Worst cyclist that won a monument

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Not a monument, but a World Cup race back then: Grzegorz Gwiazdowski at 1999's Meisterschaft von Zürich aka GP Suisse. He also won the Tour de l'Ain a week before (or after) and was never to be seen again in any race. Hilarious.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

How can people even consider Cavendish? He's one of the best riders of this generation, so how can he be one of the worst to ever win a monument.

 

[Roude Leiw]

The answers here are hilarious. History seems to stop for most in 2008 max. How Schleck (who podiumed TDF) and Cav end up here.this is beyond ridiculous

 

[Descender]

What's the name of that Belgian domestique that snatched that Roubaix from Merckx and De Vlaeminck? 76 I think it was.

Found it: Marc Demeyer. Although I see he has some other wins that would disqualify him from this.

Quite frankly, Zaugg is a mighty good candidate...

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Cav or Goss

But Goss is obviously worse than Cav, so the answer is Goss

I don't get Goss.
MSR is designed to give lots of riders a chance.
Goss took it and won.

Cav "deserves" another MSR win, just look at how he performed again this year, when the so called hard men went for the hotel early.

Zaugg in recent times looks well out of place as a monument winner.

 

[movingtarget]

What's the name of that Belgian domestique that snatched that Roubaix from Merckx and De Vlaeminck? 76 I think it was.

Found it: Marc Demeyer. Although I see he has some other wins that would disqualify him from this.

Quite frankly, Zaugg is a mighty good candidate...

Demeyer was on Maerten's team I think and probably did not get so many opportunities. Big surprise when he won Roubaix. Poor guy had a heart attack and died age 31. Van Summeren would be another good candidate but he also did not get many opportunities but an incredible domestique. Seemed to ride on the front forever.

 

[King Boonen]

The answers here are hilarious. History seems to stop for most in 2008 max. How Schleck (who podiumed TDF) and Cav end up here.this is beyond ridiculous

By podiumed you mean won? (Yes, i know it was after that fact but he still won it).


Got to agree with you, plus Cav's performance in MSR this year was extremely good, espeically without his "babysitters" who were back in the bus drinking cocoa and moaning about it.

 

[Volderke]

Okay, time for some righteous Belgian defense mode posting:

That was truly painful to see.
How about the Belgian vinegar bag that won the World Champs when Dag Otto Lauritzen crashed? Never heard much from him again.

I hope you are not talking about Rudy Dhaenens?
For your mental peace, he didn't win a so-called monument, only the worlds (although he was runner up at both Flanders and Roubaix). Confronted with heart problems 2 years after his WC win, he tragically died in a car accident at 36.

Who is Dag Otto Lauritzen by the way? I mean, what has he won?

 

[Descender]

Demeyer was on Maerten's team I think and probably did not get so many opportunities. Big surprise when he won Roubaix. Poor guy had a heart attack and died age 31. Van Summeren would be another good candidate but he also did not get many opportunities but an incredible domestique. Seemed to ride on the front forever.

Quite ironic that Demeyer ended up winning a monument while Maertens didn't...

 

[Roude Leiw]

By podiumed you mean won? (Yes, i know it was after that fact but he still won .

For me he finished 3 times second, won the white jersey 3 times. I do not consider his "victory" in 2010.

 

[ruamruam]

Quite ironic that Demeyer ended up winning a monument while Maertens didn't...

Freddy Maertens must be one of the best never to win one

 

[Roude Leiw]

Just for my understanding, The following races are considered the monuments of cycling:

- Milan San Remo
- Tour des Flandres
- Paris - Roubaix
- Giro di Lombardia
- Liege Bastogne Liege

Or where the others which are discussed recently added to that list?

 

[Sophistic82]

For me he finished 3 times second, won the white jersey 3 times. I do not consider his "victory" in 2010.

such a nonsense, if the test results had come back within a day, conti would have been disqualified and there would be considerable less discussion about schleck being the winner. people are lazy and thats why they are far more reluctant to accept things that affect events of the past.

 

[movingtarget]

Quite ironic that Demeyer ended up winning a monument while Maertens didn't...

Quite amazing when you look at this :



1971
Belgium National Amateur Road Race Championship
Silver medal icon.svg, World Amateur Road Race Championship
1973
1st, Overall, Quatre Jours de Dunkerque

Winner Stage 5b

1st, Scheldeprijs
Silver medal icon.svg, World Road Race Championship
2nd, Ronde van Vlaanderen
5th, Paris–Roubaix
1974
1st, Overall, Tour de Luxembourg

Winner Stages 1 & 2

1st, Overall, Vuelta a Andalucía

Winner Prologue a-b, stages 1, 2, 4, 5 & 6

1st, Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
1st, Stages 2, 3 & 4, Ronde van België
1st, Stage 3b, Quatre Jours de Dunkerque
4th, Amstel Gold Race
5th, Paris–Tours
1975
1st, Paris–Tours
1st, Paris–Brussels
1st, Gent–Wevelgem
1st, Overall, Ronde van België

Winner Stages 1b & 2

1st, Overall, Vuelta a Andalucía

Winner Prologue, stages 5, 6 & 7b

1st, Overall, Quatre Jours de Dunkerque

Winner Stage 3b

1st, Prologue, stages 1, 2a, 2b, 3, 4 & 7b, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
2nd, Amstel Gold Race
3rd, National Madison Championship (with Walter Godefroot)
4th, Flèche Wallonne
5th, Giro di Lombardia
5th, Overall, Paris–Nice

Winner Stage 2

1976
Arc en ciel.svg World Road Race Championship
Belgium National Road Race Championship, Dilsen
1st, Amstel Gold Race
1st, Rund um den Henninger-Turm
1st, Züri-Metzgete
1st, Gent–Wevelgem
1st, Grand Prix des Nations
1st, Overall, Quatre Jours de Dunkerque

Winner Stage 2b

1st, Brabantse Pijl
1st, Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
1st, Trofeo Baracchi (with Michel Pollentier)
1st, Critérium des As
1st, Six Days of Dortmund (with Patrick Sercu)
2nd, Liège–Bastogne–Liège
3rd, Flèche Wallonne
3rd, National Madison Championship (with Marc Demeyer)
4th, Overall, Paris–Nice

Winner Prologue, stages 2, 3, 4, 6a & 6b

5th, Ronde van Vlaanderen
7th, Overall, Tour de Suisse

Winner Prologue, stage 1 & Points Classification

8th, Overall, Tour de France:

Winner Prologue, stages 1, 3, 7, 18a, 18b, 21 & 22a
Jersey green.svg Winner Points Classification

Winner Super Prestige Pernod
1977
Belgium National Derny Championship
1st, Omloop Het Volk
1st, Overall, Vuelta a España:

Jersey gold.svg Winner overall classification
Winner Prologue, stages 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11a, 11b, 13, 16 & 19
Winner Points Classification

1st, Overall, Paris–Nice

Winner Stages 1a, 1b, 2 & 7b

1st, Overall, Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme

Winner Stages 1, 4, 5a & 5b

1st, Trofeo Laigueglia
1st, Overall, Giro di Sardegna

Winner Stage 1

1st, Overall, Volta Ciclista a Catalunya

Winner Prologue, stages 1, 3, 4 & 7a

1st, Stage 1, Tour de Suisse
1st, Six Days of Antwerp (with Patrick Sercu)
2nd, National Omnium Championship
3rd, Paris–Roubaix
Bronze medal icon.svg, European Omnium Championship
5th, Milan – San Remo
5th, Liège–Bastogne–Liège
5th, Amstel Gold Race
Giro d'Italia:

Winner Prologue, stages 1, 4, 6a, 6b, 7 & 8a

Winner Super Prestige Pernod
1978
1st, Omloop Het Volk
1st, Overall, Quatre Jours de Dunkerque

Winner Stages 2a & 2b

1st, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
1st, Tour du Haut Var
1st, Stage 7a, Dauphiné Libéré
1st, Six Days of Antwerp (with Danny Clark)
Bronze medal icon.svg, European Omnium Championship
4th, Paris–Roubaix
4th, Amstel Gold Race
13th, Overall, Tour de France:

Winner Stages 5 & 7
Jersey green.svg Winner Points Classification

14th, Overall, Tour de Suisse

Winner Stage 5

1981
Arc en ciel.svg World Road Race Championship
66th, Overall, Tour de France:

Winner Stages 1a, 3, 12a, 13, & 22
Jersey green.svg Winner points classification
Winner intermediate sprints classification

 

[Roude Leiw]

such a nonsense, if the test results had come back within a day, conti would have been disqualified and there would be considerable less discussion about schleck being the winner. people are lazy and thats why they are far more reluctant to accept things that affect events of the past.

He doesn't consider it as a victory himself

Back to topic

 

[Descender]

Yeah it's between LeMond and him for best rider never to win a monument.

 

[King Boonen]

For me he finished 3 times second, won the white jersey 3 times. I do not consider his "victory" in 2010.

When the person who won cheated to do it, the win usually gets passed to second place. Lets not discuss the redistribution of LA's titles, that would get very messy, but in this case he won it.

 

[pmcg76]

But regardless of how the race was won, the literal definition of this is the "worst cyclist" to have won a monument. Cavendish, however you want to spin it, is one of the very best in the world, so has no place in a thread such as this, while regardless of how much they may have deserved it and had their glory day in the sun, the domestiques who won through lucky breakaways, mishaps, bad weather and even through being the strongest on the day, but who don't have much in the way of palmarès outside of that win, do.

If we are basing the worst rider based purely on palmares, then of course Cav is out as are the likes of Nuyens, Demeyer and Dhaenans.

If we are talking about riders who have only produced a sporadic victory in a classic or are unlikely to win another one, then right now Cav is in.

In almost 6 seasons as a pro Cav has won San Remo once and his only other result of note in a classic is 9th this year in a shortened version. That's it for one of the 'best' rider of our generation.

 

[King Boonen]

If we are basing the worst rider based purely on palmares, then of course Cav is out as are the likes of Nuyens, Demeyer and Dhaenans.

If we are talking about riders who have only produced a sporadic victory in a classic or are unlikely to win another one, then right now Cav is in.

In almost 6 seasons as a pro Cav has won San Remo once and his only other result of note in a classic is 9th this year in a shortened version. That's it for one of the 'best' rider of our generation.

Surely the question was worst rider, not worst classics rider?

 

[Roude Leiw]

I would go for Vansummeren and Backstedt

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Edit. 10 chars.....

 

[pmcg76]

Edit. 10 chars.....

If you want to add Contador, fine but then the question was guys who have won a classic.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

If you want to add Contador, fine but then the question was guys who have won a classic.

Hence, why I edited my answer.

 

[spalco]

Surely the question was worst rider, not worst classics rider?

Besides, Cavendish has won other "Classics". Obviously he's never going to win RVV, P-R, L-B-L or Lombardy, but pmcg76 explicitely said

If we are basing the worst rider based purely on palmares, then of course Cav is out as are the likes of Nuyens, Demeyer and Dhaenans.

If we are talking about riders who have only produced a sporadic victory in a classic or are unlikely to win another one, then right now Cav is in.

In almost 6 seasons as a pro Cav has won San Remo once and his only other result of note in a classic is 9th this year in a shortened version. That's it for one of the 'best' rider of our generation.

which is just plain incorrect any way you look at it.

 

[The Hitch]

Coppi. He could have been better if he hadn't died at 28.

Who?

10characters.