Who is/are your favorite rider(s)

[Libertine Seguros]

Oh yea, Kwiatkowski! I like him a lot. He'll be big. And not in the Salvatore Commesso way.

 

[uphillstruggle]

Szmyd
Navarro
Chavanel
Voeckler

I have so much respect for anyone who pounds themselves into the ground and then has to ride the rest of the stage with nothing left in the tank just to finish. Likewise any breakaway specialist is cool with me.

 

[Flamin]

Apart from most of the Belgians, I used to be a big Vino fan. Bit less nowadays but he's still one of my guys.

Also special mention for some guys from de Kempen who I've known since they were 15, 16 and often watched them racing in my region: VDB2, Tommeke, Nuyens and De Weert among others.

Really amazing to see them concur the world many years later. Cuz what a generation that is, all coming from a same small part in le petit Belge. Unique

 

[El Pistolero]

Apart from most of the Belgians, I used to be a big Vino fan. Bit less nowadays but he's still one of my guys.

Also special mention for some guys from de Kempen who I've known since they were 15, 16 and often watched them racing in my region: VDB2, Tommeke, Nuyens and De Weert among others.

Really amazing to see them concur the world many years later. Cuz what a generation that is, all coming from a same small part in le petit Belge. Unique

If they just didn't sound so dumb with their dialect

 

[boomcie]

Oh yea, Kwiatkowski! I like him a lot. He'll be big. And not in the Salvatore Commesso way.

I'll second Kwiatowski. I like him too.

 

[hrotha]

Someone call me when this thread has gone on long enough to bring up my dislike of nationalism and show my contempt for your nationality-based picks, which are obviously inferior to my own criteria.

 

[Flamin]

If they just didn't sound so dumb with their dialect

Ah, it can still get 100000 times worse. Somewhere on the coast

 

[Astana1]

Dave Zabriskie, Ryder Hesjedal, Thor Hushovd, VDV, Boonen, Cancellara, Gilbert,

Big George

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Never understood the man love for Amets. Goes on an utterly pointless break and the others let him go because they know that either (a) he'll hit the tarmac soon enough or (b) it's an utterly pointless break and he'll come back in due course. If you going to go on break at least give me some sort of suspense by making the odd one stick from time to time.

It's precisely because it never works that makes us love him. Voeckler, de Gendt, Hoogerland, all great, but they make things stick, they get the wins, and that's reward enough for them.

Amets is different. Amets is "the little engine that could...n't quite". But he doesn't let it get him down, he doesn't even reconsider his aims, he doesn't reinvent himself as a domestique and keep his head down. He gets up on the next day, and thinks "you know what, maybe today's the day!" and attacks again. And because Amets is in the break, I don't know about others, but I get willing to suspend my disbelief and start willing the break to succeed even when I know it's doomed. Because I want to see him get that first proper win, however unlikely. In fact, the unlikelier the better, because it just seems more Amets that way. His first name translates as "dream" and it's quite apt - he's one of those guys that dares to dream and animates the race for us.

Besides, how many other riders have had songs about them published? Koos Moerenhout for sure, Boonen I presume?

All of those guys had career victories. Yet Txurruka has so totally been taken to heart by people without a single one.

 

[El Pistolero]

wait, what?

Come'on now, no mention of Gilbert?

And I'm just trolling the riders I named in my previous post. Can't stand them(Well, I can stand Roche, but just needed to come up with another name)

My real favorite cyclists:

Vinokourov, Cancellara, Gilbert, Tom Boonen, Scarponi, Contador, Jurgen van den Broeck, Leukemans, Samu Sanchez, Igor Anton, Frank Schleck, De Gendt, Voeckler and Freire.

That's probably most of them covered.

 

[nvpacchi]

Anton
S. Sanchez
Nieve

Bole
Freire
Moncoutie
Wegmann
Garzelli

 

[the_kman]

vino, haussler, thor, cadel, kloden

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Naming a polish rider is hardly random.

No Marek Rutkiewicz? He's been the best placed Pole at the Tour de Pologne 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009, and has been in the top 10 every year since 2002 except 2007, when he was injured...

 

[boomcie]

Someone call me when this thread has gone on long enough to bring up my dislike of nationalism and show my contempt for your nationality-based picks, which are obviously inferior to my own criteria.

Go ahead. I really can't feel guilty for feeling sympathy for most of my fellow countrymen in sports. It's a feeling that cannot be artificially altered.

I feel some affinity for my country and that's not something I've cultivated myself.

I fail to see how rational criteria top emotional criteria in this case.

 

[theyoungest]

It's precisely because it never works that makes us love him. Voeckler, de Gendt, Hoogerland, all great, but they make things stick, they get the wins, and that's reward enough for them.

Hoogerland wins races?

 

[boomcie]

No Marek Rutkiewicz? He's been the best placed Pole at the Tour de Pologne 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009, and has been in the top 10 every year since 2002 except 2007, when he was injured...

I honestly didn't know the guy.

 

[El Pistolero]

Someone call me when this thread has gone on long enough to bring up my dislike of nationalism and show my contempt for your nationality-based picks, which are obviously inferior to my own criteria.

It's not my fault we're cooler than other countries.

 

[hrotha]

Go ahead. I really can't feel guilty for feeling sympathy for most of my fellow countrymen in sports. It's a feeling that cannot be artificially altered.

I feel some affinity for my country and that's not something I've cultivated myself.

I fail to see how rational criteria top emotional criteria in this case.

Emergency tongue in cheek maneuver.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

Like so many of the Brits that have already answered, I follow the Brits. For those non-Brits who find this all a bit insular, please remember that in the past, following the Brits meant following about two riders, neither of whom were likely to get any airtime on TV.

I also wish Team Sky well, because I think their presence is hugely important for the future of British cycling.

I've got no time for Spanish or South American riders; my favourites generally being Brits who ride for Sky, such as Wiggins, Thomas and above all Fletcher.

 

[boomcie]

Emergency tongue in cheek maneuver.

You're a good fella hrotha.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

It's not my fault we're cooler than other countries.

But if you look carefully, you'll notice you're not going anywhere. We're standing on your tail.

 

[Izzy eviel]

Cunego
Millar
Frank Schleck
Evans
McEwen
Voeckler
Hunter
Boonen

 

[Red Lobster]

Horner
Chavanel
Boonen
Flecha

EDIT: Feeling like I need a true GT GC guy on the list, I'll add Contador.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Ah, it can still get 100000 times worse. Somewhere on the coast

Hell no, West-Vlaams is how we role!

Leo Belgicus

It's not my fault we're cooler than other countries.

Awesome pic Boterkoek

Come'on now, no mention of Gilbert?
.

I didn't mention phille Yeah he's cool as well

@Hrotha Sport is the only thing where nationalism still is very common and even cultivated.. It creates a feeling of unity, nothing wrong with that.. (as long as there's no hooliganism, racism and stuff involved that is.. )

 

[mewmewmew13]

It's precisely because it never works that makes us love him. Voeckler, de Gendt, Hoogerland, all great, but they make things stick, they get the wins, and that's reward enough for them.

Amets is different. Amets is "the little engine that could...n't quite". But he doesn't let it get him down, he doesn't even reconsider his aims, he doesn't reinvent himself as a domestique and keep his head down. He gets up on the next day, and thinks "you know what, maybe today's the day!" and attacks again. And because Amets is in the break, I don't know about others, but I get willing to suspend my disbelief and start willing the break to succeed even when I know it's doomed. Because I want to see him get that first proper win, however unlikely. In fact, the unlikelier the better, because it just seems more Amets that way. His first name translates as "dream" and it's quite apt - he's one of those guys that dares to dream and animates the race for us.

Besides, how many other riders have had songs about them published? Koos Moerenhout for sure, Boonen I presume?

All of those guys had career victories. Yet Txurruka has so totally been taken to heart by people without a single one.

I really like this reply! One of those colorful and interesting riders I think....--was it last year or the year before--I can't remember, but Blazin' Saddles coined a new verb..."Txurruka'ed" for something he did that I can't even remember...ha. Loved that.