Who's the unluckiest rider in pro cycling?

[BigMac]

[bias]

At the moment, one of them has got to be Rui Costa.

Apart from his 9 (!) podiums this season already (without proper support from his teammates), in Fléche Cunego fell (with Purito) and eventually broke Costa's wheel inside the last 3k. He crashed out of Liège when he was positioned among the 10 first. I'm confident he will snatch his win in Suisse though.

[/bias]

 

[Jspear]

Eh Joaquin Rodriguez (aside from our fallen brothers of course)

Most of the other riders named in this list still have years left to try their luck. Dan Martin, really? So what he got a chain slip in Lbl he was unlikely to win at that stage, of which he was the defending champion. He's probably not even hit his peak yet and can keep trying any race je wants for the best part of a decade. Murito is slowly reaching the door of last chance saloon and every race he targets for a few years now things just conspire against him -
18 seconds in giro, largely his own doing but he could have easily eliminated Ryder if Ryder hadn't just emerged from nowhere in that gt
Contador getting banned in 2012 taking him out of the tdf and placing him into the vuelta murito would have won by a country mile.
Injured at amstel last year taking him out of that and his fw defence and weakening him for Lbl.
Crashed in tour though wouldn't have won anyway.
The Valverde betrayal.
crash at amstel ruins his last chance at both giro and a gt.

This exactly.

 

[Jspear]

[bias]

At the moment, one of them has got to be Rui Costa.

Apart from his 9 (!) podiums this season already (without proper support from his teammates), in Fléche Cunego fell (with Purito) and eventually broke Costa's wheel inside the last 3k. He crashed out of Liège when he was positioned among the 10 first. I'm confident he will snatch his win in Suisse though.

[/bias]

That's not unlucky...that's just called wearing the rainbow jersey. Sadly I really do think that jersey is cursed.

 

[gmedina]

how about Mauricio Soler? The crash in Switzerland that ended his career (after what had been a really promising early season).

 

[Ruby United]

how about Mauricio Soler? The crash in Switzerland that ended his career (after what had been a really promising early season).

That was unlucky but he's not a current rider. Also look at consistently missing out or crashing not a single moment. For a single moment (aside from jrod in worlds) I have to go with Tony Martin in vuelta last year (though that was more unfair than unlucky.)

 

[SeriousSam]

Chris Froome - just imagine his palmares had he been able to fully realize his immense potential at a younger age.

 

[Jspear]

Chris Froome - just imagine his palmares had he been able to fully realize his immense potential at a younger age.

Best joke I've heard all week!

 

[cineteq]

Close battle between J. Rodriguez and R. Gesink!

Chris Froome - just imagine his palmares had he been able to fully realize his immense potential at a younger age.

At one point he was radioactive and hazardous, does that qualify him as unlucky?

 

[RedheadDane]

how about Mauricio Soler? The crash in Switzerland that ended his career (after what had been a really promising early season).

That was unlucky but he's not a current rider. Also look at consistently missing out or crashing not a single moment. For a single moment (aside from jrod in worlds) I have to go with Tony Martin in vuelta last year (though that was more unfair than unlucky.)

In a way I guess you could even say Soler was lucky.
Doubt I was the only one who feared the worst.

 

[Butterhead]

Chris Froome - just imagine his palmares had he been able to fully realize his immense potential at a younger age.

looooooooooooooooool so funny.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Kai Reus.

End of thread.

 

[icefire]

It's not so much a single 2nd placing. It's consistently placing 2nd in races, be it the worlds, LBL, or a GT. It's about seemingly always just missing out on a win that could have been his.

This definition might also apply to Valverde, but Valverde is dumb whereas Purito is unlucky

 

[ILovecycling]

Chris Froome - just imagine his palmares had he been able to fully realize his immense potential at a younger age.

 

[BigMac]

This definition might also apply to Valverde, but Valverde is dumb whereas Purito is unlucky

...this


...Purito is not a winner.

 

[jsem94]

Kai Reus.

End of thread.

This. The amount of misfortunes one can go through and still carry on riding...

 

[Christian]

Johnny Bellis, John-Lee Augustyn

 

[doperhopper]

Chris Froome - just imagine his palmares had he been able to fully realize his immense potential at a younger age.

the magic powers of badzilla - on the other hand he'll probably not end up like the winner of this "bad luck" competition who has still more balls than GT wins

 

[Afrank]

This definition might also apply to Valverde, but Valverde is dumb whereas Purito is unlucky

I think the difference between the two here lies in how each responds to a 2nd or 3rd. For Valverde a 2nd or 3rd is absolutely fine for him, he's just happy to get on the podium. I don't think it's the same for Rodriguez.

Look at worlds, Rodriguez was in tears because of what could have been. Valverde was just happy to be on the podium.

 

[Flamin]

I think the difference between the two here lies in how each responds to a 2nd or 3rd. For Valverde a 2nd or 3rd is absolutely fine for him, he's just happy to get on the podium. I don't think it's the same for Rodriguez.

Look at worlds, Rodriguez was in tears because of what could have been. Valverde was just happy to be on the podium.

Exactly. Valverde's reaction after the Worlds spoke volumes. When a Sporza journalist asked him about the disappointment in the Spanish camp, Valverde looked at him like "wtf? disappointment?" and then said they did very well getting 2 guys on the podium.

 

[Granville57]

Wiggins.

The focus of a nation all on him.
And then along comes Chris...and Michelle.

What are the chances?

 

[BigMac]

I think the difference between the two here lies in how each responds to a 2nd or 3rd. For Valverde a 2nd or 3rd is absolutely fine for him, he's just happy to get on the podium. I don't think it's the same for Rodriguez.

Look at worlds, Rodriguez was in tears because of what could have been. Valverde was just happy to be on the podium.

I don't think you can say Valverde was happy to just be on the podium. Purito was crying because he was the one who sprinted for the win with Costa. In the end, he was the one who was beat and not Valverde. Invert positions and I don't think you'd see Purito crying. Place Nibali on Valverde's third place and his reaction on the podium would be very similar or the exact same.




It is very sad to see people call such horrible things to Valverde like dumb or stupid, when he is nowhere near that. He is a very sensible person, not some brute. I honestely don't understand how it is considered rude/prohibited to laugh at a crash but no warnings are handed when posters insult and trash riders like they have all the right to do so.

 

[trevim]

I don't think you can say Valverde was happy to just be on the podium. Purito was crying because he was the one who sprinted for the win with Costa. In the end, he was the one who was beat and not Valverde. Invert positions and I don't think you'd see Purito crying. Place Nibali on Valverde's third place and his reaction on the podium would be very similar or the exact same.




It is very sad to see people call such horrible things to Valverde like dumb or stupid, when he is nowhere near that. He is a very sensible person, not some brute. I honestely don't understand how it is considered rude/prohibited to laugh at a crash but no warnings are handed when posters insult and trash riders like they have all the right to do so.

Tactically stupid would be OK?
To me personally, Valverde is just frustrating: a guy with his huge amount of talent should have won so much more. The Tour, Giro, Worlds and Lombardia are/were well within his skills!

 

[Afrank]

I don't think you can say Valverde was happy to just be on the podium. Purito was crying because he was the one who sprinted for the win with Costa. In the end, he was the one who was beat and not Valverde. Invert positions and I don't think you'd see Purito crying. Place Nibali on Valverde's third place and his reaction on the podium would be very similar or the exact same.




It is very sad to see people call such horrible things to Valverde like dumb or stupid, when he is nowhere near that. He is a very sensible person, not some brute. I honestely don't understand how it is considered rude/prohibited to laugh at a crash but no warnings are handed when posters insult and trash riders like they have all the right to do so.

Historically Valverde seems to take the approach of so long as he get's on the podium. Plus, Valverde has achieved wins in monuments, classics, and a GT. He's got 2 wins in LBL, 2 in FW, a Vuelta.

Purito has a few races that his palmares are missing that win in. The big one being a GT, also LBL (twice 2nd and a 8th), and he only has a single win a one day non-monument (FW 2012).

Also I didn't call Valverde Dumb or stupid for worlds. There is no denying though that he behaved dumb tactically. And when a rider does do something dumb in a race I don't see anything wrong about calling them out on it. I don't really think it is "trashing" them. Laughing at a crash however, that's just tasteless. What if the crash ends up ending the riders career? or worse... IMO speaking in a general sense, a crash shouldn't be a reason for joy.

 

[BigMac]

Historically Valverde seems to take the approach of so long as he get's on the podium. Plus, Valverde has achieved wins in monuments, classics, and a GT. He's got 2 wins in LBL, 2 in FW, a Vuelta.

Purito has a few races that his palmares are missing that win in. The big one being a GT, also LBL (twice 2nd and a 8th), and he only has a single win a one day non-monument (FW 2012).

Also I didn't call Valverde Dumb or stupid for worlds. There is no denying though that he behaved dumb tactically. And when a rider does do something dumb in a race I don't see anything wrong about calling them out on it. I don't really think it is "trashing" them. Laughing at a crash however, that's just tasteless. What if the crash ends up ending the riders career? or worse... IMO speaking in a general sense, a crash shouldn't be a reason for joy.

The second paragraph wasn't directed at you, but to those in here who say he IS dumb/stupid.

 

[Butterhead]

Johnny Bellis, John-Lee Augustyn

Naaaa, John-Lee just thought he could fly, but he couldn´t