Who is the best descender (modern time) ?

[TrekCyclist]

It seems difficult to compare descending with very different bike technology (frames, brakes, wheels, tyres, ...).
I would make the cut somewhere in the mid 90ies, but it can be discussed.

 

[Berniece]

Savoldelli was amazing on the bike in a descent. Nibali is not in your list but was also great, as were Sagan and Cancellara

 

[Red Rick]

I'm not very big on making it such a long time frame. I think the methodology is more interesting than the names, etc.

 

[KZD]

Had to go with Il Falco, he won two times the Giro because of it. Mohorič would be my second option.

If there is a rider that be could added to this list is Bilbao, he is a better descender than Froome and Vingegaard for me.

 

[Blanco]

Mohoric
Savoldelli
Nibali

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ilnur Zakarin

 

[Ilmaestro99]

View: https://youtu.be/8lwaMCIg_XM?si=3cVmly0w9uPVUvjD

 

[CyclistAbi]

I will vote for Moho as he is just such a monster in this discipline.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

View: https://youtu.be/EUACRu6HfVU?si=FOYaTW2futgVsXJe

 

[AnotherArmChair]

Much an all as I love Nibali who was a demon descender Tom Pidcock is brilliant at descending

Bilbao and I Izagirre are both great descenders ...but probably so of the best descenders are the sprinters we never ..they usually have to make up time on mountain stages at GTs

 

[red_flanders]

@TrekCyclist when creating a poll, the joke entries like "Vino", "Pizza"...or in this case "Chris Froome"...those are generally put in the last position.

You're welcome!

 

[proffate]

Shorter wheelbase bikes have an inherent advantage, so the best has to be a shorter rider

 

[skippo12]

Samuel Sanchez was the best among the GC guys before Nibali took over but as many pros have stated before. The best rarely get screen time. Just looking at max speed it is usually a guy from the groupetto.

 

[Volderke]

What’s “best”? Fastest but crashing from time to time? If so, Nibali scores high.

Visible descenders (that get a lot of tv time vs the sprinters) I consider very good are pidcock and Sagan.

 

[Red Rick]

Tbh I find the "sprinters go fastest downhill" to be an absolutely boring way to have this discussion cause it doesn't impact races at all, they're never descending to drop each other, and they probably do an ungodly amount of car drafting and other ***. Seen too many Strava files where a grupetto riders suddenly goes 70kph on a false flat uphill making you think "what is there a descent in this climb" but naaaah

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Only one of these people's descending was so good that it won him two GTs in which he definitely wasn't the strongest climber in the race. Only one of these people routinely put minutes into all the other GC riders when everyone was going all out. And somehow, he isn't even winning the poll.

Also think the 'we never see the best descenders because they're in the grupetto' talk is severely overstated. Even in races where the heavier guys can do something on camera on the descents (from the break in a transitional stage, Sanremo when it was a sprinter's race, and so on), it's usually the familiar names nuking the descents.

 

[Red Rick]

Only one of these people's descending was so good that it won him two GTs in which he definitely wasn't the strongest climber in the race. Only one of these people routinely put minutes into all the other GC riders when everyone was going all out. And somehow, he isn't even winning the poll.

Also think the 'we never see the best descenders because they're in the grupetto' talk is severely overstated. Even in races where the heavier guys can do something on camera on the descents (from the break in a transitional stage, Sanremo when it was a sprinter's race, and so on), it's usually the familiar names nuking the descents.

Tbh both Igor Anton and Steven Kruijswijk crashed on descents...

Tbh I've never watched Savoldellis descents

 

[Bolder]

Pidcock and Salvodelli. Recency bias says Pidcock, though.

 

[Peyroteo94]

GC riders are very overrated when we are talking about descending. Best descenders are normally in the gruppetto where they have to recover huge chuncks of time in descents to compensate all losses when they are climbing. But unfortunately we never see this because we don't see the gruppetto in mountain stages

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Nico Denz (no, seriously, I heard he’s pretty good) but that‘s another boring, unverifiable answer

 

[staubsauger]

Savodelli was 2 minutes behind Pantani on top of Fauniera! Closed down that gap entirely in the descent.

The TV motorbike chose to not follow the hawk, because matching his speed was too dangerous!

 

[Roku]

Savoldelli and Mohoric are probably the two best downhill specialist I've watched (since late 90s).

Sagan on his prime was excellent as well. He was such a great bikehandler. I recall the stage to Gap, with the classic downhill to the finish, it was 2015 or 2016 - He dropped Jarlinson Pantano, who was a good descender on his own, like a stone. That prime Sagan was something else.

 

[memyselfandI]

Pidcock of course today is well above others but Pello Bilbao and Alaphilippe in their hottest moments also very very good. Cadel Evans and Phil G also smokin fast glory days gone by.

 

[Cookster15]

Pidcock. Simply incredible.

In the recent past I didn’t realise how good Cadel Evans was until he gapped Sammy Sanchez and Contador on the descent into Gap on stage 16 of 2011 TdF. Action starts at about 47:20.

2011 TdF stage 16

Special mentions to Vincenzo Nibali, Sagan and Paolo Salvodelli (Il Falco).

 

[Cookster15]

Savoldelli and Mohoric are probably the two best downhill specialist I've watched (since late 90s).

Sagan on his prime was excellent as well. He was such a great bikehandler. I recall the stage to Gap, with the classic downhill to the finish, it was 2015 or 2016 - He dropped Jarlinson Pantano, who was a good descender on his own, like a stone. That prime Sagan was something else.

Sagan won the worlds at Richmond with an amazing descent.