Greatest Domestique

Corporate Ascents
Corporate Ascents Posts: 56
edited June 2010 in Pro race
These can be the forgotten men of the peloton.

Who is the greatest domestique of all time - I know Sean Yates was very well thought of by everyone so I am going to go for him.

Suggestions and stories of bravery are welcome.
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Comments

  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    Jens of the current lot
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    Hardly a forgotten man but...

    George Hincapie - on the team for eight Tour wins, then switched to being in a sprint train that won ten sprint stages in two Tours.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Dammit Dave, thats the second thread you've beat me too.

    I'll go Greg LeMond for the Badger
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Dammit Dave, thats the second thread you've beat me too.

    I'll go Greg LeMond for the Badger

    sorry :) to be fair GregL signed on as a domestique with gritted teeth in 1985 but got a massive pay packet way above Kelly and Roche at the time

    I always liked Ludo Peters, Kwantum and Superconfex...those guys appeared to me to be the first real lead out train but Nijdam feelanced now and again, then PDM with Jean Paul Van Voppel had a train and then Cipo, can't remember abdu having a lot at Carrera .
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Marco Velo worked for Pantani on his Giro/Tour double and latterly for Cipo in his World Champs season.

    Of the current crop Hulsmans seems to look after Boonen well.
    "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
  • rjh299
    rjh299 Posts: 721
    RichN95 wrote:
    Hardly a forgotten man but...

    George Hincapie - on the team for eight Tour wins, then switched to being in a sprint train that won ten sprint stages in two Tours.

    +1
    Just for his kick last year on the Champs Elysees. Awesome
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    I always liked Johan Van Summeren when Robbie McEwen was winning sprints for fun. He'd tow the bunch along in his wheel for a bout 7 of the last 10 km
  • EKIMIKE
    EKIMIKE Posts: 2,232
    edited June 2010
    Sylvester Szmyzd. Always killing himself on the front for leaky.
    Renshaw for Cav
    Theo Bos for carrying Cokes on Roubaix cobbles heheh
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Merckx for Simpson....

    Hinault for Lemond...

    *ahem*
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Jean Francois Bernard

    and 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
  • secretsqirrel
    secretsqirrel Posts: 2,123
    Andreas Kloden is absolutely the guy to have on your side, as I am sure Ullrich, Vino, Contador & Armstrong would testify. A unusual mixture of talent and unselfishness.
  • guv001
    guv001 Posts: 688
    RichN95 wrote:
    Hardly a forgotten man but...

    George Hincapie - on the team for eight Tour wins, then switched to being in a sprint train that won ten sprint stages in two Tours.

    +1 on that
  • top_bhoy
    top_bhoy Posts: 1,424
    I don't know if he was the greatest of all time but Ekimov always seemed to do selfless work for his team leader and still managed on occassions to steal some of the limelight for himself.
  • alanmcn1
    alanmcn1 Posts: 531
    Armstrong for Contador :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

    I'll get my coat

    On a serious note big Mig for Delgado before he became the terminator
    Robert Millar for knighthood
  • Possibly controversial but here goes.

    Robert Miller for Greg LeMond in the tour when riding for Z
  • ms_tree
    ms_tree Posts: 1,405
    Xente Garcia Acosta.
    'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
    Neil Gaiman
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Recently - Nibali for Basso.


    but my vote goes to Hincapie.
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    Eddy Schepers for being the only guy who stood by Roche in the 87 Giro and being practically his entire team.


    Anorak point: Schepers is the only guy to have ridden in the same team as both triple crown winners.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,436
    Andy for Frank.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • paulcuthbert
    paulcuthbert Posts: 1,016
    Hincapie, for reasons everyone has already said - and Kloden.

    Armstrong did work for Contador some of the time...
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Ms Tree wrote:
    Xente Garcia Acosta.

    Caisse d'Epargne is full of them. Kirienka, Lastras, Arroyo (well he was a domestique until last month), Fran Perez, Bruseghin... can you imagine Cadel Evans with a team like that?

    Was really impressed by Jeannesson in the Giro too.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    24 posts and no mention of Charly Wegelius? He's been working his socks off for his team leaders for the past 10 years.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Marc Wauters; got to go his own chances once in a while, and a very goot TTer, but most of the time a very loyal domestique

    Erwin Nijboer; Indurain's shadow, with very similar height and physique as Miguelon, so he could immediately offer his bike in case of a puncture.
  • top_bhoy
    top_bhoy Posts: 1,424
    andyp wrote:
    24 posts and no mention of Charly Wegelius? He's been working his socks off for his team leaders for the past 10 years.

    The greatest domestique doesn't sell-out his team leader for 30 pieces of silver during a race -so Charly Wegelius doesn't even get to the starting gate.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    It's funny, BC seen to have moved on from that (and frankly I never had any problem with what Southam and Wegelius did as they are professional bike riders and if Roger Hammond genuinely wanted their assistance he should have fronted up the cash) yet some people on here still like to rake over it.
  • top_bhoy
    top_bhoy Posts: 1,424
    andyp wrote:
    It's funny, BC seen to have moved on from that (and frankly I never had any problem with what Southam and Wegelius did as they are professional bike riders and if Roger Hammond genuinely wanted their assistance he should have fronted up the cash) yet some people on here still like to rake over it.

    Raking over it - I only highlighted the flaw in your nomination. :wink:
  • Lillywhite
    Lillywhite Posts: 742
    Jens Voight.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    Top_Bhoy wrote:

    Raking over it - I only highlighted the flaw in your nomination. :wink:

    You could argue he played the perfect domestique role that day, just for the wrong team. :wink: