Worlds warm-up poll: who are you hoping for?

[DAOTEC]

To much sprinters to win it, so that's a risk ...

As already predicted in the early thread voted Kolobnev ...

Why ? you will see ... yeah in Euro time zone tonight

 

[zapata]

Freire.

1) I really like him as a cyclist (in a non-homo-erotic way)
2) I like him far more than most of the others (Gilbert the big exception)
3) a 4th rainbow jersey would be awesome
4) most of us can wonder how on earth we forgot about the other 3 all year round
5) last year this time he was considering early retirement, and I would miss him. I'm glad he reconsidered and decided to stay with us a bit longer. Especially in the early season he seemed to have found some phoenix fire again, and I'd love him to walk away from 2010 with Milan Sanremo - WC bookends. To step into 2011, not as a retiree, but as a rainbow jersey wearer, with a great new Spanish colleague on the team too

petty reasons:

6) this week of all weeks, I'd love to see a Spanish rider sticking the best possible 2-fingers up to holier-than-thou McQuaid
7) since some forum Ozzies are quick to kick anything that smells Spanish here, justified or not, this week of all weeks, I would take immense pleasure from picturing their faces when a Spaniard pips the locals on home turf the moment he crosses the line
8) giving Rabo-kit designers a challenge: how to add orange to the rainbow mix without creating an outfit that will replace TV test screen cards world-wide

I would warmly welcome Gilbert too.

A small part of me is even rooting for Cadel, as I think that he has been riding as a transformed rider since winning it last year, and has done the jersey nothing but pride. Maybe more so than many others in the past. But the saner part of me is reminding myself constantly that the forum would become unbearable for all the obvious treble font-size and indulgent exclamation mark reasons. So I will never admit to that, and I'm trying hard to make it go away.

I voted for Freire as well. Agree wholeheartedly with points 1 through 8.

Wouldn't exactly mind a norwegian victory either, but I can't see it. If it's a big group, others are faster, if it's a harder, more selective race, they'll be dropped. Same with freire, really, but fingers crossed..

 

[zapata]

Ballan won Flanders. IMO that's about as high as you can get.

In your category I would like to see Chavanel win.

Ah, yes, Chavanel would be great also.

 

[The Hitch]

Ballan won Flanders. IMO that's about as high as you can get.

In your category I would like to see Chavanel win.

Ballan won Flanders. On the other hand Gilbert has won Lombardy 2 Paris Tours and Amstel Gold. Cancellara has won Flanders, ROubaix twice and MSR along with lots of other stuff. Freire has won tdf points jerseys, hundreds of sprints, 3 worlds and 3 msrs.

So you see why i would prefer to see a Ballan win over the others.

ANd yeah Chavanel would be nice too.

 

[The Hitch]

Oh my god. How is Cav winning this. I thought he was second to Lance on this forums hate list.

 

[zapata]

Ballan won Flanders. On the other hand Gilbert has won Lombardy 2 Paris Tours and Amstel Gold. Cancellara has won Flanders, ROubaix twice and MSR along with lots of other stuff. Freire has won tdf points jerseys, hundreds of sprints, 3 worlds and 3 msrs.

So you see why i would prefer to see a Ballan win over the others.

ANd yeah Chavanel would be nice too.

I'd rather the world champion is a strong, proven rider than some relatively unknown fluke. (Not saying ballan was an unknown!) I don't know, just seems to me that the World Champion ought to be a big name, cancellara, freire, gilbert, pozzato, etc. It'd be a bit strange to me if someone like goss or bole (strong riders, I know, no need to remind me) should wear the jersey and supposedly be the best cyclist in the world.

 

[Luis Ocaña]

Ballan won Flanders. On the other hand Gilbert has won Lombardy 2 Paris Tours and Amstel Gold. Cancellara has won Flanders, ROubaix twice and MSR along with lots of other stuff. Freire has won tdf points jerseys, hundreds of sprints, 3 worlds and 3 msrs.

So you see why i would prefer to see a Ballan win over the others.

ANd yeah Chavanel would be nice too.

What about Varese, 2008?

 

[hrotha]

I'd rather the world champion is a strong, proven rider than some relatively unknown fluke. (Not saying ballan was an unknown!) I don't know, just seems to me that the World Champion ought to be a big name, cancellara, freire, gilbert, pozzato, etc. It'd be a bit strange to me if someone like goss or bole (strong riders, I know, no need to remind me) should wear the jersey and supposedly be the best cyclist in the world.

Same here. If some promising but not great rider wins it, he better pull a Freire and prove he deserves it. Now Bole is one of my favourite riders, but even I wouldn't want him to win.

 

[auscyclefan94]

What favourite do you want to win. Really?

Why isn't the fricken defending Champion in the poll? He has a lot of fans!

I sense it is going to be CUDDLES TIME today!

I really do not want a sprinter to win so not Cav, Farrar, sagan, friere, hushovd

 

[Luis Ocaña]

If the win won't go to a Spaniard, I would like to see Gilbert getting it. IMO a well deserved reward for an outstanding season but with a fairly scarce list of wins (if he doesn't take the WC), if you take these two in proportion.

 

[skidmark]

Freire.

1) I really like him as a cyclist (in a non-homo-erotic way)
2) I like him far more than most of the others (Gilbert the big exception)
3) a 4th rainbow jersey would be awesome
4) most of us can wonder how on earth we forgot about the other 3 all year round
5) last year this time he was considering early retirement, and I would miss him. I'm glad he reconsidered and decided to stay with us a bit longer. Especially in the early season he seemed to have found some phoenix fire again, and I'd love him to walk away from 2010 with Milan Sanremo - WC bookends. To step into 2011, not as a retiree, but as a rainbow jersey wearer, with a great new Spanish colleague on the team too

petty reasons:

6) this week of all weeks, I'd love to see a Spanish rider sticking the best possible 2-fingers up to holier-than-thou McQuaid
7) since some forum Ozzies are quick to kick anything that smells Spanish here, justified or not, this week of all weeks, I would take immense pleasure from picturing their faces when a Spaniard pips the locals on home turf the moment he crosses the line
8) giving Rabo-kit designers a challenge: how to add orange to the rainbow mix without creating an outfit that will replace TV test screen cards world-wide

I would warmly welcome Gilbert too.

A small part of me is even rooting for Cadel, as I think that he has been riding as a transformed rider since winning it last year, and has done the jersey nothing but pride. Maybe more so than many others in the past. But the saner part of me is reminding myself constantly that the forum would become unbearable for all the obvious treble font-size and indulgent exclamation mark reasons. So I will never admit to that, and I'm trying hard to make it go away.

Agreed on all of this (especially reason #8), except for hoping for Gilbert. Nothing against him, I just don't want to see him win for some reason. Maybe because he's the favourite.

I'd also like to see Cancellara, not only because I think he'd be a great cyclist to honour the rainbow jersey, but also because if he won, it would have to mean it was a break and not a sprint, which would in turn imply a super exciting race (unless it was an insane breakaway like P-R where it was just done for the last 50km).

What I'd really like to see, though, is Valverde to ride with a mexican wrestling mask and win, then remove the mask as he's going over the finish line.

That or one of the St. Kitt's and Nevis riders to podium.

 

[PCutter]

I'll suggest one of the 'not well known/yet to prove himself' riders and go for Matt Goss of Australia. Climbing really well (for a sprintner) coming out of the Vuelta and they have a team strong enough to deliver him in the final group. And he's quicker than Friere in the sprint (but still a question if he's quickest after 260km). Cav's team won't be able to deliver him to the final bunch.

 

[kanari]

I wonder what would blow up Cav's ego the most: Wearing the rainbow shirt himself or if Goss wins, having the man in the rainbow jersey as his leadout guy?

 

[zapata]

I wonder what would blow up Cav's ego the most: Wearing the rainbow shirt himself or if Goss wins, having the man in the rainbow jersey as his leadout guy?

HeHE! That would be quite a sight.

 

[taiwan]

Actually I wouldn't object to Cancellara winning the double after his toadal dominance of the spring classics. Although Paris-Roubaix was an anti-climax.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

gilbert gilbert gilbert gilbert gilbert

 

[Jancouver]

Voted for Freire. Fourth rainbow jerseys would be awesome

Otherwise one of these guys would be OK with me.

Spartacus
Pippo
Sagan
Gilbert
Hushovd
EBH
Chavanel
Sammy Sanchez
F. Schleck
Greipel
Tejay Van Garderen
Hutarovich


Guys rather not to see win

Cavendish 9 (His ego would get intolerable)
Farrar (same as above, even though he is a pretty humble guy at the moment)
Evans (Not a bad bike racer but who other than Aussies likes this guy)

Greipel should be probably here too but I thought it would be funny if he could stick it to the Cav's azz by winning the WC

 

[PCutter]

I wonder what would blow up Cav's ego the most: Wearing the rainbow shirt himself or if Goss wins, having the man in the rainbow jersey as his leadout guy?

Hadn't thought of that. LOL. Though Goss will slip into the Griepel role on HTC next year. Interview with Cav on the coverage this morning had him picking Goss as his favourite for the win. Always thought that Cav was a smart guy

 

[The Hitch]

Ah yes, Sammy Sanchez, would love that. Also Cuddles because i like Acfs passion.

Both suffer from mini poulidor syndrome.

 

[Ferminal]

No Evens?

 

[Anonymous]

Adnane Aarbia of Morroco

 

[jaylew]

Of those on the list, my order of preference would be:

Friere
Gilbert
Cancellara
Kolobnev/Pozzato
EBH
Sagan
Farrar
Cavendish

From everyone, I'd probably pick Sammy Sanchez. Wouldn't mind Cadel winning again either.

From the sprinter types, I'd prefer Freire, Hushovd, or Ventoso.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Cancellara I hope. I think he really is the best classics rider. It's unfortunate you cant combine Roubaix with the hilly classics because I believe he can do that too, after what we saw last year in Mendrisio.
He would make a great world champion on the road too.