversation.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

In a context of Vélo d'Or, no it doesn't.

If anything, being a helper in the biggest race of the world should be an automatic disqualification in that conversation.

It does if the voters choose for it to do so.

Is it your contention that Philippe Gilbert shouldn't have been considered for the award in 2011, on the grounds that he might have supported Andre Greipel's sprint efforts? Or that van Aert, second in the vote last year, shouldn't have received any votes because he assisted Vingegaard to beat Pogacar?

 

[tobydawq]

It does if the voters choose for it to do so.

Is it your contention that Philippe Gilbert shouldn't have been considered for the award in 2011, on the grounds that he might have supported Andre Greipel's sprint efforts? Or that van Aert, second in the vote last year, shouldn't have received any votes because he assisted Vingegaard to beat Pogacar?

No, I do vote for Van der Poel this year.

But his role as a leadout man in the Tour certainly doesn't help (or contribute to) his case.

 

[RedheadDane]

It does if the voters choose for it to do so.

Wait, it's decided by popular vote?
I thought it was a panel of clever people.

 

[Blanco]

CQ Ranking

CQ Ranking is the world's leading cycling ranking and extensive results database. Also known as Cycling Quotient.

cqranking.com

Pog had TWICE as many CQ points as VDP. TWICE.

Shouldn't the best rider not have 8 others who had better overall seasons then did he?

Who is the best rider in 2025?

Tadej PogaÄar accumulated 3911 PCS points so far this season and is best rider so far this season. He is followed by Jonas Vingegaard with 2399 points and João Almeida with 2270 points.

www.procyclingstats.com

PCS: VDP merely 10th

That is not a rider worthy of the Velo d'or

Cancellara in 2010 was 8th in CQ rankings, yet he won the Velo.
Museeuw in 1996 was 7th in PCS rankings, also won the Velo.
Armstrong was 7th, 6+th, 5th twice and 4th in years he won the Velo.
Contador was 5th in 2007.

Were they worthy of the Velo d'Or?

 

[Blanco]

VDP did not come close to having the best season

He's not close, he's already there...

 

[Netserk]

It does if the voters choose for it to do so.

Is it your contention that Philippe Gilbert shouldn't have been considered for the award in 2011, on the grounds that he might have supported Andre Greipel's sprint efforts? Or that van Aert, second in the vote last year, shouldn't have received any votes because he assisted Vingegaard to beat Pogacar?

Gilbert and Van Aert won stage(s) in those Tours.

 

[Keldergoat]

CQ Ranking

CQ Ranking is the world's leading cycling ranking and extensive results database. Also known as Cycling Quotient.

cqranking.com

Pog had TWICE as many CQ points as VDP. TWICE.

Shouldn't the best rider not have 8 others who had better overall seasons then did he?

Who is the best rider in 2025?

Tadej PogaÄar accumulated 3911 PCS points so far this season and is best rider so far this season. He is followed by Jonas Vingegaard with 2399 points and João Almeida with 2270 points.

www.procyclingstats.com

PCS: VDP merely 10th

That is not a rider worthy of the Velo d'or

This kind of data-based stupidity would argue that Marc Hirshi and (probably) Arnaud de Lie have more right to win the Velo d'Or than Mathieu van der Poel. Those rankings are useless if riders can gain massive amounts of points by winning Memorial Jef Scherens or the Hungary Tour. MvdP has always been a rider with a 'skewed' calendar, focusing on a couple of main targets and ignoring the rest. In 10 years time, people will remember his extraordinary 2023 season though. That counts imo, both he and Pogacar create moments in a season that I'll cherish as a cycling lover.

 

[Elos Anjos]

CQ Ranking

CQ Ranking is the world's leading cycling ranking and extensive results database. Also known as Cycling Quotient.

cqranking.com

Pog had TWICE as many CQ points as VDP. TWICE.

Shouldn't the best rider not have 8 others who had better overall seasons then did he?

Who is the best rider in 2025?

Tadej PogaÄar accumulated 3911 PCS points so far this season and is best rider so far this season. He is followed by Jonas Vingegaard with 2399 points and João Almeida with 2270 points.

www.procyclingstats.com

PCS: VDP merely 10th

That is not a rider worthy of the Velo d'or

This post is the very definition of data lunacy, which usually stems from the prejudice that "data speaks for itself".

Actually you have to interpret it in order to make it speak. That's why many sensible readers have been ignoring the rankings and speaking about other criteria.

Theoretically you could have a number one rider ranked first in CQS or PCS rankings only with 2nd places. And no one would argue that he deserves Velo d'Or. Why?

Hell, WVA is ahead of MVDP but of course he would give a testicle in order to have his season.

PS: only now I have seen @Keldergoat post and I wholly agree with it.

 

[KenFiamingo]

MVDP finetuned Peter Van Petegem's strategy to perfection: don't care about the Tour and focus on the WCRR & the 3 momuments that suit him te most. I don't mind if he wins the Vélo d'Or, he is a worthy winner.

My vote went to Pogacar, though. His dominance in the spring races (where he flat out owned MVDP on his turf) combined with being the Tour runner-up and finishing the season with a 2nd monument: out of this world.

 

[houtdffan]

Cancellara in 2010 was 8th in CQ rankings, yet he won the Velo.
Museeuw in 1996 was 7th in PCS rankings, also won the Velo.
Armstrong was 7th, 6+th, 5th twice and 4th in years he won the Velo.
Contador was 5th in 2007.

Were they worthy of the Velo d'Or?

No

 

[houtdffan]

This kind of data-based stupidity would argue that Marc Hirshi and (probably) Arnaud de Lie have more right to win the Velo d'Or than Mathieu van der Poel. Those rankings are useless if riders can gain massive amounts of points by winning Memorial Jef Scherens or the Hungary Tour. MvdP has always been a rider with a 'skewed' calendar, focusing on a couple of main targets and ignoring the rest. In 10 years time, people will remember his extraordinary 2023 season though. That counts imo, both he and Pogacar create moments in a season that I'll cherish as a cycling lover.

In that context, it is an award for which if the stars most exceeded expectations, not the best cyclist of the year.

As i said earlier in the thread, points system strictly based upon wt, worlds, and olympics

 

[Keldergoat]

In that context, it is an award for which if the stars most exceeded expectations, not the best cyclist of the year.

As i said earlier in the thread, points system strictly based upon wt, worlds, and olympics

Don't get me wrong, I think it is an award for the best cyclist. Only in all cycling quotients you'll always have a certain quantitative favoritism towards smaller races. Or would you argue that winning Memorial Jef Scherens is worth about a third as winning Paris - Roubaix?

MvdP won 3 of the 9 biggest races of the year, Pogacar won 2 of them and got second in the biggest race of the year. Any cycling lover whose judgement isn't clouded by fanboy-ism would agree that both would be brilliant winners, regardless of what any cycling quotient would say.

 

[Escarabajo]

Cancellara in 2010 was 8th in CQ rankings, yet he won the Velo.
Museeuw in 1996 was 7th in PCS rankings, also won the Velo.
Armstrong was 7th, 6+th, 5th twice and 4th in years he won the Velo.
Contador was 5th in 2007.

Were they worthy of the Velo d'Or?

Maybe they were worthy, because there were not other riders visibly better than them. Additionally, wins were probably spread over different riders for the big prizes. This year we have Pogacar and Vingegaard as the challengers which probably makes a bigger difference.

So in those years MVDP probably would have taken the prize comfortably. But this year competition is very tough!

 

[saunaking]

CQ Ranking

CQ Ranking is the world's leading cycling ranking and extensive results database. Also known as Cycling Quotient.

cqranking.com

Pog had TWICE as many CQ points as VDP. TWICE.

Shouldn't the best rider not have 8 others who had better overall seasons then did he?

Who is the best rider in 2025?

Tadej PogaÄar accumulated 3911 PCS points so far this season and is best rider so far this season. He is followed by Jonas Vingegaard with 2399 points and João Almeida with 2270 points.

www.procyclingstats.com

PCS: VDP merely 10th

That is not a rider worthy of the Velo d'or

Awesome news, Pogacar will get a really cool trophy from the CQ people.
MVDP the Velo d'Or
Everybody happy!!!

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Wait, it's decided by popular vote?
I thought it was a panel of clever people.

A vote, but not a popular one. I believe that it is simply a case of a number of cycling journalists being invited to vote: as far as I am aware, there is no sort of panel discussion involved.

Whether you consider cycling journalists to be clever people only you can answer.

 

[Carols]

Some are, some are very insightful. I don't add no one to the ignore list as a principle.

I just put some people on a vacation for a month or so if they irritate me to much

 

[Carols]

Don't get me wrong, I think it is an award for the best cyclist. Only in all cycling quotients you'll always have a certain quantitative favoritism towards smaller races. Or would you argue that winning Memorial Jef Scherens is worth about a third as winning Paris - Roubaix?

MvdP won 3 of the 9 biggest races of the year, Pogacar won 2 of them and got second in the biggest race of the year. Any cycling lover whose judgement isn't clouded by fanboy-ism would agree that both would be brilliant winners, regardless of what any cycling quotient would say.

Basically, he won 3 days out of the entire season. Granted they were Big one day Races but IMO someone who never showed up on the podium of a GT or won/podiumed a 7 day WT stage race doesn't even consider being eligible.
And I'll forget his season very quickly.

 

[proffate]

Pogacar's season just feels a little unsatisfactory because he lost his biggest target by a record margin. The wrist excuse counts for nothing when determining the best season. MVDP only wins the biggest races and in the most scintillating way possible. Sure Pogacar was dominant at Lombardia and Flanders but watching him pedal steadily to victory just doesn't make the greatest TV. He should try crashing in the finale or something to stir up some drama. Those fake cramps just didn't do it for me.

Basically, he won 3 days out of the entire season. Granted they were Big one day Races but IMO someone who never showed up on the podium of a GT or won a 7 day WT stage race doesn't even consider being eligible.
And I'll forget his season very quickly.

OK so Almeida is ahead of MVDP, right that makes a lotta sense.

 

[Carols]

Pogacar's season just feels a little unsatisfactory because he lost his biggest target by a record margin. The wrist excuse counts for nothing when determining the best season. MVDP only wins the biggest races and in the most scintillating way possible. Sure Pogacar was dominant at Lombardia and Flanders but watching him pedal steadily to victory just doesn't make the greatest TV. He should try crashing in the finale or something to stir up some drama. Those fake cramps just didn't do it for me.



OK so Almeida is ahead of MVDP, right that makes a lotta sense.

Pogacar's season just feels a little unsatisfactory because he lost his biggest target by a record margin. The wrist excuse counts for nothing when determining the best season. MVDP only wins the biggest races and in the most scintillating way possible. Sure Pogacar was dominant at Lombardia and Flanders but watching him pedal steadily to victory just doesn't make the greatest TV. He should try crashing in the finale or something to stir up some drama. Those fake cramps just didn't do it for me.



OK so Almeida is ahead of MVDP, right that makes a lotta sense.

If you mean my post the answer is he needed his Big 3 one day races and proof he can do More than that. The best cyclist of the year should at least show Some Versatility beyond one day races. If he won all 5 monuments No Problem he's cyclist of the year. But IMO 3 other guys had a better season than he did.

 

[Blanco]

No

So you agree then that Alejandro Valverde Belmonte, who finished 5 times on top of each CQ and PCS rankings, should get much more than 1 Velo?