Who is your rider of the year?

RichN95.

If we can do polls on here, I can't see how, so we'll have to do it like this. I'd say these are these are the contenderrs:


Alberto Contador:Winner of the Tour de France and Pais Vasco. 3rd in Dauphine, 2nd in Castilla Leon

Alejandro Valverde: Winner of Vuelta, Catalunya and Dauphine. Winner of Burgos.

Cadel Evans: World Champion, unlucky 3rd in Vuelta. 2nd at Dauphine. 4th Pais Vasco. 5th Fleche Wallonne

Phil Gilbert: Winner of Lombardy and Paris-Tours. Winner of Ster Electrotoer. Giro stage wiikner. 4th in LBL and Amstel.

Mark Cavendish: 6 Tour stages, 3 Giro stages, Milan-San Remo. 23 wins in total.

Fabian Cancellara: World time trial champion, Winner of Tour of Switzerland, stage of Tour, stage of Vuelta. 5th World road race champs.

Anyone else: EBH, Greipel, Menchov, Farrar, Cunego ???

The Prodigy

Putting any sort of doping trials and tribulations to one side, I would go for Valverde. Finally proved he could win a GT grabbed a handful of smaller races to boot.

Convincingly beat AC and CE at the Dauphine, probably would have won the tour had he been allowed to enter and probably would have won the World Champs had he still not been giddy from his Vuelta victory a week earlier.

I would say Evans but his showing in the TDF was woeful.

Also considered Cav but he didn't win the Green Jersey which I imagine was the number one goal for his year, whatever he might say to the contrary.

I would have to mention A Schleck (only man to push AC), Wiggins (proving to people he isn't just a track bully) and Lance (the old man managed to prove there is life in the old dog yet)

Finally if the prize was for who you have most enjoyed watching ride a bike, then Cancellara gets it. Some great time trialling as ever and some fantastic descents. A stronger classics showing and he would be my rider of the year.

blazing_saddles

I'm not saying he was the rider of the year, but at least the guy rides the year.
Last year, Phil Gilbert won the Het Volk . Gave it a good shot, this year.
First weekend in March.
Just off the Spring classics podiums, riders two Grand Tours, takes a stage.
Finishes off by winning 4 of the final major races of the season.

My type of star. Not one for these part time prima donnas.

misterfrostie

Peaty :P

Kléber

Contador: a bit of reluctance with his Puerto links but hey. He dealt with enormous pressure. From the moment he was told he was going on a 90 minute ride "for the cameras" in Tenerife but in fact Armstrong planned a five hour ride up the mountains, to the day he had to drive down Ventoux in his brother's car, he's had it all to do. He did it.

Cavendish: dominates the sprints.

Andy Schleck: winning a classic and second in the Tour, arguably he's done better than Evans.

Cancellara: the best rouleur of his generation. He won a tailor-made Tour de Suisse, he's so good race organisers actually tweak their routes to suit him. He'll be back for more in 2010. I'd pick him for PTP Paris-Roubaix already.

Gilbert: classy, the protoype classics rider these days and outspoken on doping too.

Prats of the year: Di Luca, Gianni "è CERA, CERA?" Savio, Lance "from awareness to media blackout" Armstrong and the consistently disappointing Pat McQuaid.

finchy

Well, my nominations would be:

Contador for being a GT winner who goes for the wins in smaller races.
Cavendish - simply the best at what he does
Evans - unlucky in the Vuelta, superb attack to take the Worlds
EBH - the future is here

But in first place, I've got to go for Gilbert, for doing well in so many different types of races.

A hilly monument, sprinter's classic, podium in a cobbled monument and a couple of 4th places in the Ardennes - for a one day racer, you really couldn't ask for anything more in these days of specialisation.

teagar

Cancellara.

He's been more exciting than the rest of the peleton combined. Whenver he does something, the race seems to kick off. He was even exciting when he was doing rubbish in the Vuelta - towing a big group back up to the peleton on his own

Even he he was rubbish during Flanders he still made a story by snapping his chain.

He even made the world champs TT exciting - no easy feat.

Cancellara, man of the season.

Harry182

Evans' long season of classy performances (possibly excepting TdF) does it for me. Very pleased with his brilliant WC winning attack - hoping that it has put the final nail into the coffin of his reputation as a wheel-follower.

sonny73

I would have to say my personal favorites this year have been:

Cancellara; a poor start to the season suddenly exploded in to some truly jaw dropping performances.
Contador; much the same reasons already noted, to endure what he has this season, keep his mouth shut and let the wheels do the magic. And watching him climb is a joy.
Cavendish; again for being the best in his department by a country mile.
Gilbert; the one day master for the year in my opinion.
Evans; for displaying a master class in persistence.
Downing; for being the domestic star and getting the much deserved pro contract at last.
Wiggins; for the excitement he gave us watching him turn in to a GT contender. Awesome to watch.
Armstrong; for coming back and getting 3rd.

Then I would have to give special mentions, for the enjoyment they have given this year, to Luis Leon Sanchez, Sammy Sanchez, Stijn Devolder, Andy Schleck and to Johnny Hoogerland the attacking nutter he is, great to watch.
I still feel like I have missed someone but hey.

If I absolutely had to pick one though I would go with Cancellara, top bloke, great rider and the kind of standard bearer the sport needs

iainf72

I don't know.

Contador for practically winning anything he rode in, however the long disappearing act before the Vuelta made me uneasy.

Cavendish is worthy of praise but he makes sprints even duller than they usually are

If I picked one person it would be Cadel - Raced from February and won the best race of the season in style.

Gilbert has also been fantastic

dave_1

1. Contador

2. Evans

3. Armstrong

4. Wiggins

5. Cav

afx237vi

I'd have to go for Cavendish. I know some people find his dominance boring, but that alone shows how good he is at what he does. He is utterly clinical in his finishing, rarely makes a mistake, and the Champs Elysees finish this year proved that he is way, way ahead of his rivals. In fact, he doesn't really have any rivals.

Milan San-Remo, 9 GT stages... rider of the year.

calvjones

Gilbert.


Hard to argue against AC or Cav I know but neither of them need an ounce of nous to win as they're the best physiologically. Different in one dayers

ms_tree

I would agree about Gilbert, but for me the rider of the year is Heinrich Haussler. I've kept an eye on him for some time ever since he was a 'FAB 4' so I was really pleased that he has fulfilled his promise this year. May it continue.

eh

Cav number 1 without question.

The Gilbert follwoed by Cancerella then Contrador.

andyxm

Gilbert in my opinion, as much for the way he rides as for the results, although they were very impressive.

josame

The Prodigy: Valverde - probably would have won the tour had he been allowed to enter and probably would have won the World Champs had he still not been giddy from his Vuelta victory a week earlier.

WHAT! WHAT are you on???

Are you sure he would have lived with AC or AS at the Tour?

Apart from the pre tour warm up event that you mentioned, Contador was far better in the early part of the season that valverde

Wins the weakest GT in a slimmed down field and earns a 2 year holiday bye bye.

AC is the only answer for this question

redddraggon

Vino

LangerDan

Despite the fact that he was determined to spend much of 2009 seeing exactly how far he could screw things up, Tom Boonen still had the sort of year that most pros would have been happy to achieve in a career - a national championship title, an imperious win in Paris Roubaix, podium in Paris Tours and several smaller wins.

Still, he pales in comparison with THE rider of 2009

step forward, Kenny Van Hummel

Tusher

Emma Pooley.

Mark Cavendish.

teagar

LangerDan wrote:

Despite the fact that he was determined to spend much of 2009 seeing exactly how far he could screw things up, Tom Boonen still had the sort of year that most pros would have been happy to achieve in a career - a national championship title, an imperious win in Paris Roubaix, podium in Paris Tours and several smaller wins.

Still, he pales in comparison with THE rider of 2009

step forward, Kenny Van Hummel

Finally, another Boonen fan! 8)

Van Hummel certainly derseves a mention for mental toughness!

redddraggon

teagar wrote:

LangerDan wrote:

Despite the fact that he was determined to spend much of 2009 seeing exactly how far he could screw things up, Tom Boonen still had the sort of year that most pros would have been happy to achieve in a career - a national championship title, an imperious win in Paris Roubaix, podium in Paris Tours and several smaller wins.

Still, he pales in comparison with THE rider of 2009

step forward, Kenny Van Hummel

Finally, another Boonen fan! 8)

I'm definitely a Boonen fan. Paris-Roubaix is by far my favourite race, and any rider that routinely does well in P-R is one of my Favourites.

teagar

redddraggon wrote:

teagar wrote:

LangerDan wrote:

Despite the fact that he was determined to spend much of 2009 seeing exactly how far he could screw things up, Tom Boonen still had the sort of year that most pros would have been happy to achieve in a career - a national championship title, an imperious win in Paris Roubaix, podium in Paris Tours and several smaller wins.

Still, he pales in comparison with THE rider of 2009

step forward, Kenny Van Hummel

Finally, another Boonen fan! 8)

I'm definitely a Boonen fan. Paris-Roubaix is by far my favourite race, and any rider that routinely does well in P-R is one of my Favourites.

Ah he's just a legend. Really knows how to take a race by the scruff of its neck. May have lost a bit of his sprinting edge but he's got so much strength right now! The legs he had at Paris-Roubaix and even Paris-Tour were sensational. Reads a race very well.

I still think the absolute mega-watts of Cancellara do it for me though (in terms of rider of the year. Boonen's still my favourite...). He's gone stratospheric this season. Doesn't quite have the same strengh as Boonen over the real tough distances, but my god is it a sight when he turns it on!

finchy

teagar wrote:

LangerDan wrote:

Despite the fact that he was determined to spend much of 2009 seeing exactly how far he could screw things up, Tom Boonen still had the sort of year that most pros would have been happy to achieve in a career - a national championship title, an imperious win in Paris Roubaix, podium in Paris Tours and several smaller wins.

Still, he pales in comparison with THE rider of 2009

step forward, Kenny Van Hummel

Finally, another Boonen fan! 8)

Van Hummel certainly derseves a mention for mental toughness!

I'm sure that Tom Boonen will very soon be recognised as the greatest northern classics rider of all time.

teagar

johnfinch wrote:

teagar wrote:

LangerDan wrote:

Despite the fact that he was determined to spend much of 2009 seeing exactly how far he could screw things up, Tom Boonen still had the sort of year that most pros would have been happy to achieve in a career - a national championship title, an imperious win in Paris Roubaix, podium in Paris Tours and several smaller wins.

Still, he pales in comparison with THE rider of 2009

step forward, Kenny Van Hummel

Finally, another Boonen fan! 8)

Van Hummel certainly derseves a mention for mental toughness!

I'm sure that Tom Boonen will very soon be recognised as the greatest northern classics rider of all time.

And so he should be! I'd venture more talented than Museeuw.... 8)

finchy

teagar wrote:

And so he should be! I'd venture more talented than Museeuw.... 8)

Current record for wins at P-R: 4
Current record for wins at Flanders: 3

As Boonen's won P-R 3 times and Flanders 2, he just needs 2 more wins to be the very best.

Not to forget G-W and all of the semi-classics.

AndyRubio

Contador for beating Lance despite everything that Ol' Tex threw at him, and for disobeying team orders. Who cares about what's said over the radio?

Special award to Menchov for falling off lots.

RichN95.

Well this is who the Belgians gave their Flandrien Award for best international (i.e. not Belgian) rider to. Not sure about the suit though.

http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=2 ... prov=getty

blim

in no particular order: Cancellara, Gilbert, Cavendish, and despite his off-the-bike stupidity, Boonen.

LangerDan

RichN95 wrote:

Well this is who the Belgians gave their Flandrien Award for best international (i.e. not Belgian) rider to. Not sure about the suit though.

http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/photo?slug=2 ... prov=getty

He must have robbed Ronan Keating's house while they were all at the funeral.

Kléber

Respect to Cavendish for winning a great award.



But...the man from Del Monte, he disappear up his own ar$e.