Who deserves the Vélo d'Or the most so far?

[Escarabajo]

No reason to change my mind. A victory after a whole day of wheelsucking is no victory whatever the name of the race is and whatever jersey you might wear afterwards.

Was quite stupid to have seen the race actually while I swore to myself I would boycott. Probably a bit deceived by the Belgian offensive but a bit naive, it was just unlikely to prevail ...

You sound bitter. I am not a Sagan fanboy but come on. You are exaggerating a little. Sagan is an excellent rider.

 

[Echoes]

Really why should I be "bragging", watching a guy winning by wheelsucking all day long, except for bridging a small gap, apparently?

Whatever you might think about how out of this world this Sagan is, his last 5 wins were wheelsucking wins.

Van Avermaet won his greatest win after a 80km long breakaway.

I'd be bragging for seeing Sagan live? Really, you posted that while I was watching a great battle between Van der Poel and Van Aert. You don't know what you've missed, folks. I was rooting for Van Aert and would praise Mathieu for his win. So bitter I am.

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Yeah Boonen was much better. 2011 Gilbert had a strange aura around him though.

You're right about the aura, he almost won the Ronde too (and MSR). If he did then his season easily surpassed that of Boonen and Sagan.

But he didn't.

Gilbert wasn't close of winning flanders 2011.

Yea he was xD

No he wasn't. He wasn't in the group of cancellara, ballan and thor and in the final he didn't challenge cance, chavanel or nuyens so wtf are you talking about?

 

[El Pistolero]

Re:

The OP was a fail - Any discussion about the ' Cyclist of the Year ' must take place after the Worlds.

No it wasn't. If I made it after the WC there would have been zero discussion.

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Best season by a single rider in years, on par with Gilbert 2011 imo, maybe even better...

It's better, Gilbert won only 2 really important races: LBL and the tour stage

Boonen in 2005 was better though:

Ronde, Roubaix, 2 Tour stages and the WC.

I don't think so. Depends on how you rate Roubaix vs GW, Montreal, Euro's, 1 Tour stage, and a green jersey, as well as the way of racing.

I rate Roubaix above Quebec, European Championshops, a tour stage and the green jersey. E3 more or less balances out Gent-Wevelgem. Maybe GW is worth a bit more. It's not like Sagan has won many races that extravagantly this year, though. Only Flanders springs to mind, along with that tour stage with Froome.

 

[Miburo]

Watch the race again man. Gilber wsas alone at 8km from the end

 

[Valv.Piti]

Gilbert was close to winning Ronde. He was the strongest on the climbs, obviously, but unfortunately for him, you have to hold on to that advantage. Cancellara was no contest the strongest rider of the race tho.

I didn't see Boonen's 2005 season, but from what I can tell from PCS - apart from Roubaix, obviously - Sagan's season is more impressive. How much weight you put on Roubaix compared to everything else Peter won and contested depends on your perspective and I guess narrative, but overall, I'll take this season from Peter over Boonen's, but its very close.
Gilbert 3rd, but as somebody has mentioned, his aura that season was insane. Look no further than stage 1 of TdF, everybody and their blind mom knew Gilbert would win and how he would do it. He just proceeded to annihilate everyone.

 

[Flamin]

Gilbert 2011 is pure nostalgia. A 1% gradient was enough for the guy to ride everyone off his wheel. Man, do I wish these times would come back.

Anyway, Sagan 2016 > Boonen 2005 for me.

 

[May0maniac]

I'm a Boonen fanboy, therefore I rate his 2005 season and probably even his 2012 season, higher than Sagan's.
Of course there are more than enough other riders that had monster seasons that were on the same level, just look at a few of Sean Kelly's seasons (1984 and 1986), Hinault in 1980, Francesco Moser in 1978 or Saronni in 1982.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

Gilbert 2011 is pure nostalgia. A 1% gradient was enough for the guy to ride everyone off his wheel. Man, do I wish these times would come back.

Anyway, Sagan 2016 > Boonen 2005 for me.

2011 Gilbert was just unbelievable, just unbelievable.

 

[Kwibus]

Sagan only made sure he's going to win the Velo d'Or which he normally should've won as well.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

I'm a Boonen fanboy, therefore I rate his 2005 season and probably even his 2012 season, higher than Sagan's.
Of course there are more than enough other riders that had monster seasons that were on the same level, just look at a few of Sean Kelly's seasons (1984 and 1986), Hinault in 1980, Francesco Moser in 1978 or Saronni in 1982.

Agreed. Anyone even hinting that Sagan's 2016 can compare at all to the greatest seasons ever is, at best a joke, at worst complete lack of knowledge of the past.

Here's Sagan's 2016
Gent-Wevelgem, Ronde vV, Tdf Pts Jersey + 3 stages, GP de Québec, Worlds RR

Here's several seasons after Merckx that were all better, many of them by a very long way:

Moser 1978 (Roubaix, Giro 3rd + 4 stages + Pts Jersey, Catalunya, Worlds RR 2nd, Lombardia, and too many important track races to list here)

Hinault 1980 (LBL, Romandie, Giro + 1 stage, 3 Tour stages [injured while leading GC], Worlds RR)

Saronni 1982 (Tirreno, Coppa Agostoni, Trentino, Giro 6th + 3 stages, Tour de Suisse, Worlds RR, Milano-Torino, Lombardia)

Kelly 1984 (Paris-Nice, Catalunya, Criterium International, Pais Vasco, Roubaix, LBL, Paris-Tours, GP Plouay, 2nd Ronde vV, 2nd MSR, 2nd GP des Nations*, 5th Tour de France)

Kelly 1986 (Paris-Nice, Catalunya, Pais Vasco, Vuelta Valenciana, MSR, Roubaix, GP des Nations*, 2nd Ronde vV, 2nd Lombardia, Vuelta 3rd + Pts Jersey + 2 stages)

Fignon 1989 (MSR, Giro + 1 stage, Tdf 2nd place + 1 stage, Ronde van Nederland (now ENECO), GP des Nations*)

Rominger 1994 (Paris-Nice, Pais Vasco, Vuelta+6 stages+KOM+Pts, GP des Nations*, Hour Record)

Jalabert 1995 (Paris-Nice, MSR, Criterium International, Catalunya, Flèche, Vuelta+KOM+Pts+5 stages, Tdf 4th place + Pts Jersey)

*"GP des Nations" can essentially be read as "World ITT champion"

 

[Red Rick]

Different times.

 

[Echoes]

Re:

According to post race interviews, there was one man who bridged from the 2nd to the 1st echelon solo.

Yes, that was Niki Terpstra.

In order to give any value to that victory you'll have to convince me that Sagan did not wheelsuck all day long.

Why can't you admit it?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

According to post race interviews, there was one man who bridged from the 2nd to the 1st echelon solo.

Yes, that was Niki Terpstra.

In order to give any value to that victory you'll have to convince me that Sagan did not wheelsuck all day long.

Why can't you admit it?

Sagan has become a killer lately. Instead of many pointless attacks like before, he has especially this autumn ridden very calculated and tactically well instead of wasting energy and tire himself out for the sprint.

Blaming Sagan for wheel sucking is kinda sad in a race like this tho. It was obvious it was how you'd win here. It had been totally different on another route, but on a completely flat route without any team to speak of, the only possible way he could win was to sit in the bunch, avoid the splits and save energy.

 

[TomLPC]

What are you gimps on about, theres no way Messi is better than Pele, just look at the goals scored, no comparison

 

[KGB]

Re: Re:

According to post race interviews, there was one man who bridged from the 2nd to the 1st echelon solo.

Yes, that was Niki Terpstra.

In order to give any value to that victory you'll have to convince me that Sagan did not wheelsuck all day long.

Why can't you admit it?

Yes he did and that is the way he should do every race he enters then he will win even more races.

 

[DanielSong39]

Is it too early to say that Sagan is an all-time great?

2 World Championships, 1 monument, 5 green jerseys - definitely has the look of someone who is en route.

And, he probably should get the Velo d'Or at this point...

 

[Echoes]

Re: Re:

Yes he did and that is the way he should do every race he enters then he will win even more races.

What is so great about winning while wheelsucking? Is that legend in the making? Poor cycling, then.

It's not just yesterday, though. Two stages in the Low Countries, wheelsucking. Quebec, wheelsucking. Plumelec wheelsucking. And you'd compare him with all-time greats ?? This doesn't make the greatest of this era, so how could be an all-time great.

 

[Volderke]

Both Froome and Quintana started the Olympic race with ambition.

I don't know what planet you live on, but Quintana hasn't been in Brazil this year. I hope some others here have rectified this already, but I don't bother reading all replies.

Two more things:
2011 Gilbert >>> 2016 Sagan
2016 Sagan >>> all other riders this year.

 

[Martin]

Re: Re:

According to post race interviews, there was one man who bridged from the 2nd to the 1st echelon solo.

Yes, that was Niki Terpstra.

In order to give any value to that victory you'll have to convince me that Sagan did not wheelsuck all day long.

Why can't you admit it?

Watch the race again please. He did many turns on the front in a group when they've been out of the town in the desert. Perhaps your definition of "all day long" is just different to mine.
Btw. How many turns on the front did Niki? Does anybody complain about their tactics "I have to wait for my sprinter"?

 

[Volderke]

I saw Terpstra doing longer turns than Cavendish and Sagan (this order).
I can show print screens of Cavendish doing turns and 1 of Sagan doing a turn. In general, Sagan did less turns and actually, Cavendish would 'deserve' the win more. (of course the race is not won by this logic, otherwise Jasper Stuyven or Olivier Naessen or, from the favorites, Tom Boonen should have won).

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

I saw Terpstra doing longer turns than Cavendish and Sagan (this order).
I can show print screens of Cavendish doing turns and 1 of Sagan doing a turn. In general, Sagan did less turns and actually, Cavendish would 'deserve' the win more. (of course the race is not won by this logic, otherwise Jasper Stuyven or Olivier Naessen or, from the favorites, Tom Boonen should have won).

If you want to stay in an echelon you must take turns. Sitting at the back is a huge risk.

Cav once again showed he is great at echelons.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

I saw Terpstra doing longer turns than Cavendish and Sagan (this order).
I can show print screens of Cavendish doing turns and 1 of Sagan doing a turn. In general, Sagan did less turns and actually, Cavendish would 'deserve' the win more. (of course the race is not won by this logic, otherwise Jasper Stuyven or Olivier Naessen or, from the favorites, Tom Boonen should have won).

Also on the television it's hard to really judge who took most/longest turns since you don't get to see the first group all the time.
Im not saying it's rubbish what you are saying, but just some nuance.

 

[Echoes]

I don't know what planet you live on, but Quintana hasn't been in Brazil this year. I hope some others here have rectified this already, but I don't bother reading all replies.

Please, I admitted myself being wrong, long ago. And on planet earth, some people cannot be informed about any cycling news there is.