Most talented rider of the past 5 years.

rick_chasey

I'm clearly bored and want the cycling season to start.

Your thoughts?

I heard rumblings at the BR Xmas meet up that there are people more knowledgable than I am who rate Evans as the most talented.

Cavendish is certainly there, though it's not quite that well rounded amazingness of a GT rider/winner. It's quite specialist.

Anyway, let's hear it.

You can choose to break it down into categories if you want, though prepare for the likes of me to dispute said categories. I personally think a GT winner is a more talented cyclist than a prolific stage winning sprinter for example.


(and try to refrain from disputing whether someone's on the jungle juice or not. As far as I am concerned, if everyone is on the juice yet you are more receptive to the juice, that's a talent that makes you cycle quicker)

sonny73

I would have said Contador and in fact if we are going over the last 5 years pre-beefgate then I still would.
But as the jury is still out on that one as a whole personally maybe Cancellara or Gilbert.

neilo23

Best climber: Contador
Best one day racer: Cancellara
Best time trialist: Cancellara
Best sprinter: Cavendish
Best retired legend: Simoni
Best at whisky drinking and not training: Me

Purely looking at results, I don't see how you can argue about the first 4 (and probably the last one, too).

cal_stewart

gilbert for me.

RichN95.

The only one who can do everything (climb, TT, sprint, attack) is Valverde

I suspect Evans may be the most 'naturally' talented.

Wiggins is the probably one who has successfully tried his hand at the most aspects of cycling.

Cavendish is probably the only one who could be considered the best ever at what he does. Cancellara might also be considered (as a TTer), plus he has all those monuments.

I realize you probably only mean the men, but Marianne Vos - World Champ at road, track and cross.

rick_chasey

neilo23 wrote:

Best climber: Contador
Best one day racer: Cancellara
Best time trialist: Cancellara
Best sprinter: Cavendish
Best retired legend: Simoni
Best at whisky drinking and not training: Me

Purely looking at results, I don't see how you can argue about the first 4 (and probably the last one, too).

Alright - of those, who is the most talented rider?

rick_chasey

RichN95 wrote:

The only one who can do everything (climb, TT, sprint, attack) is Valverde

I suspect Evans may be the most 'naturally' talented.

Wiggins is the probably one who has successfully tried his hand at the most aspects of cycling.

Cavendish is probably the only one who could be considered the best ever at what he does. Cancellara might also be considered (as a TTer), plus he has all those monuments.

I realize you probably only mean the men, but Marianne Vos - World Champ at road, track and cross.

You're right, Vos would rinse everyone on this, but I did mean men.

Pick one!

(and justify it, otherwise it's less fun :P )

RichN95.

Rick Chasey wrote:

Pick one!

(and justify it, otherwise it's less fun :P )

OK. Cavendish. Because I haven't seen anyone as good at doing what he does before.

Everyone else, I can say: He's good, but he's not as good as....

rick_chasey

RichN95 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Pick one!

(and justify it, otherwise it's less fun :P )

OK. Cavendish. Because I haven't seen anyone as good at doing what he does before.

Everyone else, I can say: He's good, but he's not as good as....

Playing devil's advocate here.

Do you not think that Cavendish's skill, though clearly stunning for notching up stage wins, is a little niche? Sure he can sprint, but his talents are a little limited in the broader world of road cycling.

RichN95.

Rick Chasey wrote:

Playing devil's advocate here.

Do you not think that Cavendish's skill, though clearly stunning for notching up stage wins, is a little niche? Sure he can sprint, but his talents are a little limited in the broader world of road cycling.

This is why I originally gave you more than one answer. Pick which one you want.

rick_chasey

RichN95 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Playing devil's advocate here.

Do you not think that Cavendish's skill, though clearly stunning for notching up stage wins, is a little niche? Sure he can sprint, but his talents are a little limited in the broader world of road cycling.

This is why I originally gave you more than one answer. Pick which one you want.

haha, ooo.

I'd pick Evans. If I didn't know the parcour, and I'd pick someone, he'd be the best hedge.

bigmat

Has to be Contador, clearly the best stage racer over the last 5 years, damn good time trialler as well. Comes with a great big caveat unfortunately.

Matt the Tester

id say the swiss TT machine!

he's just incredible! i remember like it was yesterday when he rode away from Boonen on the cobbles!

neilo23

Which one's most talented? Difficult to say. Is a painter more talented than a musician? Cavendish is the most talented sprinter but he's not a talented climber. To win stage races you have to be able to climb and time trial well but sprinting isn't so important. So the most talented list, in my opinion, has to be categorised. A Jack-of-all-trades most talented would be someone like Evans. Certainly due to the consistency of his results. A tricky one, this.

Gazzaputt

I'd have to say Sparticus.

Guy is a pure engine and lovely to watch on a bike.

iainf72

steady rider wrote:

he's just incredible! i remember like it was yesterday when he rode away from Boonen on the cobbles!

In the Ronde?

I say Evans is the most naturally talented all round.

rick_chasey

neilo23 wrote:

Which one's most talented? Difficult to say. Is a painter more talented than a musician? Cavendish is the most talented sprinter but he's not a talented climber. To win stage races you have to be able to climb and time trial well but sprinting isn't so important. So the most talented list, in my opinion, has to be categorised. A Jack-of-all-trades most talented would be someone like Evans. Certainly due to the consistency of his results. A tricky one, this.

Ja quite.

It's not quite the same as a painter being more talented than a musician. Ultimately, road cycling is still cycling on the road. It's the same action with your legs.

I bet Cavendish could beat us all up the Tourmalet by miles, for example.

Moomaloid

Rick! Boonen must be devastated....

Kléber

iainf72 wrote:

I say Evans is the most naturally talented all round.

Good pick. I'd also add Gilbert and EBH but they still have plenty to come.

frenchfighter

I was going to say Contador - he is not a one trick pony and is consistently excellent. The ranking prove this. But being jogged by Rich's post, I'd say Valverde as most talented. GTs, 1week, 1 day, Ardennes, Sprinting, Climbing, Time trialling - he can and has and will do it all with success. I'd also mention Joaquim, Cadel and although not excellent at everything, LLS is very good at most things.

dougzz

Bertie, in the last 5 years, 5 GTs.

Evans is great, but he's tried endlessly to win a GT and failed. No monuments either, but of course the World RR.

I'd put Cancellara and maybe Boonen (I know 2005 was good for him, which would be 6 years) above Gilbert if we're considering the last 5 years.

Valverde obviously in with a shout, Vuelta, a couple of LBL's but....

No, overall I'd say Contador. He has great mental strength and talent.

SunWuKong

Kléber wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

I say Evans is the most naturally talented all round.

Good pick. I'd also add Gilbert and EBH but they still have plenty to come.

IIRC in an interview, Ashenden said that Evans tested at or just below what he believes to be the natural W/Kg limit (somewhere around 6-6.2 I think). On that basis I would go for him as those ahead of him have generally been estimated higher than that.

inkyfingers

It has to be Cancellara, Contador or Valverde, based on the number and variety of top class races they have won. If you exclude Cavendish as he's a niche sprinter rider then you probably have to exclude Gilbert as well as he's a one day specialist, whereas the first three are great in more than one discipline.

In my heart i'd say Cuddles though, purely because I like him. Would love to see him win LBL and or a GT before he retires.

rick_chasey

I wonder if anyone wants to divide the talent lines along physical and mental? For example, Cadel's been the strongest physically, but a little fragile mentality (and perhaps an overkeeness to race too much) has scuppered his chances - whereas someone like Hushovd has clearly done an awful lot when not ever being the top favourite. (it's only an example, but that idea).

blazing_saddles

Vince Nibs.
Uphill, downhill, one day, one week, three weeks, ITT, strada bianche and could probably manage the cobbles.
Cad Evans too, but he's longer in tooth.
Very gifted Valverde might not cope with muck and cobbles quite as well.

Or am I confusing Jack of all trades with talent?

Monty Dog

For talent, particularly without an asterisk, then I'd go for someone up and coming like Eddy Boss or Thomas Lovquist. My suspicion is that Cancellara's performance aren't entirely down to talent, a bit like the Schlecks too, unless of course there's an innocent explanation for paying a gyneacologist 8000 Euros for 'training plans'?

Pross

Evans for me, good enough to win one day races and contend in the big Tours. An outsider and not quite at his full potential yet would be Roche, can win in sprints and medium mountains - give him another year or so and the big mountains may be in his reach.

dulldave

If someone asked me to choose a rider to podium a race without telling me...

-What the course was like
-How many days it went on for
-How much time trialling was involved
-What time of year it was on...

then I'd choose Cadel Evans.

EKIMIKE

For me it's Cancellara. He just looks 'right' on a bike. I think bike handling skills are under-estimated and Cancellara is an absolute master bike handler.

The way he won Flanders and Roubaix last year will always stick in my mind as remarkable moments. He is simply prolific in so much of what he does.

Arguably Contador is up there based on results but you have look at the fact that he's won 3 Tours with only as many individual Stage wins. I can think of very few iconic 'Contador moments'. Verdict: Must eat more beef.

I have to agree though that Evans appears to be the most 'naturally' talented stage racer of the past few years. Aldo Sassi said as much. Just lacking the results in Grand Tours and he's only recently shown an attacking edge. Physically great, mentally not so.

wicked

All of the posters saying Evans can I ask why? Never won a GT, could not even beat Sastre for crying out loud.
Is it because he is supposedly "clean"? Who says he is? Might be charged up to the eyeballs for all we know, probably is.

In my eyes it's motorcus. Never seen anyone demolish his competitors quite so comprehensively.

Pokerface

Evans for me. Most talented all-round, but also one of the unluckiest which is the only reason think he hasn't had as much success as some of the other riders.