Who was the best Sprinter?

[Old School]

I am a fan of the 1980s, 1990s...and I want to see who people think was the best..

1. Jan Paul Van Poppel
2. Abdu, the ruthless Russian
3. Super Mario Chipollini
4. Sean Kelly
5. Olaf Ludwig

I liked Van Poppel...PDM used to set him up nicely. I remember a stage of the TDF and he bested Museauw, Ludwig, Abdu and Jalabert. No doubt he had the most speed that day.

Super Mario was a beast too. But things always had to be perfect for him

 

[erader]

cipo.

ed rader

 

[fpichel]

for toughness and well-rounded strength: Kelly
for fair-weather/flat domination: Cipo
for surviving a knife fight: Abdu

 

[Bala Verde]

And he is also a punk band.

 

[Moondance]

Cipo, by several bike lengths

Also Djamolidine wasn't Russian

 

[Guidokcd]

Cipo had an amazing train on his teams, especially Saeco, but he was just super fast. I forget what year he won 4 stages in the first 10 days of the Tour (99,00?). It's a shame he could never make it all the way to Paris. I believe he holds the Giro stage record for most stages. Milan-San Remo, Ghent-Welvegem once or twice, plus a perfectly raced World's.

 

[BeachBum]

Cipo-- for what he did on AND off the bike. He had style, panache, he was larger than life. Cavendish wins a stage and pretends to make a phone call, Cipo wears a toga and rides to the start in a chariot on Caesar's birthday (the day AFTER LA won the stage to Sestriere, so he could climb when he wanted to). Cipo laughed at the UCI fines for non conforming uniforms. Then there was the time he was fined for speeding on the autostrada...on his bike.

Even with all that, he won. Somebody else mntioned some highlights, I think he actually won Gent-Wevelgem 3 times, the last in 2002 from a break.

Kelly, would you call him a sprinter? Can a sprinter win a GT? He won so many other races where sprinting had nothing to do with it. Boonen is closest to the Kelly mold these days (and maybe Spartacus), but even so, Kelly won races Boonen either won't race or has no chance of winning. Kelly won 4 of 5 monuments, Tour de Suisse twice, Paris-Nice -7- consecutive times, multiple points jerseys in the Tour and Vuelta AND the won the Vuelta overall. Kelly is closer to Hinault and Mercxx than to any pure sprinter.

 

[51...topgun]

In a world of numbers and results- Cipo by a few bike legnths. Merckx once said something like 'Sprint? ride six hours then show me a sprint.' Mario still has the fastest sprint after six hours. and the panache... unrivaled.

 

[saganftw]

cipo,no doubts

if you mention sean kelly you have also laurent jalabert,ive always liked him,winner of green and polka dot jersey TDF and points jersey in giro,overall vuelta and some classics too plus finished Ironman

 

[Francois the Postman]

Cipo. What they said.

 

[Anonymous]

For me Cippo, then Adbu, but for consistency when he probably wasnt built as a sprinter King Kelly, you cant argue with four green jerseys..

 

[eddiepliers]

Super Mario for sure, but I always loved how Robbie McEwen would come out of nowhere in the pack to kill it in the sprints..

 

[Old School]

My bad to Abdu and all his fans, didn't mean to call him out of his nationality.

Man, I didn't think everyone would be such a Cipo fan...Cavendish is garbage as far as I'm concerned. I really doubt he could have hung with Abdu, Cipo and Van Poppel. I think most folks don't remember Jean Paul, dude was crazy fast!

I agree, Kelly is more along the lines of Boonen, but all those green jerseys definately warranted a mention. McEwen is fast, but he never really impressed me like Abdu, for being a short rider.

 

[Vanspringel]

Go back another generation and the sprinters were Leman, De Vlaeminck, Godefroot etc. These blokes could sprint as fast as any AND win classics AND ride and challenge in stage races AND ride all year AND ride through a brick wall if needed.

Cipo et al? They wouldnt have beaten the Flandrians because they wouldn't still be there at the finish.

 

[ferryman]

Go back another generation and the sprinters were Leman, De Vlaeminck, Godefroot etc. These blokes could sprint as fast as any AND win classics AND ride and challenge in stage races AND ride all year AND ride through a brick wall if needed.

Cipo et al? They wouldnt have beaten the Flandrians because they wouldn't still be there at the finish.

I like this post. Can feel your Flandrian passion and pride

 

[Oldman]

I am a fan of the 1980s, 1990s...and I want to see who people think was the best..

1. Jan Paul Van Poppel
2. Abdu, the ruthless Russian
3. Super Mario Chipollini
4. Sean Kelly
5. Olaf Ludwig

I liked Van Poppel...PDM used to set him up nicely. I remember a stage of the TDF and he bested Museauw, Ludwig, Abdu and Jalabert. No doubt he had the most speed that day.

Super Mario was a beast too. But things always had to be perfect for him

Abdu as the best, craziest free lancer. He could win in anyone's train.
Cipo for organizing the best leadout trains.

 

[nvpacchi]

Gotta be the Tashkent Terror.

Does anyone remember the CN article about the author trying to track down Abdu for an interview? Even though Abdu was never to be found it was an excellent article.

 

[Big Doopie]

over the 70s and early eighties...freddy maertens.

probably the greatest sprinter ever (as voted i think by velo magazine a few years ago).

the amazing thing about maertens is that he absolutely dominated tts as well.

he won 13 stages of a vuelta he won.

and actually climbed okay at the 1976 tour when he finished 8th.

 

[verbeek]

Rik Van Linden

 

[palmerq]

Well I dont know about many of these guys, but I suppose you have to mention Erik Zabel, 6 green jerseys 3 points jersey in the vuelta, he won milan san remo a few times too, he didnt win so many stages I suppose but he had a pretty great career.

or is this for guys in the 80s and 90s only, well then zabel was half in each so....

 

[xmoonx]

Cipo---------> All the way

 

[tjwracer]

Super Mario for sure, but I always loved how Robbie McEwen would come out of nowhere in the pack to kill it in the sprints..

I agree McEwen maybe is the best ever but he has the most explosive sprint

 

[Colm.Murphy]

Cipo
McEwan
Maertens
Freire
Zabel
Vanderarden

Wow, there have been so many talented sprinters!

 

[Old School]

I felt Zabel was probably the most consistent sprinter during his time on the road, but he never really had that GREAT speed of Cipo.

I still can't put McEwen on the list...fast, yes, but not in this league.

 

[sublimit]

Van Popple
Cippo
Vanderarden

One of my training partners raced against Olaf Ludwig during the peace race, he spent most of the time getting battered by loads of solid Soviet Bloc racers and then ending up with Ludwig winning. it was apparently very tough racing.