Who is the most versatile rider ?

[PaPong]

Simon Gerrans is the best sprinter among riders who riding on the small hills

What about other riders and one-week races, grand tours, classics, cobblestones, time trials, other types of cycling ?
I'm sure Peter Sagan could do that well in cyclocross

Video about cycling, vistories and falls On the road, track and cyclocross:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5uIkSaQEp4

 

[Parker]

I'm sure Peter Sagan could do that well in cyclocross

He was a silver medallist in the junior cross world's back in the day.

As to most versatile I'd say Wiggins has probably done well at the broadest range of events. Valverde's also up there.

(And someone will inevitably pop up and say Vos)

 

[Nick C.]

Like him or not, Valverde.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I'd say Wiggins.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Versatile riders: Valverde, Gilbert, Sagan, Cancellara, Wiggins (I'm surprised myself to say this)

Gerrans is a one trick pony.

 

[PaPong]

Oh yes Wiggins loves Paris-Roubaix I am looking forward to the nearest edition

 

[mortand]

Kwiatkowski.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

How could I forget. The most versatile of them all: GVA! This guy could place 2nd in any race in the world.

 

[samhocking]

I would say Valverde, but how much of his versatility and recovery is/was natural talent is obviously an issue. Either way, he spreads himself wide, but races at the very top level in a lot of races along the way just to get his handful of wins each season. I think he could be a rider who wins more if he focused more selectively on less races perhaps, especially as he gets to the end of his career.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

If Sir Wiggo grabs the cobble in April, the discussion will be over.

 

[ray j willings]

Nibs

Wiggins is a joke, master of nothing = he's sh%$ in the rain and a crap bike handler

 

[the sceptic]

the only thing Wiggins can do is ride tempo. Sure it made him win some things you wouldn't expect but it doesn't make him versatile

 

[Arredondo]

It depends how you rate versatility. Contador could potentially be a regular top-10 rider in classics like FW, LBL, Lombardia and Amstel, and win one of them (likely not Amstel) if he's on a really good day.

He's a good TT'er, GT wise and individually. He can win GT's, stage races. He can descend, has got explosivity, is decent in rainy conditions.

On the other hand, Valverde wins big classics, stage races and reaches the podium in GT's. At this moment, he isn't really capable of winning a Tour. But if he's on really good form, he could win the Vuelta. He can descend, has a decent TT, got a fantastic sprint and explosivity, but isn't that good in rainy cold conditions.

Nibbles on the other hand can win stage races, GT's. But winning a classic is more complicating for him then it is for Valverde and Contador (if you counting FW as a classic win). But he can it if he's on a good day, look at LBL. He can descend, is good in rainy conditions, can adapt very well on each circumstance (cobble stage) and he's a decent TT'er. On the other hand, he doesn't have really explosivity or a sprint.

Which one to pik, i don't know really. First i thought Valverde, but Nibbles is a candidate too.

 

[Dr. Juice]

1. Valverde by a mile - able to win a GT (Vuelta 2009) and basically every monument except P-R+ WC + 1 week races . Only weakness - his tactical sense.

2. Kwiatkowski (similar to Valverde but less strong in the real mountains)

3. Gerrans/Sagan

 

[Netserk]

Kwiatkowski by a mile. The things he is worst at is sprinting and high mountains and he's still quite decent in both.

Is the currently active rider with the biggest chance of getting anywhere near of winning all the five monuments.

Edit: Valverde lacks power on the flat. No chance in the first three monuments or a long flat ITT.

 

[Arredondo]

1. Valverde by a mile - able to win a GT (Vuelta 2009) and basically every monument + WC + 1 week races . Only weakness - his tactical sense.

2. Kwiatkowski (similar to Valverde but less strong in the real mountains)

3. Gerrans/Sagan

Well, i don't think he can win Flanders and Roubaix. So that's 2/5 he can't win

 

[cineteq]

Nibali is right now the most versitile GT rider. Sagan is the best for classics, monuments and stages. Overall I'd say Wiggins (based on accomplishments) and Valverde are the best.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

the only thing Wiggins can do is ride tempo. Sure it made him win some things you wouldn't expect but it doesn't make him versatile

Wiggins can do well on the track, in mountains (and hence GT's), in time trials, on cobbles and heck he can even sprint`a little. How is that not versatile?

 

[PaPong]

Kwiatkowski rises

sprint: Tour of Britain 2014 stage 4

time trial: victory on the stage Volta ao Algarve (beats Tony Martin!) and prologue Tour de Romandie

mountains: some 2nd places on the Basque Country (behind Contador and Valverde)

Be patient -boss Omega Team Patrick Lefevere said to Kwiatkowski

actually Contador could fight for top 3 on the classics if he wanted

 

[pablohidalgo7]

It's not easy to choose between valverde and kwiatec, both for me are the most versatile riders, valverde is better in mountains and kwiatec in time trials and in the cobbles, wiggins is also versatile but less spectacular, he is good in riding with a great tempo, in the mountains, in the flat, in the time trials and in the cobbles of roubaix. Sagan, mathews, degenkolb and even kristoff are versatile, especially sagan but more like a freire 2.0, not like the polish or valverde, that can win in almost any important race, except roubaix/flandes and the tour.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

For once, Parker and I are in total agreement. Somebody is going to pop up and say Vos. Me.

After all, we're talking a World Champion on the track, on the road and in the field, dominant in hilly stages and sprints where it's a bit more than pan-flat; an able enough climber to win the Giro (though this year it took some blocking and time bonuses, as Ferrand-Prévot had the fastest finishing time and rode in defence of Vos on the final mountain stage).

Come to think of it, Ferrand-Prévot is another shout, since she's not got the track background that Vos has, but she has won MTB World Cup rounds and the Junior World Championships in the discipline, and she is an excellent time triallist, which Vos is not; she hasn't traditionally been much good in a sprint, but she won the Worlds with one against some names you'd expect to be quicker than her, and she's one of the better climbers in the women's péloton, especially now Pooley's retired.

Of the men, Kwiatkowski is perhaps the best; Sagan's better at sprinting, but Kwiat is good against the clock and on far tougher climbs than the Slovak. Valverde might contend, but would be more fitting for the category if he'd tried the spring Classics earlier in his career; Kwiatkowski's had some pretty strong showings in Flanders. Early in his career, Edvald Boasson Hagen was a shout, however his stagnation at Sky harms him on that front. In terms of "who is most consistent over every discipline of road cycling", EBH still has to be considered, however he's nothing like to the fore enough these days compared to the likes of Kwiatkowski. I always thought he was skill-set-wise closest to Bettini, but seem to have overstepped the mark on that one.

But really: Vos. By far.

 

[Bexon30]

It's not easy to choose between valverde and kwiatec, both for me are the most versatile riders, valverde is better in mountains and kwiatec in time trials and in the cobbles, wiggins is also versatile but less spectacular, he is good in riding with a great tempo, in the mountains, in the flat, in the time trials and in the cobbles of roubaix. Sagan, mathews, degenkolb and even kristoff are versatile, especially sagan but more like a freire 2.0, not like the polish or valverde, that can win in almost any important race, except roubaix/flandes and the tour.

It's possible Kwiatowski will improve a lot more in the high mountains but currently Piti has an edge. Right now though it's pretty tight between those two.

 

[Nick C.]

With these Wiggins mentions why not Cancellara: TTs, cobbled classics, Milan San Remo and Tour of Switzerland.
Cadel can't bunch sprint but: Worlds, Tour, Fleche, Strade Bianche stage in 2010 Giro, was in the final group in the 2010 Tour cobbled stage; (I see a pattern), better than competent TT. Though I guess he would get the retiree award.

 

[King Boonen]

It's Wiggins and I really don't know how I feel about that.

 

[Echoes]

Cancellara, obviously.

Of course, you can't be versatile, if you are not among the best time-trialists.