What type of pro rider would you want to be

[Dr. Watson]

Dont know if there has already been a thread like this or if I should put it in here but I am curious to hear from u guys what type of pro rider would you want to be? Do you want to be a climber in grand tours or would you rather win Paris Roubaix? You can share your thoughts and maybe dreams on here

 

[Netserk]

I'm 178cm (and slender), so it's not easy for me to imagine myself putting the hurt on the flat cobbles, though that would be nice. But I like to imagine myself in a breakaway move with all of Tommeke, Sagan, Nibali and Contador

 

[RedheadDane]

I don't want to be a pro rider.
But if I had to be, something where I wouldn't have to ride in a big group. Not a sprinter, definitely not a sprinter!
I suppose with my 160 cm and 50 kg I'd be something of a climber, except... I can't climb.

I'm 178cm (and slender), so it's not easy for me to imagine myself putting the hurt on the flat cobbles, though that would be nice. But I like to imagine myself in a breakaway move with all of Tommeke, Sagan, Nibali and Contador

Well, hopefully it's gonna be all of them. Riders might talk about "losing their legs", but... not literally.

 

[Jspear]

I'd want to be a better rouleur than Sagan.

Truth is most of us would be domestiques.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'd be terrible at that too. On a good day I could maybe carry three bottles before collapsing under the weight.
Pulling the peloton? Yeah... I'd slow everyone down. Though, I suppose there might be female riders who are shorter than I am, Rivera sure looks pretty short.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Always imagined myself to be types like Purtio, Valverde, Di Luca etc, but truth is Im to heavy for that stuff (1,80 at 72 kg). I am relatively fast when the road tilt upwards compared to those I ride with, but its rarely effort over 2 minutes, so probably more of a typical puncheur, so lets say Gilbert..

 

[May0maniac]

183cm tall and 64-5kg and I when I'm climbing I usually don't go out of the saddle, so of course I'd love to be a diesel climber like Ivan Basso.
I'd be way to light to do anything on the cobbles. I have to admit that I'd love to be a strong powerhouse like Kiryienka who ride at the front of the field all day long, because riding in the middle of a big field kinda sucks.

 

[Nick C.]

I think the fantasy is one that can compete in the hilly classics and the grand tours and can put out a good time trial. I guess that would be Nibali or Evans (Valverde would have the sprint but not the TT) or Vino of the recent crew.

 

[kingjr]

185 cm at 70-72 kg, I think I could get it down somewhat though. I'd love to be a sprinter, as that's the biggest buzz, but that would be very unlikely with my physique. I'd be happy if I was a half decent climber who could win the odd stage here and there.

 

[carton]

Valverde. In the mix no matter the parcours. Bossing those uphills like it's preordained.

Reality would surely look more like Carlitos Betancur, except that you would need to multiply that BMI by 1.86. And I'd need to lose a few kilos just to get there.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Funny thread. I am 192cm/77kg, meaning that relatively speaking, I tend to struggle on steeper and longer climbs (> 6km at > 8%), but I can push a big gear on shorter climbs and pull off a sprint when the summit comes near. So relatively speaking, I am mostly like a Gilbert-type punchy classics rider, although, admittedly, I would love to be better on the long long climbs.

 

[King Boonen]

Bernard Hinault.

 

[kingjr]

Re:

Bernard Hinault.

Really? Just watching him makes my knees explode.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Bernard Hinault.

Really? Just watching him makes my knees explode.

I do a large amount of my riding on a fixed gear on the West Coast of Scotland

 

[Pennino]

Being unlucky enough to be born and living in the Netherlands but lucky enough to live basically next to the dunes, my roads allways go up-and-down-and-up-and-down, with let's say maximum 20 metres level difference. But even there (and of course also when riding in Zuid-Limburg, in the Ardennes, in Sauerland, in Tenerife, in Sicily, and so on...) roughly 30% of the time I'm dancing on the pedals, trying to stay there 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of more minutes. And my intervals usually also always start with a #brutalattack that lasts for around 40 seconds.

1.83 / 65 kg. I was always used to be an Ullrich fan, but a couple of years ago I finally matched my riding style with that of my favourite. Vamos grande pistolero.

 

[ajsko29]

I am 182cm/81kg, can pull in the front on flats for long, sprint up short steep hills very well using all the power, I race cyclocross, but with all that weight I suffer on long climbs all the time compared to my skinny friends... A "pity" that I live in Switzerland now with all those beautiful mountain passes around (which I climb anyway, it hurts).
I always dreamt of being a good climber since I really love the feeling when you drive up the road alone, shake the bike from side to side, while sweating and grasping for air - but not a really light one, maybe something like GVA in his last years form, still carry some speed and muscles. But it's really hard with genetics more suited to bodybuilding than cycling (maybe should move next to a velodrome and start racing on track, hehe)

 

[Squire]

I'd be a careless attacker, going on long, lone forays into the mountains or hilly stages, not giving a damn about the race going on behind me. Just enjoying the freedom, scenery and battle with myself.

99% of the time I would probably be caught, but once in a blue moon it would work out and I'd get a beautiful win.

 

[Red Rick]

1.95, not too skinny, no sprint despite being way better at short efforts. Probably a guy in a lead out, or a rouleur domestique. And the guy who annoys teammates and rivals alike by never shutting up

Not sure what I'd want to be. Probably a type like Nibali, enough of a climber to ride for the biggest races while still being all round enough to have a shot at a wide variety of races if I race aggressive enough.

If I'm not world class, I think I'd want to be a breakaway rider in the medium and high mountains who does his work for better men when he needs to.

If I really suck then I'd rather be a rouleur with good bike handling skills and be really good friends with a guy important enough to drag me along from WT team to WT team.

 

[Pennino]

Re:

1.95, not too skinny, no sprint despite being way better at short efforts. Probably a guy in a lead out, or a rouleur domestique. And the guy who annoys teammates and rivals alike by never shutting up

Not sure what I'd want to be. Probably a type like Nibali, enough of a climber to ride for the biggest races while still being all round enough to have a shot at a wide variety of races if I race aggressive enough.

If I'm not world class, I think I'd want to be a breakaway rider in the medium and high mountains who does his work for better men when he needs to.

If I really suck then I'd rather be a rouleur with good bike handling skills and be really good friends with a guy important enough to drag me along from WT team to WT team.

Haha, this is interesting stuff also.
My pick would be an extremely overrated (and overpaid ) leader on a small-medium WT team, probably a type like Chavanel in his Vendée times. Every important race again those high expectations, front page interviews, etcetera, to deliver in the end a significantly below-par performance that is remarkable enough to be talked about in prime time television shows, newspapers, etcetera.

 

[rick james]

I can take punishment so I see myself like a bit of big Yogi from sky, except I like to climb, well what Scotland has to offer, we don't have climbs that are very long but they do get very steep, I do like a steep climb even though I'm a bit bigger and I do enjoy the pain and I've put myself through some crazy tough days on the bike.....when I'm doing sportives and climbing I do get a lot of double looks as people think because of my size I shouldn't be able to climb but I can climb and at a good pace, I can't go with the 8 stone whippets but i'll work away and I'll get to the top...also if its windy you're in trouble with me because that what I like, Scotland is a windy country, cycling in the wind to us is nothing...


as they say, is it the dug in the fight or the fight in the dug

 

[froze]

Of course the question is all about fantasy, and I know whatever rider I picked I could never be, and if I picked a rider I would correct whatever wrongs he did and never do those, again in the name of fantasy, so I would want to be Greg Lemond, but I would avoid hunting! I think if he hadn't been shot he could have won at least 4 and probably 5 TdF's and maybe even 6 by winning in 1987 and 1988 which was the two years he missed due to the hunting accident and might have been in just good enough shape to win his 6th in 91 even though he lost that year some of that could have been from the effects of 35 shotgun pellets still in his heart which were slowly poisoning him which perhaps didn't allow enough capacity or made him more tired than usual a few years down the road? It has been proven with him that if he rides a bike now hard for more than hour something is going on from those pellets, they call them leaking, so he limits his riding to just an hour a day.

 

[Nellyspania]

Re:

Of course the question is all about fantasy, and I know whatever rider I picked I could never be, and if I picked a rider I would correct whatever wrongs he did and never do those, again in the name of fantasy, so I would want to be Greg Lemond, but I would avoid hunting! I think if he hadn't been shot he could have won at least 4 and probably 5 TdF's and maybe even 6 by winning in 1987 and 1988 which was the two years he missed due to the hunting accident and might have been in just good enough shape to win his 6th in 91 even though he lost that year some of that could have been from the effects of 35 shotgun pellets still in his heart which were slowly poisoning him which perhaps didn't allow enough capacity or made him more tired than usual a few years down the road? It has been proven with him that if he rides a bike now hard for more than hour something is going on from those pellets, they call them leaking, so he limits his riding to just an hour a day.

I would like to be LeMonster too; I am pretty much the exact same height/weight/build as Greg was in his prime but have a VO2 max about 40% lower... :lol:
Would be amazing to have had that incredible talent that he did.

 

[jsem94]

1.75, used to be super skinny at like 58kg. Now I weigh about 66kg, I've put on a little fat but also some muscle. Always had a good kick going uphill and now that I've put on some weight I have gotten a lot stronger, but still not good enough to have a kick to be proud of on the flat. So probably a slightly weaker puncheur wouldn't be too far off, definitely one for the Ardennes more than Flanders though. Always found it difficult to ride over cobbles and/or gravel. I like to get out of the saddle too, so losing traction makes it difficult.

Of course I'd love to be a jack of all trades, but that's not very realistic.

 

[Pennino]

Re:

1.75, used to be super skinny at like 58kg. Now I weigh about 66kg, I've put on a little fat but also some muscle. Always had a good kick going uphill and now that I've put on some weight I have gotten a lot stronger, but still not good enough to have a kick to be proud of on the flat. So probably a slightly weaker puncheur wouldn't be too far off, definitely one for the Ardennes more than Flanders though. Always found it difficult to ride over cobbles and/or gravel. I like to get out of the saddle too, so losing traction makes it difficult.

Of course I'd love to be a jack of all trades, but that's not very realistic.

I would love to be 1.75 at 58kg, cyclingwise. I have the upper body of a 1.75 person, but the legs of a 1.90'er unfortunately. Just forget about the flat, let those heavy bastards have their fun out there.

 

[zlev11]

id want to be a real old school big Belgian classics rider, famous for riding in a huge gear over the bergs and being great in terrible weather.