Who are the best Domestiques in the peloton?

[bikenrunnwt]

I wanted to hear who people thought were the best worker bees in the peloton these days. I am not talking about the so-called super domestiques (genuine top GC contenders who have to given up their chances because of the depth of their team i.e almost all of Astana), but the true gregario ala Sean Yates.

Being a Canadian, I would have to throw my weight behind Michael Barry for all the hours he spends at the front of the peloton (I just wish he will finally get his chance to show his mettle in the Tour this summer!).

Outside of my national bias I would say Jens Voigt, Stuart O'grady or George Hincapie are the most impressive domestiques these days. I am also impressed by the Caisse D'Epargne guys who seem to always be dragging Valverde back to the group he just got shelled out of (i.e., Arroyo, Xandio, Pasamontes etc.)

There are lots more out there that need their recognition, but I will leave it up to you folks to throw out your support!

These are just a few

 

[Tapeworm]

Adam Hansen gets my vote.

And Lance Armstrong of course... ooops he ain't the domestique yet

 

[lookkg386]

Adam Hansen gets my vote.

And Lance Armstrong of course... ooops he ain't the domestique yet

Doh, beat me too it.

 

[lookkg386]

From last years tour CSC had them all, Jens and Stuey on the flats and I thought Andy Schleck in the high mountains. From the past might be bias here also but Neil Stephens was a beast of a domestique.

 

[schleck]

Chris Horner.

 

[Halvor]

Kurt-Asle Arvesen! CSC Saxo Bank did a great job in last year's TdF. All of them B-)

 

[baltyk_gdynia]

Chechu Rubiera. He kicks ***
For me the best moment of the Tour was in 2003 when Lance had some problems on the stage to Luz Ardiden and Chechu was the man to pull him up and on one of the turns, when Lance joined him after his fall, Chechu made a very significant gesture, like "calm down Lance", that was amazing

 

[ingsve]

Although he recently retired my vote would go on Wim Vansevenant. He's the ultimate domestique. He has accepted the fact that he will never be a winning racer but is a true professional at what he does and is a highly respected domestique.

 

[Argon Man]

Jens Voigt. He is superman.

 

[baltyk_gdynia]

Although he recently retired my vote would go on Wim Vansevenant. He's the ultimate domestique. He has accepted the fact that he will never be a winning racer but is a true professional at what he does and is a highly respected domestique.

three times (in a row) the Lanterne Rouge of the Tour. Truly devoted to his job.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

I always thought one of the best was Volker Ordowski of Team Gerolsteiner. Hardly anyone outside of Germany knows his name, I don't think he ever won anything, and he was one of those whose work was usually over by the time the tv coverage started. Yet he always had a contract with the team, and for a number of years.

A real stay-in-the-background workhorse.

 

[Bluebeard]

Jens Voigt is hardly a domestique or gregario in the true sense. He's won the last few Criteriums International, and he's often off the front. He and Cancellara both did their bit in last year's TDF, and they did sterling work at the front before being dropped - no-one would call Spartacus a domestique. He takes his turn like the other potential contenders in the CSC/Saxo Bank continuum. I quite like Voigt and rate him as a Super-Domestique in secret, but I think he should be considered HC for this particular discussion.

Although he recently retired my vote would go on Wim Vansevenant. He's the ultimate domestique. He has accepted the fact that he will never be a winning racer but is a true professional at what he does and is a highly respected domestique.

Completely agree. Possibly Evans most useful servant (sevenant) in the past three tours - he'll miss him.

Otherwise, I'd rank Charly Wegelius highly, Chris Horner and Hansen too. I remember Eddy Scheppers being one of the domestiques of note in the 80s when he was virtually all the support that Roche had in the Giro he won.

Unfortunately, I think that as someone who reads mostly anglophonic cycling press, I am always going to hear more about the English speakers, or their domestiques more than the others - could our French, Italian, Spanish, Belgian, Dutch, etc colleagues clue us in on this

Also useful for this debate, does someone know who won the most recent Gregario d'Oro for the 2008 Giro? I had heard of this before, perhaps it was run only one year - bottom of this page.

 

[Biciclette Bianchi]

Outside of my national bias I would say Jens Voigt, Stuart O'grady or George Hincapie are the most impressive domestiques these days.

I don't think that you can truely call any of these men domestiques. In anything but the Tour, each of these men has many opportunities to ride as team leaders (Stuey has won two "world cup" races and Jens' palmarès are almost equally impressive - both of these men are attacking riders who stir up races). I don't have a good answer to the original question, but I do contend that none of these three men (Jens Voigt, Stuart O'grady or George Hincapie) could possibly be called domestiques.


Dave

 

[lampre]

Marzio Bruseghin: In Varese he did the main part of the job of closing the gap to the breakaway - he towed the peleton in all uphills and most of the flats between 100 and 200km. Superb assistant for Cunego in TdF (even if he at the performed better....)

 

[Daniel Benson]

Bruseghin also rode all three Tours last year, finishing in the top 10 in the Giro and Vuelta. Not bad at all.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Jan Boven was always the domestique at Rabobank since 1996 till 2008... always keeping Boogerd, E.Dekker and such out of the wind as long as possible

 

[El Loto]

Marzio Bruseghin: In Varese he did the main part of the job of closing the gap to the breakaway - he towed the peleton in all uphills and most of the flats between 100 and 200km. Superb assistant for Cunego in TdF (even if he at the performed better....)

Yeah totally agree about Bruseghin in Varese. Matteo Tosatto was very impressive in that race also.

 

[Hinter]

I always used to love seeing Bram Tankink in Boonen's lead out train over the final few kilometres of a stage. He'd have a semi-grimace on ghis face and just keep pounding away. I'm not saying he's the best (that's Voght imho) but for some reason it was always a highlight for me when he came to the front.

 

[baltyk_gdynia]

Hey what about Sylwester Szmyd? he was always working for Cunego and even managed to get some high places in some major races. Too bad that he had to always work for Damiano when he (Damiano) always was in bad shape and in the end withdraw form the race. Szmyd could do a lot better if he worked for his own account (for example 8th in last year's Dauphine Libere)

 

[*G*K*S*]

Kurt-Asle Arvesen! CSC Saxo Bank did a great job in last year's TdF. All of them B-)

If you're an Arvesen fan you've probably already have seen this. If not, enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgFhiIK7wyk

 

[bikenrunnwt]

Ok, I would have to agree that Voight, Hincapie and O'grady might be a bit too talented to be put up in the true Domestique category. Following this same reasoning, Bruseghin would be left of the list as well (even if he thinks of himself as a Gregario), as would Chechu.

Wim Vansevenant would probably top my list if he was still riding. A true worker who has retired to the family farm. Adam Hansen does as much work as Michael Barry and likely it is toss up for most Columbia GC men, who they would prefer to have around.

I mentioned some of the Caise riders, but it would be interesting to know who some of the unheralded non-english speaking domestiques are as Bluebeard suggests. I always liked Marco Velo as he could lead out a sprint train, pull for hours, climb a bit and time trial pretty well. Any others?

 

[2wheels]

best domestique, and a whole lot more

I say keep Voigt on the list as the best domestique ever, but also call him the best all-around rider of his generation. Still getting top-five finishes in time trials; still logging more miles in the wind each year than any other rider in the peloton-- whether he's driving a break, or reeling one in, or busting up the peloton to set up his climbers for a summit finish-- and serving as the motor for the winningest team. Not to mention amassing a palmares that most riders could only dream of-- even while the dopers were stealing races like Liege and Georgia from him!

 

[Angliru]

Outside of my national bias I would say Jens Voigt, Stuart O'grady or George Hincapie are the most impressive domestiques these days.

Voigt, O'Grady, and Hincapie would have to be considered super-domestiques based both on their records of victories and the fact that in certain big races they may have teams riding for them. All have major wins on their records:
Voigt with Paris-Nice, O'Grady with Paris-Roubaix and Hincapie with Ghent-Wevelghem and his podiums at Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders..

I was thinking Joaquin Rodriguez of Caisse d'Epargne but he is simply getting too many results to be considered simply a domestique. He could be the leader for most teams at grand tours, the Ardennes classics and week long stage races. He regularly leaves all but a select few behind in support of Valverde on mountain passes and at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.Caisse d'Epargne does have a really strong crew. Daniel Moreno,David Arroyo, even Oscar Pereiro generally is riding in support now in alot of races. He was really showing excellent form in 2008 Tour leading up to his horrible crash.

I'm going to go with Chris Horner. He generally has few chances to race for himself now in the big races unless he has to cover a break that successfully stays away to the finish. He's tactically sound, climbs well enough to have been Cadel Evans lieutenant in the mountains in 2007 and is strong enough to be able to finish in the top 10 in Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2006. His absence from Silence-Lotto was really felt by Evans in the 2008 Tour.I still hold out hope that he gets his chance shine in the Ardennes classics this year.

 

[Flamme Rouge]

Definetly Jens Voigt...he's got a diesel engine!!
Horner, Hincapie, Rubiera are also notables.

 

[Jarvis]

Wegelius is supposed to be thought very highly of.

The cynical might consider that the best domestique is the one who canes the most gear and keeps their mouth shut.