Worst climber to win a Mountain Top Finish?

takethehighroad
takethehighroad Posts: 6,648
edited June 2011 in Pro race
I was daydreaming at work today and thought of this as a point for debate.

So, what are your suggestions? Maybe keep it to Grand Tours, as I'm sure some shoddy climbers have won an "MTF" at the Eneco Tour et al

Comments

  • avoidingmyphd
    avoidingmyphd Posts: 1,154
    I'll get the obvious one in early, although people are generally too incredulous about it: Hincapie
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Oh I was gonna say Big George.

    Er what about Big Mig ?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,157
    edited June 2011
    Eros Poli over Ventoux in 1994 is the worst climber ever to win a mountain stage by quite a long way. Unfortunately it wasn't an MTF as it went down the other side before finishing.

    As to an actual MTF, there's bound to be someone worse than Hincapie, who was actually a fairly reasonable climber (he was in the top 40 on GC every year from 2004-2009).
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • The Kennington Kaiser
    The Kennington Kaiser Posts: 406
    Eros Poli is a good one but for a MTF what about Jonny Weltz on the Puy de Dome in 1988? Long breakaway and he hung on to take it from Delgado. He couldn't climb much, Weltz not Delgado.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,864
    bertie dietz 1995 vuelta sierra nervada

    gifted by jaja
    "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
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,328
    I've never been entirely sure that Bjarne Riis could actually fly up Hautacam...
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    In recent years, one that comes to mind is Ballan winning the stage to La Rabassa in the 2008 Vuelta. There was quite a bit of climbing talent chasing him up the mountain that day, but he hung on...

    http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=8647

    Although I also remember that day because there was bad rain and fog and the only TV pictures we got was a shot of him crossing the line, so for all we know he got the ski-lift up.
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Salvatore Commesso in Albi about 1999. Not quite a mountain stage, but a hilly Massif Central stage with a hilltop finish.

    Commesso had a lumpy figure for a cyclist, and the mafia looks and manner of a cycling Gennaro Gattuso (the AC Milan midfielder), but rather more smiley than Gattuso - so making him almost, if suspiciously, endearing.
    About then he got a 2-month ban for being found in possesion of not-allowed substances.

    He was still riding professionally in 2009, for a team sponsored by an Estonian chocolate factory.
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    Richard Virenque :twisted:

    No, but really!

    Actually, not quite a mountain top finish but a tough uphill finish on a transitional stage was won by Abdoujaparov in the late 90's I guess. I really enjoyed watching him win that and then lo and behold, he got busted for doping a few days later.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,737
    I was going to say that heffer Eros Poli who managed to get to the bottom of Ventoux with 20 mins in hand, but he went down the other side and won, so that doesn't count.
    _
  • emadden
    emadden Posts: 2,431
    I dont know if Dag Otto Lauritzen was regarded as a climber - he was fairly big... but he did win on Luz Ardiden in 1987....

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw1Eh3BH-To


    EDIT: Just in case anybody is nostalgic about the 1987 ABC Tour de France coverage (showing my age here)... the music is "Nostalgia" by Yanni... (also read that in the above YouTube link.

    Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlkw2dC ... re=related
    **************************************************
    www.dotcycling.com
    ***************************************************
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    Armstrong?

    I mean great classics rider but hardly a climber :lol:
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Poli definitely for the mountains stage - despite his great escape on Ventoux and time gained on the autobus he still finished third last overall in the final GC!

    Video of his climbing here

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxTnLaH3gVA

    Looks to be really struggling yet he still got to the top 35 minutes faster than i did it last year :shock:
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Simon Gerrans in the tour in recent years? 2008 stage to Prato Nevoso.
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    Cumulonimbus wrote:
    Simon Gerrans in the tour in recent years? 2008 stage to Prato Nevoso.

    Simon Gerrans is fairly decent Ardennes type rider, hardly a terrible climber.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Barry Hoban's stage win into Sallanches in the '68 Tour. Don't think it was a mountain top finish, but I'm guessing we won't see Mark Cavendish to do the same thing.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    inkyfingers wrote:
    Cumulonimbus wrote:
    Simon Gerrans in the tour in recent years? 2008 stage to Prato Nevoso.

    Simon Gerrans is fairly decent Ardennes type rider, hardly a terrible climber.

    Good thing i didnt say he was then :wink: Just worse IMO than the other stage winners in the tour in recent years.

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