Which rider is underrated/overrated?

[Asero831]

Overrated - Pozzovivo, Barguil, Bouhanni, Bos, Nizzolo, Meersman
Underrated - Nieve, Kelderman, Degenkolb, Navardaukas, Vanendert

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Kelderman underrated? Vanendert?

 

[Jagartrott]

Re:

Kelderman underrated? Vanendert?

There's something to be said for Vanendert.
He was 2nd last year in Amstel, 6th in Fleche Wallonne, 6th in San Sebastian, 11th in LBL, but almost no-one ever mentions him.

 

[Red Rick]

No way Kelderman is underrated. Half the Dutchies still believe he's the next Dutch TdF winner, which he is just not gonna do.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re: Re:

Kelderman underrated? Vanendert?

There's something to be said for Vanendert.
He was 2nd last year in Amstel, 6th in Fleche Wallonne, 6th in San Sebastian, 11th in LBL, but almost no-one ever mentions him.

Yeah sure, but he's always rated as one of the favorites for especially FW, so I don't think he's underrated.

 

[Gigs_98]

Why does everyone say that cancellara is overrated. He won 3 of the last four cobble monuments. That alone is extremely impressive

 

[Bushman]

Navardauskas underrated? He is mentioned as an outsider for almost every "tough sprinter's" race be it a one day race or a stage race yet he rarely delivers something on the big scene.

I like the rider, but wouldn't call him underrated at all.

 

[Pedal Pusher]

Re:

With some luck and it's not even much that he needed, he got a lot of bad luck. Evans could have won 5 GT's

Tour 2008/2007, giro 2002, vuelta 2009.

In the Tour of 2007, Contador was better. In 2008, Sastre was.

And the Vuelta 09 he wouldn't have won too.

Why bad luck?

None of his contenders were caught doping or using PED's

 

[Jelantik]

Re:

Massively Overrated - Van Garderen. I keep hearing how he's still young, blah, blah. Time has passed by - he's 26 and only major win is the Tour of California. It's not like he started cycling late either. Wow.

yep. that was the same thing came in my mind. The only major win is US race where practically no top rated climber attended the race.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Kristoff underrated. Even after wining San Remo, Sagan & Cavendish are favourites.

 

[SeriousSam]

Nibali. He is very good, but he is the prime example of a rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares, leading him to be overrated.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Nibali. He is very good, but he is the prime example of a rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares, leading him to be overrated.

There is a very small group of enlightened people in this forum who sees the true potensial of Nibali, the rest of you put him down as the 3rd/4th best gt rider, which even you must think is reasonable, no? And that he is a favourite for one day hilly races whe nhe is in form isn't exactly overrating him either.

 

[Rollthedice]

Nibali. He is very good, but he is the prime example of a rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares, leading him to be overrated.

People on this forum consistently rate him as a lesser favorite to win GTs, bookies do the same yet Nibali consistently wins GTs in the last five years. For me that means underrated. As for his palmares vastly exceeding his ability, for a rider who podiumed every GT he entered in the last five years (except Froome's and Cobo's Vuelta) which mean seven podiums out of eight GTs, one surely expect him to win some.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Nibali. He is very good, but he is the prime example of a rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares, leading him to be overrated.

I agree that his palmares exceeds his ability, but almost everyone realizes this so I wouldn't say he's overrated.

 

[Mr.White]

Nibali. He is very good, but he is the prime example of a rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares, leading him to be overrated.

His palmares EXACTLY shows his ability and quality as a rider. He's consistent, he's always good when it matters, he knows to exploit his strengths, to exploit weaknesses of rivals, he reads a race tremendously, he gaves 100% always, and all that reflects on his palmares.

 

[Escarabajo]

Nibali. He is very good, but he is the prime example of a rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares, leading him to be overrated.

That means that he is underrated, not overrated!

 

[Angliru]

Nibali. He is very good, but he is the prime example of a rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares, leading him to be overrated.

That means that he is underrated, not overrated!

Same here. Are we missing something?

 

[Jagartrott]

Like the people above also said, a rider that many people think is not going to win GTs, yet manages to win them - and quite consistently too - is underrated.

 

[The Hitch]

Well no. Its a rider who people think he's good because he won gts, but in reality he only won them because they had weak fields. That's overrated.

He's only underrated if we pretend that there are no variables in cycling and the strongest rider always wins everything.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Nibali. He is very good, but he is the prime example of a rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares, leading him to be overrated.

That means that he is underrated, not overrated!

Nope.

"A rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares" is a statement that has got nothing to do with the way he's rated by cycling fans.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Well no. Its a rider who people think he's good because he won gts, but in reality he only won them because they had weak fields. That's overrated.

He's only underrated if we pretend that there are no variables in cycling and the strongest rider always wins everything.

Well said Hitchy

 

[The Hitch]

Nibali. He is very good, but he is the prime example of a rider whose ability is vastly exceeded by his palmares, leading him to be overrated.

His palmares EXACTLY shows his ability and quality as a rider. He's consistent, he's always good when it matters, he knows to exploit his strengths, to exploit weaknesses of rivals, he reads a race tremendously, he gaves 100% always, and all that reflects on his palmares.

I think thats a bit of cycling fan romanticism. Not that I haven't been guilty of it myself in the past. In reality gt riders don't exploit rivals or read races. Most of the time not anyway. 99% of the time they just go their hardest and see where that gets them. That said Nibali did show some of the above in the cobbles stage 2014, where he did exploit weakness of rivals and use tactics, though I think its doubtful it would have gotten him an actual gt if a stone in the wrong place didn't take out Contador. To give him credit he's done that at other points in his career too- tirreno 2013, and not always been rewarded- Lombardia 2011, Liege 2012

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

Well no. Its a rider who people think he's good because he won gts, but in reality he only won them because they had weak fields. That's overrated.

He's only underrated if we pretend that there are no variables in cycling and the strongest rider always wins everything.

Sorry you lost me!.

Don't agree with your statement.

Nibali is probably the biggest underrated cyclist in the peloton IMHO. I just don't pay attention to the many excuses that people can put to his results. That's the reason that keeps making him underrated.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Well no. Its a rider who people think he's good because he won gts, but in reality he only won them because they had weak fields. That's overrated.

He's only underrated if we pretend that there are no variables in cycling and the strongest rider always wins everything.

Sorry you lost me!.

Don't agree with your statement.

Nibali is probably the biggest underrated cyclist in the peloton IMHO. I just don't pay attention to the many excuses that people can put to his results. That's the reason that keeps making him underrated.

If you think they are "excuses" you are overrating him.

 

[Akuryo]

I have to agree that Nibali is overrated. Just look at the competition he faced. Froome and Contador dropped out when he won the Tour. Very doubtful he would have won in 2014 with them still in the race.His Giro win came against Uran (who by most of the people here is only the 7th or 8th best GT-rider (look the other thread with Top 15 GC contenders atm). Behind the Colombian were Evans and Scarponi, who were both at the back end of their careers already in 2013. At the.2010 Vuelta he was in front of Mosquera and Velits. Have these guys ever shown anything again? No.

So in my book, his palmares are far better than his actual skills. He had luck and weak competition at times. In Germany we say you have to force your luck but that still makes him overrated.