Who had the best season in the last 20 years?

[Mozart92]

There were years a cyclist seemed nearly invincible and took home more victories in one year than most cyclist do in an entire career.

Just listing some that came to my mind:

Gilbert 2011

-Uci World Tour
-National Championship (both road and TT)
-1 Tour stage (+ yellow jersey)
-Liegi-B-L
-Amstel Gold Race
-Fleche Wallone
-Clasica San Sebastian
-Strade Bianche

Cipollini 2002

-World Championship
-Milan-Sanremo
-6x Giro stages (+points classification)
-3x Vuelta stages
-Gent-Wevelgem

Cavendish 2009

-MilanSanremo
-6x Tour Stages
-3x Giro stages

Pantani 1998

- Giro + Tour

Cancellara 2008

-Gold (TT)+ Silver(road) Olympiads
-Milan-Sanremo
-Strade Bianche
-Tour of Swisse (corrected: points classification)
-Tirreno Adriatico

Boonen 2005

-World Championship
-2 Tour stages
-Rubaix+e3+Flanders

Petacchi 2003

-6 Giro stages
-4 Tour stages
-5 Vuelta stages

or 2004

-9 Giro stages (+points classification)
-5 Vuelta Stages

Contador 2008

Giro + Vuelta

Zabel 2001

-Milan-Sanremo
-3 Tour stages (+6th consecutive points classification)
-3 Vuelta stages

 

[Parker]

Probably Wiggins in 2012

 

[DFA123]

It's clearly between Gilbert, Pantani and Boonen. And the winner is clearly Gilbert.

Bit of an insult, imo, to include all those sprinter's seasons in there. The fact there are so many of them shows how comparatively easy it is compared with what the other three achieved.

 

[Anderis]

2012 Wiggins definetely beats some of the included in the poll.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

2012 Wiggins definetely beats some of the included in the poll.

Half the peloton could beat Zabel's 2001 season.

 

[Derry]

I would say Gilbert and second Pantani.

Gilbert was unlucky that it was a flat WC in Demark, otherwise he would have been world champion already. These consecutive results from april till the WC is unreal.

- 1. Brabantse Pijl
- 1. Amstel Gold Race
- 1. Fleche Wallone
- 1. Liege-Bastogne-Liege
- 1. Tour of Belgium
- 1. Ster ZLM Tour
- 1. National championship
- 1. First stage Tour + yellow
- 1. Clasica San Sebastian
- 2. Eneco Tour (did get a stage win)
- 1. National championship (time trial)
- 57. GP Plouay
- 1. GP Quebec
- 3. GP Montreal
- 1. GP Wallonie

I did not miss any race in those five months. Just unreal.

 

[Breh]

I even rate Valverde's first three months of racing in 2017 higher than some of these options.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

I even rate Valverde's first three months of racing in 2017 higher than some of these options.

Froome's July - September last year blows all of those full sprinter seasons out of the water as well. And was also clearly better than Contador 2008.

 

[Laplaz]

And Sagan's 2016?

 

[Echoes]

Fabian Cancellara 2010 (until concrete proof of a hidden motor; by the way since when did he win the 2008 Tour of Switzerland? I thought he won the 2009 edition :Question

Greg Van Avermaet 2017 (I'm speculated a bit about a few additional high places in the next classics to come but his season so far is already top)

 

[Valv.Piti]

Armstrong's Tour de France 2004 alone is worth more than all of sprinter seasons IMO. I also think we should be looking for Cances 2010 season. You can also add Froome from 2013 (discounting Wiggo 2012 due to all the favourable circumstances, Froome didn't have that).

I also think you should add Purito 2012. 2nd Giro and Vuelta, FW and Lombardia plus a bunch of stages. He was a beast. And of course a Valverde season, maybe 2015 with LW + LBL (very close to triple, 2nd in Amstel), 3 stages in Catalunya, TdF podium etc.

Sagan 2016 was also pretty good.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Armstrong's Tour de France 2004 alone is worth more than all of sprinter seasons IMO. I also think we should be looking for Cances 2010 season. You can also add Froome from 2013 (discounting Wiggo 2012 due to all the favourable circumstances, Froome didn't have that).

I also think you should add Purito 2012. 2nd Giro and Vuelta, FW and Lombardia plus a bunch of stages. He was a beast. And of course a Valverde season, maybe 2015 with LW + LBL (very close to triple, 2nd in Amstel), 3 stages in Catalunya, TdF podium etc.

Sagan 2016 was also pretty good.

I think you could argue the same about Contador's 2009 Tour. His dominance there (in mountains and TT) makes that single win better than his two lesser GT wins in 2008 - where the competition was pretty terrible and he was less dominant.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I also think Contador's 2009 season was better than 2008, but still a double is pretty neat. I think the competition in the Giro was pretty good.

 

[Catwhoorg]

Re:

Probably Wiggins in 2012

This.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Probably Wiggins in 2012

This.

IMO the most overrated season. Wiggins got carried by the route design and his superior team through pretty much every race he won.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Gilbert 2011 was phenomenal. A lot of his other (semi)-big wins that year aren't even listed.

He was so strong that at some point the road only had to rise 1% and you'd know he would escape and stay away

 

[DFA123]

Re:

I also think Contador's 2009 season was better than 2008, but still a double is pretty neat. I think the competition in the Giro was pretty good.

Yeah, I guess the Giro competition was OK, but I think Menchov was really preparing for the Tour and the big names Italians were a bit past their best (e.g. Simoni).

Still, in 20 years or so time, I doubt many people will remember the times when Contador edged out Ricco and Leipheimer to win by smallish margins. But they'll certainly remember his Tour: beating Cancellara and Wiggins to the stage win in a flattish time trial, while also slaying the Schlecks and Nibali in the mountains. And, of course, putting Armstrong to the sword in both disciplines. I'm sure 2009 will be remembered as his peak performance and crowning achievement by everyone except the Wikipediarists.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I might have to say when, but I probably don't need to say who.

 

[Echoes]

Re:

I might have to say when, but I probably don't need to say who.

So, come on, which year do you consider Marianne's best? 2011 too?

]- 1. Brabantse Pijl
- 1. Amstel Gold Race
- 1. Fleche Wallone
- 1. Liege-Bastogne-Liege
- 1. Tour of Belgium
- 1. Ster ZLM Tour
- 1. National championship
- 1. First stage Tour + yellow
- 1. Clasica San Sebastian
- 2. Eneco Tour (did get a stage win)
- 1. National championship (time trial)
- 57. GP Plouay
- 1. GP Quebec
- 3. GP Montreal
- 1. GP Wallonie

I did not miss any race in those five months. Just unreal.

Gullegem Koerse is missing here. Heresy!!! :geek:

 

[Singer01]

Re:

You can also add Froome from 2013 (discounting Wiggo 2012 due to all the favourable circumstances, Froome didn't have that). .

They had almost very similar stage race results, yet Wiggins won the Olympic TT Gold, putting Froome above Wiggins is absurd.

 

[Squire]

Re:

I might have to say when, but I probably don't need to say who.

Surely 2012?

 

[Blanco]

Gilbert 2011
Pantani 1998
Boonen 2005
Sagan 2016
Contador 2008

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yes, 2012 was my choice.

Olympics + Worlds + Worlds CX + Giro (6 stage wins) + 3 World Cups + 3 other notable stage races (5 stage wins) + 2nd in nationals & Valkenburg Classic (gifting to teammates) + countless other podiums.

 

[Netserk]

A season where Amstel is the 2nd greatest win just doesn't cut it. He should have won one of the Italian monuments to have had the very best season of the last 20 years.

I think Sagan's season last year was better.

 

[perico]

Contador 2014 for GC placing. No Tour, but Vuelta field was stacked that year. Plus GC wins in TA, Pais Vasco. Podium at Dauphine, Catalonia, Algarve... stage wins across the season.