Who had a better season Freire or Greipel?

[Francois the Postman]

Greipel might have made more out of the season he was given, but as said before, only one rider's wins will be remembered. No contest this one, for me.

 

[Jukebox]

I vote Friere, MSR and PT alone is a great year for a sprinter, add in his other smaller wins and he has had a great year. Andre's season was alos very impressive, hence the ability to compare their seasons against eachother, but none of his wins were as big. MSR really is the biggest race a sprinter can win, all of the top guys show up in good form and want it on their palmares.

 

[theyoungest]

I think he'd really like to ride the Tour de France, and really the only time I saw Freire in this year's Tour was when he'd put red and yellow tape on his handlebars the day of the football worldcup final

If you told Greipel before the season that he'd win Milan-San Remo and Paris-Tours, but in exchange he'd fail at the Tour, he'd ask you where he could sign.

 

[ergmonkey]

Definitely Freire this year. If half of Greipel's wins had been Giro and Tour stages, then I think you could at least ask what's worth more to a team and it's sponsors--the quantity of widely televised gt stages or the quality of two classic one day races? My heart always goes out to the classics; but, I'm curious to see how big a splash Greipel can make this year.

 

[The Hitch]

I wonder who wrote those words? Do you wonder the same thing Hitch? I guess supporting riders isn't the same as supporting your local race

Seriously though, can't we just come to an agreement that both the Tour of Poland and the Eneco Tour are both quite meaningless races in the grand scheme of things?

I wrote those words. I stick by them. Im not being patriotic, im defending a decent race against claims that it is significantly inferior to the TDU and against claims that its previous winners were of no quality (well there im defending cycling against a narrowminded view).



No they are not meaningless. Cycling is never going to grow if the only races that mean anything are 8 races in 4 countries. Or 18 in 6

There are far more pro cyclists coming up. As we established in another thread the idea of riders getting £1 million a year, is new, yet contador is now getting 5 and canc 3. Hushovd and wiggins are getting the million a year. This shows us that the importance of cyling is improving, and hence you need more races.

Its also good to have a european race east of the rhine. I feel, looking at a map of the word, it would be nice to have one or 2 races outside the western half of the former roman empire.

I shouldnt have to say that to a fellow Dostoyevski and Tchaikovsky fan.

Finally that cq game we have going on, will be won and lost in races like eneco, tdu, tdp, catalonia etc. A win in one of those is worth several gt stage wins.

Treat them as meaningless if you want, moondance, but bare in mind, you're turning your back on the future

 

[kurtinsc]

In my opinion, MSR alone beats Greipel's entire season.

Keep in mind, Greipels Giro win only came because all the other sprinters had withdrawn. His leadout man (Goss) was a better sprinter then he was during the Giro.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

Never knew Goss was known as Mad, but you learn something new every day.


Freire wins this one, Greipel not even in the frame.

If Greipel had taken advantage of a weak Giro field and come back with a hatful of stage wins, there might be a case. But he didn't, and there isn't.

 

[kurtinsc]

Never knew Goss was known as Mad, but you learn something new every day.


Freire wins this one, Greipel not even in the frame.

If Greipel had taken advantage of a weak Giro field and come back with a hatful of stage wins, there might be a case. But he didn't, and there isn't.

Mad... man... whatever.

Typos ftw.

 

[luckyboy]

Freire

.....

 

[ak-zaaf]

Does 20 stages and four points jerseys beat MSR + paris-tours??

If MSR was Freire's only race day the entire season, he still would have done better than Greipel.

 

[Kwibus]

Freire. P-T and M-SR will be remembered and all those stages Greipel won won't.

I think winning important one day stages has much more value then winning a stage in a Tour. M-SR -> a TdF stage win.
So M-SR --------------------------------------------------> Small Tour win.

p.s. This thread learned me that it's really easy to provoke The Hitch

 

[Rocksteady]

Never knew Goss was known as Mad, but you learn something new every day.


Freire wins this one, Greipel not even in the frame.

If Greipel had taken advantage of a weak Giro field and come back with a hatful of stage wins, there might be a case. But he didn't, and there isn't.

What Exactly made the sprint field weak?? Was it the best sprint line-up ever?? No but I wouldn't call the field there weak.

Ohh.. I choose Freire over Greipel.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

By the time Greipel got his stage win, several people had left. However, it was still stronger than the fields Cavendish was beating in Romandie and California.

At the same time, people forget that Greipel was laid low with illness for the first half of the Giro. Stage 2 of Algarve is by far his best and most impressive win of the year. Pulling away and taking four seconds on an uphill finish in the sleet in February = beast.

 

[auscyclefan94]

By the time Greipel got his stage win, several people had left. However, it was still stronger than the fields Cavendish was beating in Romandie and California.

At the same time, people forget that Greipel was laid low with illness for the first half of the Giro. Stage 2 of Algarve is by far his best and most impressive win of the year. Pulling away and taking four seconds on an uphill finish in the sleet in February = beast.

Agreed, Love greipel's face at the finish

 

[theyoungest]

Stage 2 of Algarve is by far his best and most impressive win of the year. Pulling away and taking four seconds on an uphill finish in the sleet in February = beast.

His win in the penultimate stage of Eneco was at least as impressive. Maybe not the sprint per se, but playing luxury domestique to Tony Martin during the entire stage (only briefly losing contact on the Mur de Huy) and then sprinting for the win was quite something.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

What Exactly made the sprint field weak?? Was it the best sprint line-up ever?? No but I wouldn't call the field there weak.

Ohh.. I choose Freire over Greipel.

Fair point. Having looked at the line ups, the names were there, it's just that they struggled to impose themselves consistently. 'Weak' was probably the wrong word, maybe 'Inconsistent' would have been better.

 

[The Hitch]

p.s. This thread learned me that it's really easy to provoke The Hitch

Ok i cant do it, because it would be obvious im taking the p***, but how do you think you dutchies would react if someone came in and posted this equation

Kreuziger>>> VDB>>> Gesink,

which is the gt rider equivalent of what Mathjis posted.

Im not too sure how many of you would be able to take a deep breath and refrain from sending such a poster hate mail, but by then Rubens head would have already exploded. Actually previous posts have taught me that for that all you need is

Frank Schleck> Gesink


And you have the gall to tell me im easy to provoke

 

[Moondance]

Please Hitch... Some Dutchies are easy to provoke.

I hope that I, at least, am exempted from inclusion in that clique of Gesink-adoring Orangutans which pass for my countrymen on this forum.

 

[theyoungest]

Please Hitch... Some Dutchies are easy to provoke.

I hope that I, at least, am exempted from inclusion in that clique of Gesink-adoring Orangutans which pass for my countrymen on this forum.

It's typically Dutch to think of yourself as not typically Dutch.

 

[theyoungest]

And you have the gall to tell me im easy to provoke

I'm sorry, but just take a look at the field in the most recent editions of Eneco and Pologne, and you can only conclude than Pologne simply isn't at the same level. Which doesn't matter to me, it's a much more enjoyable race (at least this year it was), but come on, get real. Eneco had Tony Martin, EBH, Klöden, Boom, Moerenhout, Porte... some of the best time trialists in the world in a race which is generally won by a time trialist. Pologne was a climbers' race, and while talented, Martin and Mollema aren't yet among the best climbers in the world.

 

[The Hitch]

I'm sorry, but just take a look at the field in the most recent editions of Eneco and Pologne, and you can only conclude than Pologne simply isn't at the same level. Which doesn't matter to me, it's a much more enjoyable race (at least this year it was), but come on, get real. Eneco had Tony Martin, EBH, Klöden, Boom, Moerenhout, Porte... some of the best time trialists in the world in a race which is generally won by a time trialist. Pologne was a climbers' race, and while talented, Martin and Mollema aren't yet among the best climbers in the world.

I was about to respond, pointing out that Martin and Mollema were far from the top stars at this years edition, and that, previous editions had far greater fields, but i realised you were baiting me.

Fool me once, fool me twice and all that.

 

[Kwibus]

Ok i cant do it, because it would be obvious im taking the p***, but how do you think you dutchies would react if someone came in and posted this equation

Kreuziger>>> VDB>>> Gesink,

which is the gt rider equivalent of what Mathjis posted.

Im not too sure how many of you would be able to take a deep breath and refrain from sending such a poster hate mail, but by then Rubens head would have already exploded. Actually previous posts have taught me that for that all you need is

Frank Schleck> Gesink


And you have the gall to tell me im easy to provoke

There you go
The point in my earlier post was that your just as easy to provoke as us dutchies. Something you usually like to do

About cycling: The TdU, TdP and the Eneco Tour are to unknown for me to judge this. I've never seen the TdU and only experienced the other 2 this year. Ofcourse in the past I've seen stuff from the Eneco Tour as it's broadcasted in NL, but didn't pay much attention to it.

I've enjoyed Eneco and TdP both. TdP more though.

 

[Kvinto]

As the most of you have pointed it's obviously Freire. In my opinion there are only 3(4) main events in sprinter's season. They are: Sanremo, the TDF sprint's domination (or the green jersey) and Paris-Tours, the fourth is WCRR but as you know it isn't for sprinters every year. Sanremo and Tours are the most prestigious sprinters classics with a great history. I have no right to say TDU, Pologne, Eneco or Turkey mean completely nothing, because it should be a lie. All these races are important, some of them are more valuable, another are less valuable but their importance in cycling calendar is not to be discussed. The main point is that they are less important than those 3(4).
It's true that Greipel did not have a chance to ride the main races, but every time, during the season, when the sprinting field became stronger, he failed (Giro, Vattenfall) and by the way Freire has one head to head victory over Greipel at Trofeo Cala Millor of Challenge Mallorca

 

[ak-zaaf]

It's typically Dutch to think of yourself as not typically Dutch.

If I would like boerenkool I'd be as Dutch as it gets ;p

 

[Michielveedeebee]

As the most of you have pointed it's obviously Freire. In my opinion there are only 3(4) main events in sprinter's season. They are: Sanremo, the TDF sprint's domination (or the green jersey) and Paris-Tours, the fourth is WCRR but as you know it isn't for sprinters every year. Sanremo and Tours are the most prestigious sprinters classics with a great history. I have no right to say TDU, Pologne, Eneco or Turkey mean completely nothing, because it should be a lie. All these races are important, some of them are more valuable, another are less valuable but their importance in cycling calendar is not to be discussed. The main point is that they are less important than those 3(4).
It's true that Greipel did not have a chance to ride the main races, but every time, during the season, when the sprinting field became stronger, he failed (Giro, Vattenfall) and by the way Freire has one head to head victory over Greipel at Trofeo Cala Millor of Challenge Mallorca

You're forgetting the Scheldeprijs