Your Favourite Riders....

dave_1

1. Gottheteeshirt

2. Yatesy

3. Jan Ullrich

eh

But you miss the point that David Millar hasn't really won anything important since the EPO stuff.

What and you don't think that Rober Millar wasn't properly prepared either? Try reading Graham Obree's book and the story is also re-quoted in a "search for Rober Millar".

Tom Butcher

Despite being officially a veteran I only really got into riding in my mid 30s - and that's when I started following the sport more closely - so my picks are mostly going to be from the last decade. I did have a passing interest before that and followed the likes of Robert Millar, Kelly et al but most of their racing I've seen has been on video since they retired.

GT winner : DiLuca, Sastre and Simoni
TTer - bit like asking a kid for their favourite vegetable but I'll go for Millar
Classics - Boonen or Bettini
Sprinter - Robbie McEwen
Climber - Simoni, Sastre

dulldave

GT winner : Lemond
TTer - Boredman
Classics - Kelly
Sprinter - Cav
Climber - Millar
Domestique - Yates

I'll add track rider - Obree

It would all change next time you ask me. Depends on the book I'm reading :0)

RichN95.

I'm going to exclude all the guys who were around in the 80s, but they'd fill up a lot of these slots (LeMond**, Kelly, Roche, Millar, Abdu, Nijdam, Hampsten, Argentin etc)

GC winner: Sastre, Ullrich, (I'd add Evans, had he won one)
TT: Boardman
Classics winner: Bettini / O'Grady (one for each type of classic)
Sprinter: Cavendish (also McEwen and Mario)
Climber: Jalabert - not really a climber, but he won KOM twice, so I'll fit him in here
Domestique: Geraint Thomas, Voigt, Vansevenant, Durand

**All time favourite

Cumulonimbus

My favourite climber was Eros Poli - gives hope to us all (Ventoux, 1994)

shinyhelmut

I've split my answers into 2 categories, probably doped and probably clean

GT winner :Indurain/Lemond
TTer - Indurain/Boardman
Classics - Kelly/O'Grady
Sprinter - Abdou/Cav
Climber - Pantani/Vaughters
Domestique - Neil Stephens/Millar

Ps I know Vaughters allegedly used the "Hot Sauce" at one stage but I am hoping he was clean when he set the record up Ventoux riding for CA.

drenkrom

After much reflection and soul-searching...

GT Winner: Savoldelli - If you win a GT on downhills, you have my vote!
TT: Zabriskie - soooooooo smooth
Classics: Ballan (I'm too young for Kelly)
Sprinter: Tom Steels - that bottle-throwing incident tipped the scales in his favour
Climber: Contador (I'd have said Rasmussen, but...)
Domestique: Jose Vincente Garcia Acosta

I'd add another category, personally.

Baroudeur: Jackie Durand

SunWuKong

GT Winner: Greg Lemond
TTer: Boardman
Classic winner: Cav
Sprinter: Abdujaparov
Climber: Luis Herrera (he's South American like me and h could cilmb really well.)
Domestique: George Hincapie

My favourite current rider is Danilo Di Luca, I really like aggressive style of riding being prepared to lose in order to win (if you know what I mean).

grandad3

GT winner: Ja ja Jalabert

TTer: Once squad(team), not an individual time trial fan. Comments anyone for this.....,

Classics: Andrea Taffi

Sprinter: Eric Vanderaerden

Climber: Marco Pantani

Domestique: Luc Leblanc

all show no go

What about Nicole Cook as a GT winner? And possibly classics as well. I've already added my two-penneth worth earlier. I just feel she deserves an honourable mention.

thebongolian

GT winner: Sastre - of the one's I've followed (rather than read about) his victory last year was particularly sweet: a humble guy, executed a well thought through plan as part of a team in a great race

TT-er: Zabriskie - as much about off the bike as on it

Classics: Cunego

Sprinter Djamoladine Abdoujaparov - my main memory of watching the tour sat on my dad's knee

Climber: If I can't go for Sastre again probably Andy Schleck

Domestique: Hincapie or Voigt

deejay

knedlicky wrote:

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

I am old enough to say Fausto Coppi but the Welsh Dragon said the last 2 decades

GT...Miguel Indurain
TT ...Alex Zulle
Early Classics ..Johan Museeuw
Later Classics...Paolo Bettini
Sprinter..Mario Cippollini
Climber.. Gilberto Simoni
Domestique.. Gerard Rue

Indurain for GT, TT, and Climber where the wheel suckers like Le Blanc and Rominger would hang on and then nip by for the stage win. (that reminds me of Bruyneel as well)
Indurain could go in as a good Domestique for the work he put in for Pedro Delgado.

To my way of thinking Franco Ballerini was a three time Winner of Paris-Roubaix and his First Win should have been 1993 when he stormed past everybody except the Wheel Sucker Gilbet Duclos Lassalle who had the cheek to take him on in a sprint.
Say no more it's a French Event and the winning tyre of course had to be French.
Daylight Robbery.

liversedge

FOAD wrote:

Looks like we need another thread on who is your favourite non-doper in each category.

Lance.

.
.
.
.
.

I'll get my coat.

ermintrude

GT Winner: Lance Armstrong
TTer: Chris Boardman
Classics rider: Sean Kelly
Sprinter:Mark Cavendish
Climber: Carlos Sastre
Domestique (unsung hero?): all of them

finchy

GT winner: Carlos Sastre
TT: Chris Boardman
Classics: Paolo Bettini
Sprinter: Mark Cavendish
Climber: Carlos Sastre again
Domestique: Sean Yates

ms_tree

GT: Pantani
TT Ullrich - a man at one with his bike
Classics Bettini
Sprint Cipollini
Climber Pantani
Domestique JV Garcia Acosta/J L Arrietta/The Hulse

Moomaloid

There are simply too many to choose....

GT: Lemond (1989 changed my life forever!)
TT: Lemond (See above)
Classics: Sean 'Certainly' Kelly, Eric Van Lanker (loved that Panasonic strip), Tom Boonen
Sprint: Olaf Ludwig (The original super sprinter), Tom Steels, Boonen, Mcwan, and Super Cav. Wilfried Nelisson and Abdou (get honorable mentions for their classic face plants)
Climber: Fabio Parra, Luis Herrera, Alvaro Mejia, Gert Jan Theunisse, Pedro Delgado, Robert Millar, Marino Lajarreta
Domestique: Sean Yates (The big man from Forrest Row, eh Paul?), Claude Criquielion, Raul Alcala, Steve Bauer (remember the laid back Merckx, or was it the Caloi?), Thierry Marie

donrhummy

For current cyclists only:

GT Winner: Carlos Sastre
TTer: Fabian Cancellara
Classics rider: Oscar Freire
Sprinter: Robbie McEwen / Cavendish
Climber: Andy Schleck
Domestique (unsung hero?): Chris Horner

If we're going backa few decades like you said, I'd put Andy Hampsten, Greg Lemond, Lance Armstrong in there along with Gilberto Simoni.

dave_1

eh wrote:

But you miss the point that David Millar hasn't really won anything important since the EPO stuff.

What and you don't think that Rober Millar wasn't properly prepared either? Try reading Graham Obree's book and the story is also re-quoted in a "search for Rober Millar".

...one could argue gottheteeshirt raced in an era in the 80s before EPO was around so the resuts were a more accurate reflection onf ability than the 90s...a suppose gottheteeshirt will have his own secrets

millar won a stage of the Vuelta and Paris nice after his ban...not bad going, and 2nd to the german drug user in the 08 TDF long TT...so don't agree DM is only a product of EPO...a talented rider without it

donrhummy

Dave_1 wrote:

eh wrote:

But you miss the point that David Millar hasn't really won anything important since the EPO stuff.

What and you don't think that Rober Millar wasn't properly prepared either? Try reading Graham Obree's book and the story is also re-quoted in a "search for Rober Millar".

...one could argue gottheteeshirt raced in an era in the 80s before EPO was around so the resuts were a more accurate reflection onf ability than the 90s...a suppose gottheteeshirt will have his own secrets

millar won a stage of the Vuelta and Paris nice after his ban...not bad going, and 2nd to the german drug user in the 08 TDF long TT...so don't agree DM is only a product of EPO...a talented rider without it

Maybe but it's impossible to say. For one thing some guys react much better to drugs than others. So it's possible that DM got mroe benefit from the drugs than other riders, or less we can't know. Especially since he's also older now and riders typically don't have long careers anyway.

drenkrom

Did you see the Dauphiné's second stage? Are we still wondering if Millar can ride clean? You try getting away where he did!

The Prodigy

GT winner: Alberto Contador (cool name)
TT: Spartacus
Classics: Sean Kelly
Sprinter: Cav
Climber: Pantani (beauty on a bike)
Domestique: my wife (challenged)