Worlds and Tour Champion is that a big deal?

[Michielveedeebee]

contador already said more then once in the last 2 seasons that he wants to give the ardennes a serious try in the future. since he isn't riding the giro next year i think he will see him there in top shape. and if andy schleck can win L-B-L so does contador.

ofc i don't include him in the all time greats yet. a few more GT's worlds and liege/lombardy are needed.

maybe he can give the worlds itt a go if canc stops riding them to focus on the road race. . .

with weather in Belgium like this year he won't feature, we just had so much pollen! After 1 night our whole car was just totally covered with it. And he already complained a lot about pollen.

Lombardy he can win for sure, worlds itt would be cool but with Martin rather unlikely

EDIT: oh and if he wins 2 more tours and a vuelta and no classics, he's also one of the all time greats, way better than Armstrong who only won TdF

 

[ingsve]

Top 10 - 15 % of cycling palmares but not one of the Greats

10-15% of what? All professional riders of all time? It would be more like the top 0.1% of cycling palmares though not the top 0.01% that the greatest riders are.

 

[just some guy]

10-15% of what? All professional riders of all time? It would be more like the top 0.1% of cycling palmares though not the top 0.01% that the greatest riders are.

Maybe the % are a out - but the talk of great, Evans not being among the few.

 

[The Hitch]

Yeah, Cadel Evans palmares is looking really good now, looking at the races he has won, and numerous high placings, he can soon be considered one of the greats in my opinion.

We just need Andy to win one then we can have a very good "Best active rider never to win a GT thread"

Levi anyone? Cali jokes aside.

 

[The Hitch]

Yeah, Cadel Evans palmares is looking really good now, looking at the races he has won, and numerous high placings, he can soon be considered one of the greats in my opinion.

We just need Andy to win one then we can have a very good "Best active rider never to win a GT thread"

Levi anyone? Cali jokes aside.

Nah, never.

The greats in history are Anquetil, Hinault, Eddy Merckx, Indurain, Fausto Coppi, Bartali(remember the war destroyed their career somewhat) and Lance Armstrong. Contador may be part of those someday, but Cadel Evans never will.

Contador is ahead of Armstrong according to Guissepe Martinelli and most of the forum.

So he definately makes the list. So does Sean Kelly. No way does he miss out.

If you want you can put one more Belgian on there (and not Gilbert)

 

[Cobblestones]

Should Evans try to defend next year? Or should he focus on different races? I'd like to see him doing a few more classics.

 

[Nick C.]

We just need Andy to win one then we can have a very good "Best active rider never to win a GT thread"

Levi anyone? Cali jokes aside.



Contador is ahead of Armstrong according to Guissepe Martinelli and most of the forum.

So he definately makes the list. So does Sean Kelly. No way does he miss out.

If you want you can put one more Belgian on there (and not Gilbert)

1-You could name any shack rider...I would go with Kloden. or Cancellara/Boonen/Gilbert
2- Maybe DeVlaemick or Stan Ockers could finish out your list.

as for the original post list Jan Jaansen has done the Worlds/Tour double and won his Tour in the final TT like Cadel.

 

[El Pistolero]

We just need Andy to win one then we can have a very good "Best active rider never to win a GT thread"

Levi anyone? Cali jokes aside.



Contador is ahead of Armstrong according to Guissepe Martinelli and most of the forum.

So he definately makes the list. So does Sean Kelly. No way does he miss out.

If you want you can put one more Belgian on there (and not Gilbert)

Lucien van Impe then. Roger is annoying

 

[Duartista]

A lot of you have probably seen this before, but there is a "30 greatest cyclists montage" on youtube which is fun to watch. Here is the first part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLhp5c79xuY&feature=related

 

[The Hitch]

Should Evans try to defend next year? Or should he focus on different races? I'd like to see him doing a few more classics.

The reaction he has got in Australia, no way does he not defend.

Personally I think he would be better off doing the Giro though.

His chances of winning the Tour next year are very small. (and i was NOT one of the people that said the same thing this year)

Hell be 35 and far more importantly, Contador is probably going to be there on top form.

And it would strengen his palmares so much more to win that then podium another Tour (we are losing count of how many hes podiumed anyway). Podium in all 3 gts. Winner of the triple crown.

Evans isnt one of the Tour only guys. Hes gone for Ardennes, won PT Stage races, gone for Giro. He appreciates more than most anglophones that winning the Giro would in his case make his career more complete , possibly even more than a second Tour title could and that is far less likely.

When fans look at history, they look at who has won all monuments, who has won all gts, who has won the Tour 5 times (not twice) and who has won the Triple crown. Evans would be there and he could forever argue that he did it all, and whatsmore, he did it his way.

 

[Swabian Lass]

I think that he might just do that. He must realise that (assuming Contador's riding next year) his chances of winning the Tour are not good, whereas he might just stand a chance in the Giro. Hope so anyway. I'd like to see him in the Giro next year.

 

[just some guy]

I'm coming around to the Giro idea.

If he does indeed not start in Spain then maybe he starts training earlier for the Giro saying he will try the double but really looking at the Giro??

 

[Michielveedeebee]

a triple crown would be awesome though

 

[spanky wanderlust]

No big deal, Joop Zoetemelk did it.

(How to **** of the Dutch and the Australians)

But to be honest, it's impressive. Though Cadel was lucky that Cancellara only has one brain cell.

one does wonder, reading your posts, if there isn't a single win in cadel's palmares that can't be explained away by some supposedly weak opponent.

you're talking about cancellara here. it's not like he has never won anything.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

do time trials count? or are we just talking rr?

 

[spanky wanderlust]

the bar for the wc is really really high. many years the organizers feel like they have to throw the sprinters a bone: australia, denmark. so the courses are simply not selective enough to favor a gc contender. once every 4 years or so.

that, coupled with the sheer competitiveness of it and wierd tactical issues that often bring relatively unknown riders into contention and the worlds becomes a very difficult achievement in its own right.

so yeah. i think to win both is awesome, if not necessarily great.

now to hold both yellow and rainbow at the same time; how many have done that?

that would be an elite group, for sure.

 

[just some guy]

the bar for the wc is really really high. many years the organizers feel like they have to throw the sprinters a bone: australia, denmark. so the courses are simply not selective enough to favor a gc contender. once every 4 years or so.

that, coupled with the sheer competitiveness of it and wierd tactical issues that often bring relatively unknown riders into contention and the worlds becomes a very difficult achievement in its own right.

so yeah. i think to win both is awesome, if not necessarily great.

now to hold both yellow and rainbow at the same time; how many have done that?

that would be an elite group, for sure.

in a 12 month period Evans had the WC and all 3 GT leaders jerseys - I think he was he 1st.

2009 Vuelta
2009/2010 WC
2010 Giro
2010 Tour

 

[spanky wanderlust]

The reaction he has got in Australia, no way does he not defend.

Personally I think he would be better off doing the Giro though.

His chances of winning the Tour next year are very small. (and i was NOT one of the people that said the same thing this year)

Hell be 35 and far more importantly, Contador is probably going to be there on top form.

And it would strengen his palmares so much more to win that then podium another Tour (we are losing count of how many hes podiumed anyway). Podium in all 3 gts. Winner of the triple crown.

Evans isnt one of the Tour only guys. Hes gone for Ardennes, won PT Stage races, gone for Giro. He appreciates more than most anglophones that winning the Giro would in his case make his career more complete , possibly even more than a second Tour title could and that is far less likely.

When fans look at history, they look at who has won all monuments, who has won all gts, who has won the Tour 5 times (not twice) and who has won the Triple crown. Evans would be there and he could forever argue that he did it all, and whatsmore, he did it his way.

paris nice? if he skips the vuelta, with some focus and a favorable course he could kill it.

criterium int'l? that could be fun.

watching him go all danilo diluca on the spring classics and giro would be a treat.

i think now that he has a tour under his belt, he can do anything he wants. well, maybe not msr, but you know what i mean.

 

[Mich78BEL]

Nah, never.

The greats in history are Anquetil, Hinault, Eddy Merckx, Indurain, Fausto Coppi, Bartali(remember the war destroyed their career somewhat) and Lance Armstrong. Contador may be part of those someday, but Cadel Evans never will.

Van Looy, Kelly, De Vlaeminck, Moser, Gimondi, all come before Armstrong imo.

Cadel Evans is around 80-100 on the all-time ranking now, remember cycling has more then a 100 year history

 

[El Pistolero]

Van Looy, Kelly, De Vlaeminck, Moser, Gimondi, all come before Armstrong imo.

Cadel Evans is around 80-100 on the all-time ranking now, remember cycling has more then a 100 year history

Meh, different era. 7 Tours, WC, FW, podiums at AGR and LBL is pretty good

 

[Nederick]

I can only imagine that Cadel's confidence in himself is even further bolstered now. When I say confidence, I mean confirmation to himself in really understanding his capabilities, how to target and prepare and how much deeper he can dig.

I'd like to see him have a crack at the Giro again. It'll also be interesting to see how BMC leverages off this as a team and if there's any understudys on the team roster or future signings that Cadel may mentor? I still think this Tour win will really boost him for another couple of years in which he can still be consistently competitive.

To the OP, no, I wouldn't list him in the greats. And he doesn't have much time left to get up there. Honorable mention though.

 

[therhodeo]

I think Cadel would be good to do the Giro or Vuelta next year and try and tack a few more FW's or week long stage races onto the palmares. An on form Evans should be able to double up an Ardennes classic and something like Pais Vasco.

 

[Parrulo]

when did evans become the destroyer that wins everything he sets his mind too?

 

[El Pistolero]

when did evans become the destroyer that wins everything he sets his mind too?

Apparently at the same time as Cancellara.

 

[Cobblestones]

Re great cyclist:

How would you guys compare Evans palmares with those of Ullrich?