Least Liked Current Pro

rick_chasey

OK - so we have our favourite pro riders. And a discussion on xenophobia.

How about least favourite?

Naturally, people aren't going to like the dopers and those who eat shady beef, but what about people who you think you should like, or have no proper reason not to, but don't.

(note - hate is a purely sporting thing. It's not some nasty personal vendetta against them. It's a bit of a laugh)

For example, for no good reason, I really don't like Renshaw.

I always wanted Big George to have a stinker.

Used to like Basso untill I watched overcoming.

Used to really hate Evans untill recently.

Still definitely hate Leipheimer and Horner. Especially Leipheimer.

Of the younger guys? Sagen and EBH do nothing for me.

But Leipheimer wins for least liked for me.

Turfle

Struggle to get excited over wins by awesome riders: Gilbert, Cance, Contador. Obviously they're extraordinary riders, but a bit tedious.

Haussler.

andyjr

Not a big fan of Hushovd or Pettachi for that matter

P_Tucker

Cav and Rasmussen. Twunts.

JamieRa

Contador-Doper!

RichN95.

Di Luca. Even before he got busted.

And Pozzato.

And I really can't be doing with Contador (again, long before he eat his steak).

Edit: (having looked at other postings). Haussler. I really don't like Haussler.

And Hoogerland.

disgruntledgoat

I was waiting for this, let me sharpen my knives....

Cancellara gets my goat. Every time he gets to the front of a race he seems to do something to dick me off... Be it impersonating Bernard Hinault on the Tour or moaning that nobody will let him beat them at Roubaix.

EBH I don't like either. It's not his fault. He just isn't "The Greatest Rider Since Merckx"

I know, I'm actually obliged o mention that every few weeks.

celbianchi

Leipheimer, no real reason, he just irritates me.

disgruntledgoat

Oh and Vaughters has really been getting on my wick too.

It's probably nothing to do with him. I don't beleive he's managing his team or doing anything any differently to how he always has. It's just when you read about people getting up their necks in politics and you realise that for all his "we're dead quirky" nonsense, he's a politician like every other sports administrator and asks Pats permission to sign riders.

pb21

I hate all the foreign riders.

Seriously though Contador, just seems a bit boring for someone who should be exciting.

pat1cp

Colin Montgomerie :twisted: :oops:

FJS

Apart from the obvious ones like Ricco, Rasmussen or Schumacher

Voeckler - never liked him, although his camera-attention seeking is less tedious than it used to be, and he doesn't just attack when there's camera's around but actually tries to win races
Kloden, Leipheimer, Popovych and much of Radioshack
Kreuziger - don't know why, perhaps because I think he was overrated

edited to add: I don't particularly dislike Wiggins (not excited by him either) or don't half dislike Contador as much as some so, but what I can't stand is when riders declare the season over in August, and they're recent examples

inkyfingers

Please note that ther is not a lot of logice behind these, just the ramblings of a man whose had hardly any sleep and is only posting this to avoid changing his daughters smelly nappy...

Leipheimer for just being dull.

Haussler for being a miserable sod and for always coming up for a reason why it's not his fault he lost.

Hushovd is in the same group as Haussler in terms of charater, but at least he has more quality wins to back it up.

Contador, fantastically talented on a bike but boring off it. I didn't mind him before cowgate but now i somehow find him sickening.

Cancellara, once again awesome on a bike, but his patron antics in the tour last year really annoyed me. Starting to get a little bit big for his boots....

Andy Schleck for having the personality of a wet fish and for only racing the tour and maybe one other day each year. Much prefer his brother who is a much more interesting racer and has wider palmares.

iainf72

Andy Schleck - Can't bear all that faux goofyness and niceness

Cavendish : Anyone who thinks people don't like them because they win a lot deserves my scorn.

Wiggins : He seems ok sometimes and then says something ridiculous and gets my back up.

Gerdermann : Like walking into a magnolia room levels of dullness

Devolder

Voeckler for the same reasons as FJS

Sammy Sanchez

secretsqirrel

Me too for Andy Schleck. I wouldn't wish him any harm, but just cannot warm to him.
His sulky face put me off when he expected Alberto to wait.

afx237vi

inkyfingers wrote:

Andy Schleck for having the personality of a wet fish and for only racing the tour and maybe one other day each year. Much prefer his brother who is a much more interesting racer and has wider palmares.

Was going to post the same thing. Andy really gets on my nerves - he must end each race with a sore neck, the amount of time he spends looking backwards for Frank/Jakob/Linus. Just go and win it for yourself ffs!

Frank is less annoying, but I still wouldn't call myself a fan.

Leif Hoste used to annoy me, too, for the same reason as Andy Schleck.

Kloden. Such a whinger.

Robbie Hunter.

Michael Barry for thinking he's frickin' Ernest Hemingway.

dougzz

I'm going to incur the wrath of half a country here, and certainly the OP, but Boonen leaves me cold. Pozzato, stupid advert, stupid tattoo. Basso and Leipheimer, both just bug me. Hushovd far denying the Manx Missile MBE the green jersey with his underhand (smart and savvy) tactics. Menchov and Freire, because you can watch an entire race and not see them. Last and not least any Australians or Germans, or worse of all Australians that think they're German.

Don't really dislike any of them, just they're the ones I'm least inclined to like.

pat1cp

Don't know that I HATE any of them, don't really know any of them. But Soler deserves a mention, what is he trying to do that bike ?

Tom BB

Andy Schelck-everything from his riding to his celebrations irritates me.

Cant really say that I dislike too many others? I'm not overly keen on Millar or Downing....but respect them all the same.

Robbie Hunter and Julian Dean can get quite tedious too.

gsk82

haussler or hushovd, pair of whingers

RichN95.

Tom BB wrote:

Julian Dean can get quite tedious too.

A friend of mine has a long standing grudge against Dean from when they were at school together. Like all the best grudges, it's really trivial.

paulcuthbert

Cadel Evans

yourpaceormine

Levi L - trying too hard to be a Tedious Texan clone

Cuddles - his cheeks annoy me, and the whole kill your dog thing

Hushovd - is this the worst season a rainbow jersey has ever had? At least Evans rode well in rainbow

The whole of the Astana team past and present - colour scheme is just horrid (it's horrid on Swizzels Refreshers too). Could be because my student summer job was at Swizzels and the turquoise yellow thing is just a flashback nightmare

Kléber

A bit mean to name people!

But if I had to pick, any rider who treats his job like a job, instead of a the best job in the world. Plus most of the Radioshack old guard and the Puerto escapees.

lostboysaint

Cadel Evans - yet another classic example of the nationality that call us the "Whinging Poms" and yet spend their whole lives emitting one pitiful whine after another. Casey Stoner (Tiny Tears) and Ricky Ponting being two other particularly good examples of the breed.

TMR

Rick Chasey wrote:

How about least favourite?

I always wanted Big George to have a stinker.

Used to like Basso untill I watched overcoming.

Used to really hate Evans untill recently.

Funny how we're all different eh?

I love Big George - I think he is a really nice guy, and I like that he has a good family around him. He is my favorite rider in the Peleton and has been since I began to get interested in cycling.

I knew nothing about Ivan Basso really until I watched Overcoming and now I really like him. I thought he came across really well.

I think Evans is a whiney little b*tch - I have no time for him at all.

I don't like Wiggins - I think he promised much but delivered little.

I dislike SKY and do not support them in any race. They are the Chelsea of the cycling world.

I think Ricco needs a good shoeing.

I don't like David Millar either - he's a member of my club as well. It makes me throw reading interviews where he talks about doping controls and the bological passport etc.

I'm sure there's more, but that's all that springs to mind for now.

Abdoujaparov

I used to quietly enjoy watching Leipheimer getting dropped in the mountains. Starting to lose it's shine now though - bit too common.

Pross

Hushovd - never really liked him but dislike him even more for his lack of performance in the rainbow jersey, especially after the justice Evans did it last season.

Hunter - whinger and just not as good as he thinks.

Andy Schleck - not sure why, I just feel he isn't making the most of his ability for some reason.

LangerDan

Voeckler - mainly because he must have the ugliest style of any rider since Virenque. He may be sparky and enthusiastic, but until he can keep his tongue in his gob when he races, he just reminds me of Odie


The Scklecks, though mainly Schleckette, for all the reasons stated to date.

Chris Horner

Canc is beginning to get on my t!ts.

Though as others have pointed out, I couldn't classify it as "hate", or even a major dislike. If any of them called to my door and said "we're going for spin, wanna come?" I'd forget everything my mum said about strangers and be straight out like a flash. ~(though I'd probably have punched Tommy V before we got to the end of my road)

eh

Andy Schleck for the reason already mentioned, stop looking over your shoulder and go win something.

Evans, what a moaner. Likewise Wiggins.

Oh and worst of all Nicole Cooke, no one likes a bad loser. :evil:

Gingerflash

Leipheimer, Horner, most of Radioshack.

Pretty much all of Astana and HTC.

Richie Porte - reminds me of the judge on that TV dancing show, Got to Dance?

Michele Scarponi - I find it hard to believe he's clean. Dodgy team for the last few years, sudden improvement in form in his late 30s. Well dodgy.

Cav - far too arrogant and just a pain in the a%$e. Whines like a good un when it doesn't work out too. Love seeing him beaten, just wish it were more often.

Contador's a given as are all the other unrepentent dopers, Vino, Di Luca etc.

No so much of a problem with Millar though - great style on the bike, interesting chap off the bike.