Your Pro Highlights of 2011

sonny73

What were your highlights of the 2011 season?
I could add many but would say as I'm sure many others will Cav's WC and green wins. Then Wiggo winning the Dauphine and also Wiggo and Froome pummelling the competition in the Vuelta with their fantastic climbing displays.
That aside I will also remember JVS's run in to win Roubaix, being hunted down by a rapidly closing in Cancellara. And finally, a classic Tour, great stuff.

Secteur

Either Thomas Voeckler at the TdF, or Cadel Evans in the mountains in the TdF - a figure of lonely toil & suffering... with a happy ending! Something I often think about when struggling up the local hills!

rick_chasey

Final week of the Tour was very good.

Will never forget Cancellara in E3. That was a real goosebumps ride.

shockedsoshocked

Voeckler in the Tour for me. Just been flattened by a Skoda so spent the duration sat on the Turbo watching it. Always loved his riding and watching him (perhaps?) punch above his weight was fantastic, he showed some fantastic grit. The day he missed that corner and went into that fellas yard I was nearly in tears.

LeicesterLad

Hoogerland not only being hard as nails enough to finish the race after barbed wire wooden post incident, but then having the dignity to accept what happened without moaning, when he was clearly entitled to moan, after he crossed the finish line.

Froome pipping the spaniard to the post on that final bend.

Tony Martin overtaking David Millar in the TT, David Millar time trial extroadinair having started a Minute before.

Contador riding away from everyone time after time in the Giro.

Andy Shleck Losing the tour in miserable style in the TT.

JustinLeeAtkinson

As much as I admire Wiggins victory in the Dauphine, I have never shouted at the TV so loudly as when Froomey won that mountaintop finish in La Vuelta.

Additionally I would vote for Gilbert as he kicked everyone's backside in almost everything he raced in. I also agree with Contador's perfomance in the Giro where he seemed to ride away from everyone with ease.

Monty Dog

Gilbert's panache - to see a rider totally at the top of his game win so majestically - Amstel Gold and L-B-L being great examples.

yakk

Hi LL, couldn't agree with you more re Hoogerland - a truely humbling interview, and continuing the race. What an ambassador for the sport. Also re Froome, so gutsy to get Cobo at the post - a real 100% effort. Evans for taking it on - true grit.
Yak

rick_chasey

Monty Dog wrote:

Gilbert's panache - to see a rider totally at the top of his game win so majestically - Amstel Gold and L-B-L being great examples.

I thought they were the more forgettable races.

LeicesterLad

Rick Chasey wrote:

Monty Dog wrote:

Gilbert's panache - to see a rider totally at the top of his game win so majestically - Amstel Gold and L-B-L being great examples.

I thought they were the more forgettable races.

I sort of agree, Gilberts season was amazing, and he is without a doubt a classy rider. Downside of this is that he sort of made the majority of the season slightly predictable.

Stone Glider

Paris-Roubaix for it's unpredictability.

Champs Elysée for it's predictability.

Doobz

For me it has to be Sylvain Chavanel in the French National Road Race Champs..

If anyone deserves to wear their countries national champs jersey its him. None of this bunch sprint bull sh!t

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZI3EiYE3v8

iainf72

Pretty much the Tour de France. The classics were a bit sucky, the Giro was a howler, the Worlds were deathly boring (I know I know you love the winner, but it was a crap race)

Vuelta was good too. But the Tour was a stone cold classic.

Moomaloid

Chinny in E3 was immense... but it was Pip's winning move in San Sebastian that had my chin on the floor. Awesome! Froome's vuelta must get special mention too.

andyp

Gilbert winning at Liege, whilst not much of a spectacle, was very impressive given the pressure he was under as the overwhelming favourite.

The last two hours of Flanders were fantastic to watch, real edge of the seat stuff.

But the Tour wins hands down, it built slowly but the last ten days were totally gripping.

rebs

For me seeing Wiggins in the national Champs Jersey having the season of his life. The TDF was a downside but all season he seemed to be ball out racing. Although Cav did win the World champs and did have a magic season as well. Seeing the Brit team doing a text book job at teh worlds was a highlight in what was a slow less thrilling race. Seeing Wiggins get a TT medal and a huuuuuge turn at the end of the RR was also great to see.

I'm not a huge wiggins fanboy... well maybe I am but pressure he was under this season must have been insane compared to what happened last year and so many writing him off.

rozzer32

Me winning PTP

roypsb

Many of those already mentioned. Most of all, Cav winning the Worlds.

Special mention to the 'steak on a string' man with Bertie during the Giro - had me in absolute fits!

ddraver

RoyPSB wrote:

Special mention to the 'steak on a string' man with Bertie during the Giro - had me in absolute fits!

+1 Excellent point!

A Schleck over the mountain whos name I ve forgotten and the leopard tactic of putting "guides" up the road for him. Cadel's chase back and the breaking of Contador - that was a great day. Not to quote Inner Ring but Thor Hushovd over the Aubisque was brilliant too more so as I drove down that road on holiday in September and it sure as hell aint flat!! EBH doing the same the next day was also good and nice :P

Flanders was a good race, although I was nt cheering for the winner I admit...

Shouting at the TV with Dave Harmon for the WC too, especially after Wiggos ride to pull back Vockler (sp?) and Hoogerland (I said to myself when those two got away that if anyone could pull of surprise it would be those two!)

AS an MTBer I have to mention Danny Hart winning the WC DH at Champery too as that was simply an epic ride!!

Tom Butcher

Bit predictable but Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour - big races that this year lived up to the expectation. Been a great year - OK Giro, very good Vuelta, I enjoyed the Worlds from a GB perspective, plenty of good racing elsewhere too.

rick_chasey

iainf72 wrote:

Pretty much the Tour de France. The classics were a bit sucky, the Giro was a howler, the Worlds were deathly boring (I know I know you love the winner, but it was a crap race)

Vuelta was good too. But the Tour was a stone cold classic.

Flanders was not sucky.

greeny12

Thomas de Gendt winning a stage in Paris-Nice!

Also the Froome-Cobo Vuelta mountain slugfest and - bestest of all - the last 5kms of the World Champs, unforgettable moments for a British sports fan...

The Tour was great (mainly due to Tommy V) but for me personally it was a lot less exciting due to Wiggo's crash.

Simonhi

Le Tour, especially seeing Hardman Hoogerland climb off the fence and finish the stage and as LL has said not winge about the whole deal, top man, brave man, tough bastard !!!

Watching Cobo climb the Angliru, convinced he was EPO'd to the max and seeing the crazy Spanish fans baying for Wiggo and Froomes blood not to catch him.

Good season for the little fella from IOM, although (an it kills me to say it) Wiggo's last couple of laps at the Worlds RR was a huge effort, to sustain the pace he did sent him up in my estimation.

Good season all round but the Tour was a real shiner for me this year.

gsk82

Apart from the obvious (cav, wiggins, Froome) I'd say cunego and sagans descent in the tour of Switzerland.

Bakunin

I thought Contador's total dominance in a brutal Giro was impressive.

TMR

Bakunin wrote:

I thought Contador's total dominance in a brutal Giro was impressive.

It really was.

He paid for it in the Tour though

josame

gsk82 wrote:

Apart from the obvious (cav, wiggins, Froome) I'd say cunego and sagans descent in the tour of Switzerland.

Yeah that was amazing