Your Favourite Riders....

redddraggon
redddraggon Posts: 10,862
edited June 2009 in Pro race
It's a slow day so I thought I'd start which might start a bit of flaming, but it's all a bit of a laugh. So who is your favourite (of the last couple of decades, I can't really comment on before that):

GT Winner:
TTer:
Classics rider:
Sprinter:
Climber:
Domestique (unsung hero?):


Obviously some will go into multiple catorgies. There is only one wrong answer and that is Lance Armstrong :lol:

For me....

GT Winner: DDL
TTer: Cancellara
Classic winner: Cancellara
Sprinter: Cipo
Climber: Sammy Sanchez (but more because of his descending than climbing :?) quite liked Ricco's style even though he was superpowered
Domestique (?): George Hincapie
I like bikes...

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Comments

  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Grand Tour Winner: Gilberto Simoni. Panache, aggressive and always quotable.

    TTer: Jan Ullrich. I always had a soft spot for Der Kaiser, and this would be the category he fits in best for me!

    Classic Winner: Jackie Durand: "I don't mind not winning, i mind not trying"

    Sprinter: Is there any competition? Mario Cippolini.

    Climber: Marco Pantani

    Domestique: The Hulse.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • pb21
    pb21 Posts: 2,171
    I'll bite.

    GT Winner: Lance Armstrong
    TTer: Jan Ullrich
    Classic winner: Philipe Gilbert, but he hasn’t won a ‘real’ classic, so Tom Boonen
    Sprinter: Mark Cavendish I suppose, not a big fan of the sprints
    Climber: Alberto Contador
    Domestique (?): Jens Voight or David Moncoutie
    Mañana
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    GT Winner - Ullrich, he's ace!

    TT - Boardman, still has the fastest ever TdF prologue time.

    Classics winner - Kelly (that descent of the poggio to catch Argentin was tops)

    Sprinter - Cipollini, love his brash, OTT style.

    Climber - Robert Millar, well, he's British!

    Domestique - Jens Voigt.
  • greeny12
    greeny12 Posts: 759
    I'll have a go,,,

    GT winner: Laurent Fignon

    TTer: Chris Boardman

    Classic winner: Gilbert Duclos-Lasalle (can't knock back-to-back Paris Roubaix wins)

    Sprinter: Cav

    Climber: Robert Millar

    Domestique: Sean Yates
    My cycle racing blog: http://cyclingapprentice.wordpress.com/

    If you live in or near Sussex, check this out:
    http://ontherivet.ning.com/
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I nearly picked G D-L for classics but more because I think his name is cool...
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    GT Winner: Lance Armstrong
    TTer: Bradley Wiggins
    Classics rider: Cunago
    Sprinter:Mark Cavendish
    Climber: Carlos Sastre
    Domestique (unsung hero?): Charlie Wegelius
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    GT Winner: Miguel Indurain
    TTer: Chris Boardman
    Classic winner: Andrea Tafi
    Sprinter: Robbie McEwen
    Climber: Marco Pantani
    Domestique: Sean Yates (just for calling Lance Armstrong "boy" at a Motorola training camp...)
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Gazzaputt wrote:
    GT Winner: Lance Armstrong

    FAIL

    Wrong answer
    I like bikes...

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  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    GT Winner: Lemond
    TTer: Indurain*
    Classic winner: Museeuw*
    Sprinter: Abdujaparov*
    Climber: Heras* in full flow
    Domestique: Mazoleni* was my favourite in his Saeco days
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    GT Winner: Ullrich.
    TTer:Ullrich
    Classics rider: Tom Boonen, (though I have a real soft spot for Boogerd, could always spot his teeth shining away)
    Sprinter: Tom Boonen
    Climber:Pantani
    Domestique (unsung hero?): BRAM TANKINK, what a legend.
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • eh
    eh Posts: 4,854
    Taking all riders as I watched them rather than in hindsight:

    GT Winner: Riis
    TTer: David Miilar
    Classic winner: Museeuw or Michele Bartoli
    Sprinter: Abdujaparov
    Climber: Pantani
    Domestique: Tafi
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Gazzaputt wrote:
    GT Winner: Lance Armstrong

    FAIL

    Wrong answer

    Is the correct answer Lance for all catagories? Not sure if he's a sprinter, but we've now seen him on water bottle duties at the Giro, that makes him a domestique, right? :D
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    GT Winner: Contador, just for the three in a year and a bit
    TTer:David Millar has the smoothest style on the bike, he looks as though he is going effortlessly fast
    Classics rider:I can't see past Tom Boonen, although Bettini put in some good performances
    Sprinter:Il Re Leone himself, the first sprinter I ever loved. Four in a row in '99, astonishing
    Climber:Pantani, for all his flaws, just the way he went up hills. The '98 Tour to Les Deux Alpes sticks long in the memory, and is the reason climbers don't often win in this day and age (Chicken apart) because they're too afraid to gamble and just hide behind their teams.
    Domestique (unsung hero?):Too many to mention, but The Hulse is the definition of thr word professional. He accepts that the team is more liekly to win if he helps Boonen than if he has a go himself
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    GT Winner: Laurent Fignon
    TTer: Thomas Wegmuller
    Classics rider: Edwig van Hooijdonck
    Sprinter:Abdujaparov
    Climber:everything considered, Marco Pantani
    Domestique (unsung hero?): Marc Wauters
  • bobtbuilder
    bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
    GT Winner: Bernard Hinault - The most bloody-minded man in cycling history?
    TTer: Indurain
    Classics rider: Museeuw (if I can't have Merckx)
    Sprinter: Cipo
    Climber: Pantani
    Domestique (unsung hero?): Hincapie
  • volvine
    volvine Posts: 409
    GT Winner: Lance Armstrong
    TTer: Vladimir Karpets
    Classic winner: Tom Boonen
    Sprinter: Mark Cavendish/Robbie McEwen
    Climber: Lance Armstrong/Albero Contador/Carlos Sastre
    Domestique: Jens Voigt/George Hincapi

    all the above would make a superb team lol :?
  • micron
    micron Posts: 1,843
    GT winner: Bernard Hinault
    TTer: Miguel Indurain
    Classic winner: Sean Kelly
    Sprinter: Djamolidine Abdoujaparov
    Climber: Lucien Van Impe
    Domestique: Ludo Dierckxsens
  • GT Winner: not sure about this one. theres the amount of gt wins and then theres classyness in execution. Sastre for the latter.
    TTer: Wiggo/big mig
    Classic winner: museeuw/boonen
    Sprinter: Cav/Cipo
    Climber: pantani
    Domestique: Jens Voigt
  • FOAD
    FOAD Posts: 318
    Looks like we need another thread on who is your favourite non-doper in each category.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    I was so close to picking Hinault over Simoni. For grit, determination and style nobody in the modern era beats le blaireau.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Aha bored and new here (though i've been lurking for a year) so by way of introductionlets pretend it's the end of the year already :lol:

    excluded: Merckx, Hinault (LBL 1980!)and the old guys.

    tt: Indurain Cancellara
    cl: Johan van de Velde Gesink
    spr: Guido Bontempi, Cav
    classic: Hennie Kuyper(I'm too young to choose Roger De Vlaeminck)Freire
    dom Cees Priem Maarten Tjallingi
    disappointments: Breukink, Mottet, Eric Heiden, Alexei Grewal, Robert Millar, Thomas Dekker

    NB: note that all of them, except some of my recent idols, have been caught cheating. And now I am not excluding Merkcx, Hinault, and the old guys.

    de groeten(i'm dutch, you probl. could have guessed)
  • don key
    don key Posts: 494
    Gt winner: Leg Gremond/ Refan Stoche/ Faurent Lignon

    TTer: Frango(just for those awful feelings of defeat he transmitted live to the World)

    Classics: Pukeless my Pal

    Sprinter: Johnny Kelly

    Climber: Tanpani / Bob Mlls sir

    Domesticity: Yawns Shate(in a Belfast accent)
  • AO1504
    AO1504 Posts: 57
    Wanted to keep it a different person for each category so -

    GT winner: Lance Armstrong
    TTer: Millar or Boardman (can't decide)
    Classic winner: Magnus Backstedt
    Sprinter: Djamolidine Abdoujaparov
    Climber: Claudio Chiappucci
    Domestique: George Hincapie
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    AO1054 - the fact that the only time Millar won owt good he admitted to have taken EPO for should help you decide that one!
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    edited June 2009
    GT Winner:JaJa (he won the vuelta)
    Tester:Boardman
    Classics rider:Kelly
    Sprinter:Abdu
    Climber:Pantani
    Domestique (unsung hero?Gerard Rue
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • AO1504
    AO1504 Posts: 57
    NapoleonD wrote:
    AO1054 - the fact that the only time Millar won owt good he admitted to have taken EPO for should help you decide that one!

    The thread is about your favourites and Millar has always been one of my favourites riders (one reason being there aren't many Scots in the pro arena). If I was going to use the criteria of those who have used EPO/drugs as a way of eliminating someone I wouldn't have put Chiappucci in but when I got into cycling in the late 80s and early 90s El Diablo just edged Robert Millar as my favourite along with Indurain & Armstrong.
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    GT Merckx
    TT Boardman
    Classics Merckx
    Sprinter Cavendish
    Climber Pantani
    Domest Andy Schleck
  • Richrd2205
    Richrd2205 Posts: 1,267
    AO1504 wrote:
    The thread is about your favourites and Millar has always been one of my favourites riders (one reason being there aren't many Scots in the pro arena). If I was going to use the criteria of those who have used EPO/drugs as a way of eliminating someone I wouldn't have put Chiappucci in but when I got into cycling in the late 80s and early 90s El Diablo just edged Robert Millar as my favourite along with Indurain & Armstrong.
    But you miss the point that David Millar hasn't really won anything important since the EPO stuff. I love watching him ride, but he's not all that good, an OK domestique...
    Robert Millar, however, was a stunning rider. Without any question the best Scots rider ever. Bloody impressive regardless of nationality...

    My list:

    GT winner: Coppi
    Trialer: Cancellera
    Classics: Cunego
    Sprinter: Cavendish
    Climber: Robert Millar
    Domestique: David Millar (or Jens Voigt)
  • GT Winner: Stephen Roche (1987 Tour/Giro double)
    TTer: David Millar (a brilliant stylist on a bike)
    Classics rider: Paulo Bettini ( Always aggressive)
    Sprinter: Abdoujaporov (Quite simply a nutter)
    Climber: Robert Millar (British bias, but what the hell)
    Domestique (unsung hero?): Jens Voight (Always gives his all)
    Let's close our eyes and see what happens
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    GT. Merckx (not old enough to know of his first few but by his last couple I was well aware of his supremacy). Hinault not far behind for me, though.

    TT: Lemond (perhaps not the ultimate TT rider, but his Champs Elysee victory was so special and also it introduced new techniques)

    Classic: Museeuw (De Vlaeminck was before my time but I imagine as impressive)

    Spinter: Cipollini (the man had charm as well as nouse and character)

    Climber: Virenque (doping or not, he was a good climber, partly because he understood tactics and was also an attacker. Van Impe, Herrera and Pantani were better climbers but didn’t ride with tactics and were sometimes too reticent until late on during a climb.)

    Domestique: Bolts (did everything to help Ullrich)

    The categories should also include Allrounder: definitely Jalabert, for others maybe Kelly

    and ‘Combatative’: the likes of Dekker, Voigt, and my choice, Durand