What makes a great classics rider?

[rghysens]

I must disagree on your definition of "Classics."

You don't even include all the Monuments (missing LBL).

Not only that...things have specialized so much (cobbles vs climbs) that you really should split these.

Boonen will be considered one of the great cobbled classics riders. 3 P-R and 2 Tours of Flanders must put him up there with the best. Even Roger DeVlamink (sp?) only won Flanders one time (and it was a bit of a hollow win at that). I doubt anyone would say old Roger was not a great.

True, I forgot LBL

I think there are riders who can win flanders or roubaix and lombardy or LBL: Devolder and Cancellara, when in good shape, could win Lombardy. Gilbert did win the "hilliest" classic (Lombardy) and the "flattest" (Tours) in the same year, so it must be achievable

 

[rghysens]

Zurich? Great race, but the Gold Race is at least in the same category by now. I'd also add Gent-Wevelgem to be honest.
You could even add Fleche Wallone and Gent-Gent/Het Volk/Nieuwsblad if you count Tours as a classic. Tours is meh, it's supposed to be old but the route changes have been so big it's not even the same race anymore.

The same can be said about the tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Lombardy (the routes of these races change almost every year)

 

[flicker]

Are riders in the Classics drug tested?

 

[karlboss]

Are riders in the Classics drug tested?

Seriously you don't know?

 

[djlovesyou]

Are riders in the Classics drug tested?

Don't worry. Your man has got the proven skills to not get caught.

 

[kwaremont]

the greatest classics rider was eddy merckx with 19 classics wins, although rik van looy with eleven wins is the only rider to win each one.

the list of accepted classic "monuments" is:-

milan-san remo
tour of flanders
paris-roubaix
liege-bastogne-liege
paris-tours
tour of lombardy

 

[Cerberus]

the greatest classics rider was eddy merckx with 19 classics wins, although rik van looy with eleven wins is the only rider to win each one.

the list of accepted classic "monuments" is:-

milan-san remo
tour of flanders
paris-roubaix
liege-bastogne-liege
paris-tours
tour of lombardy

I'm pretty sure Paris-Tours has never been a Monument. If you include regular classics then there are many more. Wikipedia says 5 Monuments and I've never heard anyone rank Paris Tours with the other five before. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_classics

 

[Boeing]

not Hincape

 

[kwaremont]

I'm pretty sure Paris-Tours has never been a Monument. If you include regular classics then there are many more. Wikipedia says 5 Monuments and I've never heard anyone rank Paris Tours with the other five before. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_classics

absolutely right, my mistake, there are five accepted "monuments".
paris-tours is similar in stature to amstel, gent-wevelgem, fleche wallone, etc.

incidently paris-tours is one race eddy merckx didn't win