Who has the Best/Worst riding style in the Peloton?

[uphillstruggle]

This is an offshoot of a thread on classy riders in which riding styles came up. This thread is devoted to criticising and applauding the pros for how they ride their bikes. So who are the graceful swans of the sport? and who look like they just learnt to ride?

 

[Bike Boy]

Graceful swan = Fränk Schleck
Ugly as hell = Soler

 

[Tom T.]

Worst ever = Fernando Escartin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmZQk3EvLvM

 

[roundabout]

Ignatiev/Klöden

C.A. Sörensen/Evans

 

[Bike Boy]

Worst ever = Fernando Escartin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmZQk3EvLvM

Just watching it is torture! Having said that he was one of my favourite riders

 

[roundabout]

Worst ever = Fernando Escartin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmZQk3EvLvM

That was a wonderful gutsy ride to attack with 60k to go and win.

 

[Cobblestoned]

I miss Valverde.
And Ullrich on his TT-machine.
Glad that Petacchi is still sprinting.

They all look ugly compared to these names.
Cuddles is a perfect example how ugliness looks like. Nearly as ugly as Greg.

 

[ingsve]

I'm in no position to judge someones riding style because I wouldn't know what to look for but I usually hear good things about Thomas Löfkvists position on the bike.

 

[sublimit]

Levi always looked like he was a midget bolted to the top tube, not good.
Scarponi looks like a track rider entering a mountain bike race circa 1973 on his TT machine.

Dave Millar and Dave Zabriskie look like they have their position sorted, Ignatiev also.

 

[euanli]

I agree on Ignatiev. Though on his road bike only. He looks too low on a TT bike.

 

[jens_attacks]

best:

worst:

these come in my mind right now.

 

[hrotha]

Honchar was painful to watch. He was the best time trialist with the worst position.

 

[uphillstruggle]

@ jens attacks: I always thought Ullrich look pretty good on the climbs. He would get dropped but he looked pretty smooth while doing so

 

[uphillstruggle]

Wiggins is both for me: looks great on a TT bike but looks like a fish out of water climbing - just painfully so when it gets steep.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Chris Anker Sorensen is horrible to watch
Millar is awesome on a TTbike
Savoldelli had awesome handling skills too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-VrcNqQ9ak&feature=related

 

[hfer07]

best:

Pantani
VDB
Ullrich
Contador
Silwerter Szmyd
Pellizotti
Ricco
Cancellara

worst:

Cuddles
Virenque
Escartin
Soler
Bernard Kohl
Bob Julich

 

[El Oso]

Mancebo looked aweful. Head was always tilted like he was in a cross wind and always looks like he was laboring on the bike.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't mind Sella's climbing, it's kind of funny. I actually rather like Bernhard Kohl's "nodding dog" style of climbing. Cadel Evans' style when he gets out of the saddle is horrible though, mainly because he chucks the bike from side to side so far it looks like he's trying to throw it at the rider next to him.

Contador's TT annoys me cos of the constant shuffling himself backwards.

Soler's style is horrendous, and it's fitting that he borrowed Escartín's nickname of "The Crab" for his awkward, sideways style. Incredibly effective, just not very stylish-looking.

Nuno Ribeiro has one of the best climbing styles in recent memory, very efficient and smooth looking. When you watch him and Cabreira climbing together in '09, it really looks like Cabreira is putting in twice the amount of effort that Ribeiro is putting in, must be so much wasted energy in comparison.

Fränk Schleck looks graceful going uphill but awkward going downhill. Ivan Basso looks dreadful going downhill. Nibali, Savoldelli, both Sánchezes and Valverde all look fantastic going downhill, plus there's that footage of Cancellara chasing back on on the descent in the '09 Tour and Arroyo's famous chase in the maglia rosa.

 

[uphillstruggle]

Cadel Evans' style when he gets out of the saddle is horrible though, mainly because he chucks the bike from side to side so far it looks like he's trying to throw it at the rider next to him.

I t's almost as if he hasn't figured out that you don't need to stay over the front of a road bike to keep the front wheel down. It could well be a habit from his off road days though.

 

[Jamsque]

I always loved the way Leonardo Piepoli rode a bike, very fluid legs.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

best:

Pantani
VDB
Ullrich
Contador
Silwerter Szmyd
Pellizotti
Ricco
Cancellara

worst:

Cuddles
Virenque
Escartin
Soler
Bernard Kohl
Bob Julich

Escartin absolutely, probably the worst of the worst even though I liked him. Just tough to watch. Another one who was painful for me to watch in the years after his KOM win in the 2000 Tour:
Santiago Botero
...sometimes Cuddles kind of reminds me of Botero

 

[cyclingrookie]

I'm surprised thah nobody have menchened Gilbert and Boonen yet.
Boonen is in my mind the best looking non specialist on a tt bike.

 

[Bike Boy]

Did any one come up with a clear cut definition. Me thinks guts makes a stylish rider, just as much as handling the bike with grace. So I vote Michael Rasmussen. Riders like him will always be important to cycling history because of their courageous attacks in the mountains, a very rare species, He was stolen his moment to shine, but he was more that climbing ability, he had the soul of an gaul, bahamontes or maybe even Bartali.
Unfortunately modern times are tough on that kind of riders.

 

[euanli]

Oh aye, I forgot about Wiggins' TTing. He just looks fast as hell.

 

[Guidokcd]

Best: Boonen, Tafi, Bartoli. Olano's TT position was ridiculous.