2010 awards

Gazzaputt

Team - HTC Columbia
GT rider - A Schleck
Classics rider - Philip Gilbert
Sprinter - Cav
TTer - Cancellara
Grand Tour - Giro
Other tour - ToB
Monument -
Classic - Paris Roubaix
Walking disaster - uCI
Idiot - Floyd Landis

afx237vi

disgruntledgoat wrote:

Not sure where all this Euskaltel hate is coming from... One glib comment at one race?

Totally agree with this. If Lloyd hadn't made that bleeding carrot comment, no-one would even have noticed.

afx237vi

Team - Liquigas. No contest.
GT rider - Nibali.
Classics rider - Cancellara.
Sprinter - Cavendish.
TTer - Cancellara.
Grand Tour - Giro narrowly edges it over the Vuelta.
Other tour - Tirreno-Adriatico. Ignatiev's solo win was amazing, uphill finishes virtually every day, and the win decided by an intermediate sprint on the last day. Great racing.
Monument - Flanders.
Classic - "Classic" is stretching the definition a bit, but the best one-day race I saw this year was the GP Montreal.
Walking disaster - Pat McQuaid.
Idiot - See above.

Monty Dog

Team - Vacansoleil for putting it to the big boys
GT rider - Nibbles for being human and not an automaton
Classics rider - Gilbert
Sprinter - Cav
TTer - David Millar
Grand Tour - Giro every time - Stage 7 was an epic
Other tour - Basque Country
Monument - Monte Paschi because it deserves to be one
Classic - K-B-K or Ian Stannard's ride
Walking disaster - Pat McQuaid (dead man walking?)
Idiot - Mosquera

greeny12

Rick Chasey wrote:

To the people voting Gilbert as the best classics rider:

Why not Cancellara?

After all, spring classics have much more competition, and Cancellara absolutely dominated the cobbled classics season, against very good, in form opposition.

That Pip's biggest rival in Lombardy was Scarponi should tell you it wasn't the most competative ever - and in the races where there was competition - Liege & the World Champs, he didn't make it.

Also, it's "favourite" not best. For me Gilbert wins because I have more confidence in him than most riders...

rick_chasey

greeny12 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

To the people voting Gilbert as the best classics rider:

Why not Cancellara?

After all, spring classics have much more competition, and Cancellara absolutely dominated the cobbled classics season, against very good, in form opposition.

That Pip's biggest rival in Lombardy was Scarponi should tell you it wasn't the most competative ever - and in the races where there was competition - Liege & the World Champs, he didn't make it.

Also, it's "favourite" not best. For me Gilbert wins because I have more confidence in him than most riders...

Ah true. It does help to read the OP...

My Classics favourite would naturally change to Boonen then...

mididoctors

Rick Chasey wrote:

To the people voting Gilbert as the best classics rider:

Why not Cancellara?

After all, spring classics have much more competition, and Cancellara absolutely dominated the cobbled classics season, against very good, in form opposition.

That Pip's biggest rival in Lombardy was Scarponi should tell you it wasn't the most competative ever - and in the races where there was competition - Liege & the World Champs, he didn't make it.

Gilbert gave it a damm good go at the worlds.

Chinny was pretty awesome on the cobbles


well lets face it MEGA AWESOME

it was close but Gilbert gets it because he wasn't as good.... ie he had to take big risks.

fabs growing strength across the 3 cobbled races was very impressive... i thought he peaked at flanders and was going to tail off but he actually got stronger.

Roubaix was preposterous



which one or either is going to get all the monuments first?

ju5t1n

favourites, 'best' is too statistical

Team - Vacansoleil
GT rider - Nibbles
Classics rider - Gilbert
Sprinter - Cavendish
TTer - David Millar
Grand Tour - Giro d'Italia
Other tour - Britain
Monument - Flanders
Classic - Fleche Wallonne
Walking disaster - Fat Pat
Idiot - Landis

finchy

afx237vi wrote:

disgruntledgoat wrote:

Not sure where all this Euskaltel hate is coming from... One glib comment at one race?

Totally agree with this. If Lloyd hadn't made that bleeding carrot comment, no-one would even have noticed.

Comedy is all to do with timing.

When you take out a team-mate wearing the leader's jersey, your team not having won a stage race or major classic in years, people will see you as a walking disaster.

Personally they're one of my favourite teams, and I really wanted Anton to win the Vuelta.

finchy

Rick Chasey wrote:

To the people voting Gilbert as the best classics rider:

Why not Cancellara?

After all, spring classics have much more competition, and Cancellara absolutely dominated the cobbled classics season, against very good, in form opposition.

That Pip's biggest rival in Lombardy was Scarponi should tell you it wasn't the most competative ever - and in the races where there was competition - Liege & the World Champs, he didn't make it.

The absolute unbeatable dominance of Fab C versus the versatility of Pip Gilbert. Who you think is best is personal choice.

calvjones

Team - BBox. Gotta love em
GT rider - Jurgen, for winning me real cash!
Classics rider - Pip. Nuff Said
Sprinter - No contest
TTer - David Millar.
Grand Tour - Giro d'Italia
Other tour - Nothing grabbed me
Monument - Crap season for Big Classics, entertainment-wise. M-SR for the unpredictable predictability
Classic - Gotta be Cuddles gurning his way past Clem-boy. Ace. Or Amstel.
Walking disaster - Pick a McQuaid. Any McQuaid
Idiot - Me in PTP

rick_chasey

mididoctors wrote:

Roubaix was preposterous

OK, which was better.

That, or him at the top of the Muur?

I know we get a sexy helicopter shot with Roubaix so we can have a cool lif Gif but he left a very in form Boonen totally for dust on the Muur. When that helicopter pans out post Muur, the gap is almost unbelievable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajQkrXGUHRg

FJS

Team - Vacansoleil, for attacking riding
GT rider - Basso for winning the toughest GT of the year
Classics rider - Cancellara for dominating in the races the races he had set his mind on (Gilbert was dominating in many races but did not win the one he really wanted)
Sprinter - Freire for winning both the biggest races for sprinters of the year
TTer - Tony Martin for beating Cancellara twice in one year
Grand Tour - Giro d'Italia
Other tour - Tour of Poland: cobbles, summit finishes, attacking riding, millions of heartbeats
Monument - De Ronde, nice duel for a while, the closest to providing any level of suspense this year
Classic - Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, great to watch warm and dry inside
Walking disaster - Daan Luijkx; was just lucky Mosquera hadn't convinced him to also sign David Garcia
Idiot - Davide Cassani,for again having no clue of the effects of what he says, this time not to cycling's benefit

mididoctors

Rick Chasey wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

Roubaix was preposterous

OK, which was better.

That, or him at the top of the Muur?

I know we get a sexy helicopter shot with Roubaix so we can have a cool lif Gif but he left a very in form Boonen totally for dust on the Muur. When that helicopter pans out post Muur, the gap is almost unbelievable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajQkrXGUHRg

Roubaix because the distance till the end and the complete expression of defeat in everyone else's legs

but Flanders was perhaps more fun to watch



Boonen did blow up so the gap was bound to appear more where as at Roubaix even collectively no one could follow.

OTOH in hindsight he was miles down the road from that heli shot

you are right about that

rick_chasey

Either way, he's a ridiculously special rider - I'd imagine the likes we won't really see again. It's such a powerful weapon and when he's in form I find it really very thrilling knowing it's there, ready to be unleashed. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that gap post-Muur, and then the way the gap eeked out to over a minute in 10km, over not just Boonen but also Pip and Leukemans behind, who were not catching Boonen either!

After that, his 50km-out Roubaix victory seemed much less exciting, because, with that in mind, you knew once he was off, that was that.

But even his TTing is amazing. Over any distance for a TT, prologue or massive 50km TT with even just a bit of form is largely unbeatable. That's what's so amazing.

A genuinely complete TTer, at any distance, who can also properly race and win classics. How many other TTers in the peleton race as shrewdly and agressively as he can?

Best rider of the year for me. Pip doesn't come close because in the big races he targeted that had proper competition, i.e. Flanders, LBL and the Worlds, Pip didn't win. I don't think he's quite shrewd enough yet.

Sure he got a third in Flanders, but let's be honest, Boonen and Canc were in a different league to him on that day.

Still would rather see Boonen win any race mind...

mididoctors

Rick Chasey wrote:

Still would rather see Boonen win any race mind...

Boonen needs use his head more

rick_chasey

mididoctors wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Still would rather see Boonen win any race mind...

Boonen needs use his head more

You think?

I just think he's been beaten by better legs this year - Freire and Cancellara.

People criticised him for the way he rode Roubaix, but, the point when Canc attacked aside, (and let's be honest, a 50km solo attack/win is unusual...), he rode it very similarly to the way he did in 2009, when everyone praised him for his fantastic attacking, which made the race selection.

mididoctors

Rick Chasey wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Still would rather see Boonen win any race mind...

Boonen needs use his head more

You think?

I just think he's been beaten by better legs this year - Freire and Cancellara.

.

I rest my case

rick_chasey

mididoctors wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Still would rather see Boonen win any race mind...

Boonen needs use his head more

You think?

I just think he's been beaten by better legs this year - Freire and Cancellara.

.

I rest my case

Touché..

How should he have ridden this season differently?

mididoctors

the spring classic season on reflection was pretty interesting

P-R was a bit too wtf

chinnys exploits will be remembered (exactly how is to be seen)

finchy

Rick Chasey wrote:

How should he have ridden this season differently?

I thought he could have wheelsucked Cancellara in Flanders instead of cooperating with him.

Boonen was the best sprinter in the final group if my memory serves me correctly, so if he and Fab had come back to the group he would have been in a very strong position to win it.

And if Fab had continued with his attack Boonen would have conserved a lot of energy by not taking his turn on front.

But I'm speaking with hindsight and I'm sure the Quickstep team have already worked that one out for themselves.

mididoctors

johnfinch wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

How should he have ridden this season differently?

I thought he could have wheelsucked Cancellara in Flanders instead of cooperating with him.

.

bit un-Belgium thou

he shouldn't have tried to ride for a selection at Roubaix so early thats for sure

rick_chasey

mididoctors wrote:

johnfinch wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

How should he have ridden this season differently?

I thought he could have wheelsucked Cancellara in Flanders instead of cooperating with him.

.

bit un-Belgium thou

he shouldn't have tried to ride for a selection at Roubaix so early thats for sure

You might be right. I think the lack of QS support spooked him a bit. He's much more comfortable in a break with the favourites than in a bigger group without support.

ms_tree

After a bit of thought
Cervelo
Sastre (might not have won but rode 3 tours)
Hushovd
Farrar
Tony Martin (I ALMOST put Millar but resisted in time. Wouldn't like to break the habit of a life time!)
Giro (esp Strade Bianche stage)
Vuelta
Lombardy
LBL
Sky
L Armstong