Why are there no great all rounders anymore?

[uphillstruggle]

Just want a few opinions on this. Since Jalabert and Kelly I can think of no truly great all rounders, by which I mean good enough to win grand tours and can TT and sprint with the best of them, win any of the classics etc.

Is this because cycling has become more specialised in it's discipline's or just a lack of that kind of talent?

 

[Anonymous]

I think it just has become more disciplined, and teams now are structured in a way that they will support the sprinter, the climber, the gc contender, whereas years ago it was mostly about supporting the team leader...

I think also, simply the schedule is tougher, not that there are more races, but that there are more races that receive media attention, so the teams want to do well in all of them, and as such have specialists in certain areas.. Could Merckx be beaten in the TDF nowadays.. Probably if there was a rider who focused purely on the TDF GC with his entire team behind him.. Could Cippo be beaten, probably if there was a team willing to focus its efforts purely on beating Cippo.. The focus now seems to be it is better to have a few riders who excell in something, than a few riders that are good at everything..

Take for example Lance or Contador (as they seem the easiest), both can climb, both can time trial with the best in the world.. Can LA sprint? Hes probably got a half decent turn of speed on him. Enough to get top 10 placings regularly, probably. Enough that in something like the giro where there are points for sprint and climbing combined.. Probably.. Would working more on his sprinting, contesting the sprints for the points have made an difference.. Probably, I doubt the extra efforts involved would have led to him winning 7 tours.. So he concentrated on what he wanted to do which was winning tours.. Sean probably wasnt goog enough to win the tour, but probably also not good enough to be the worlds best sprinter, just a tiny bit short of being the best at something.. So the best at being nearly good enough.. (thats not being harsh.. i loved the guy)

edit: of the current crop EbH has the potential

 

[Outsprinted]

The best allrounder I can come up with is Alejandro Valverde. He has a really strong sprint, he can keep up with the best uphill, he can time trial fairly well. Edvald Boasson Hagen has the ability to be an allrounder but I knowhe's never going to be Contador class in the mountains.

 

[auscyclefan94]

what about valverde? anyway it is alot harder in cycling to be an allrounder in this modern era.

 

[uphillstruggle]

what about valverde? anyway it is alot harder in cycling to be an allrounder in this modern era.

I agree that valverde and EBH are good all rounders and Cunego can sprint too, but none of these guy will win the green jersey, they can sprint compared to riders like themselves.

But I really just wanted to know wether it was a dying bread or not, which as I suspected it is.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Menchov baby he has it all; climbing, TTing and of course almost beating pettachi at the giro in the intermediate sprint... destined for green glory maybe

 

[il_fiammingo]

I agree that valverde and EBH are good all rounders and Cunego can sprint too, but none of these guy will win the green jersey, they can sprint compared to riders like themselves.

But I really just wanted to know wether it was a dying bread or not, which as I suspected it is.

Kim Kirchen is a nice allrounder, but not in the league of Jalabert & Kelly

 

[VeloFidelis]

Kim Kirchen is a nice allrounder, but not in the league of Jalabert & Kelly

What's not "allrounder" about these guys: Voigt, Frank Schleck, O'Grady, Kirchen, Lovkvist, Rodgers, Kreusinger, Pellozotti, Pozzatto, Basso, DiLuca, Cunego, Devolder, Boonen, Gilbert, Chavanel, Dekker... and I can name twenty more. All have contested for podiums in stage races, individual stage victories, TT's and Classics.

The differences between them and a Kelly or Jalabert is simply longevity, and a much broader competitive field.

 

[Angliru]

What's not "allrounder" about these guys: Voigt, Frank Schleck, O'Grady, Kirchen, Lovkvist, Rodgers, Kreusinger, Pellozotti, Pozzatto, Basso, DiLuca, Cunego, Devolder, Boonen, Gilbert, Chavanel, Dekker... and I can name twenty more. All have contested for podiums in stage races, individual stage victories, TT's and Classics.

The differences between them and a Kelly or Jalabert is simply longevity, and a much broader competitive field.

I think when the OP said "all arounder" that he meant someone whose schedule and ability to compete in included grand tours, the hilly Ardennes classics and the hard men events like Paris Roubaix and Tour of Flanders. There is only one rider that over the years comes close and that Stijn Devolder. He tried to contend in the Tour last year but fell ill. He won Flanders and can contend in Roubaix. The grand tour gc and the hard men classics are the opposite ends of the spectrum to me.

I think Valverde is one of the few riders that usually raced to win whatever events he entered from beginning of the season to the end and could be seen outsprinting top sprinters, of course on uphill finishes though.

Phillipe Gilbert was a factor in both the hilly classics and the cobbled events.

I think the primary reason that you don't see grand tour gc contenders in the cobbled events is because they fear the risk of injury and ruining their season for their primary goals/events.

 

[Belokki]

Lance Armstrong... good classics man, won a few classics, WCH, stage racer, one of the best climbers ever in the Tour and also a great TT-er...

So classics, WCH, Tour Mountains(11 stages) TT(11 again) doesn't get better than that...

 

[Angliru]

Lance Armstrong... good classics man, won a few classics, WCH, stage racer, one of the best climbers ever in the Tour and also a great TT-er...

So classics, WCH, Tour Mountains(11 stages) TT(11 again) doesn't get better than that...

There are 2 Armstrongs: before cancer and after cancer. The "before" wasn't a much of a stage racer and was primarily a one day specialist. The "after' focused primarily one event with everything else simply used as preparation.
He did win San Sebastian and Fleche Wallone and got a 2nd to Eric Dekker in LBL.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Armstrong got second in AGR 99 behind Boogerd and 2nd in AGR 2001 behind E.Dekker.

 

[Angliru]

Armstrong got second in AGR 99 behind Boogerd and 2nd in AGR 2001 behind E.Dekker.

My bad. It was AGR. Didn't he get a second in LBL too at some point?

 

[VeloFidelis]

I think when the OP said "all arounder" that he meant someone whose schedule and ability to compete in included grand tours, the hilly Ardennes classics and the hard men events like Paris Roubaix and Tour of Flanders. There is only one rider that over the years comes close and that Stijn Devolder. He tried to contend in the Tour last year but fell ill. He won Flanders and can contend in Roubaix. The grand tour gc and the hard men classics are the opposite ends of the spectrum to me.

I think Valverde is one of the few riders that usually raced to win whatever events he entered from beginning of the season to the end and could be seen outsprinting top sprinters, of course on uphill finishes though.

Phillipe Gilbert was a factor in both the hilly classics and the cobbled events.

I think the primary reason that you don't see grand tour gc contenders in the cobbled events is because they fear the risk of injury and ruining their season for their primary goals/events.

Well the cobbles are the particular adiction of smaller group of pros, and I don't deny their place in your "allrounder" definition. My point is that there's a much larger number of arguably more complete riders in the peloton today than back in the Kelly or even Jalabert era's.

Cancellara has Paris Roubaix, San Remo, Tour de Suisse, and is a TT super star, but he would still be labeled a specialist by many. Today's peloton has a larger number of great riders, and a higher degree of specialization and classification by the media and the fans. It's going to be very hard for a rider to rise to the highest levels in a wide range of disciplines in the current competitive climate. There is just too much talent and focus for any one Rider to be as dominant.