Best rider never to win a Monument?

tailwindhome
tailwindhome Posts: 19,310
edited April 2013 in Pro race
Sagan's spring got me thinking.

Who is the best rider never to win a Monument?








(This may be a stupid question, but I like these threads, they're an opportunity to learn from the people who know things)
“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
«1

Comments

  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Lemond?
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,310
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    Lemond?

    Short thread then? :wink:
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Yup.
    _
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,941
    Indurain?
  • Coriander
    Coriander Posts: 1,326
    What stopped him winning? Tactics, legs, skill?
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    Coriander wrote:
    What stopped him winning? Tactics, legs, skill?

    Priorities, mainly
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,310
    What if we elevate (for the craic) the World Championship to Monument status?
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,661
    edited April 2013
    Armstrong? :P

    Edit - TWH too quick for me...Armstrong 1.1?
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,310
    ddraver wrote:
    Armstrong? :P

    cross over post :P

    edit. DD edited too quickly :P
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    edited April 2013
    Probably Freddie Maertens.

    You can say the likes of Indurain and LeMond but they weren't as prolific performers in the classics.

    Edit: In his career Maertens came top five in all of the monuments and won the Worlds twice, Gent Wevelgem twice, Het Volk twice, Amstel, E3, Paris Tours, Paris Brussels, Brab Pijl, Zurich and Scheldeprijs. (And the Vuelta and about 15 Tour stages and a couple of Green jerseys)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    TailWindHome wrote:
    What if we elevate (for the craic) the World Championship to Monument status?

    Does that include Worlds TT?
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    RichN95 wrote:
    Probably Freddie Maertens.

    You can say the likes of Indurain and LeMond but they weren't as prolific performers in the classics.

    Edit: In his career Maertens came top five in all of the monuments and won the Worlds twice, Gent Wevelgem twice, Het Volk twice, Amstel, E3, Paris Tours, Paris Brussels, Brab Pijl, Zurich and Scheldeprijs. (And the Vuelta and about 15 Tour stages and a couple of Green jerseys)

    That's a good shout
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Maertens should be the best, not helped by his feud with Merckx. Following him Phil Anderson and Boogerd, maybe?
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,811
    Alberto Contador, although not in the big league classics wise
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    wombly knees wrote:
    Maertens should be the best, not helped by his feud with Merckx. Following him Phil Anderson and Boogerd, maybe?

    Boogerd? Surely they have to have won something! :wink:
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    Alberto Contador, although not in the big league classics wise
    In a decade long career, he's only ever done four monuments. You might as well say Chris Hoy. If the question was best rider never to win a Grand Tour you wouldn't suggest Tom Boonen.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    wombly knees wrote:
    Maertens should be the best, not helped by his feud with Merckx. Following him Phil Anderson and Boogerd, maybe?

    Boogerd? Surely they have to have won something! :wink:
    Fair point, he embraced number two so much that he turned into underwear.
  • pomtarr
    pomtarr Posts: 318
    Hoy :wink:
    "Difficult, difficult, lemon difficult"
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    pomtarr wrote:
    Hoy :wink:

    Victoria Pendleton! :D
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    edited April 2013
    Big ted, the cannibal Kelly and
    the badger, Freddy Maertens
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Big ted, the cannibal Kelly and
    the badger

    Kelly won plenty monuments in his time as did the badger.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Big ted, the cannibal Kelly and
    the badger

    Kelly won plenty monuments in his time as did the badger.
    He sure did. Halcyon days.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Big ted, the cannibal Kelly and
    the badger

    Kelly won plenty monuments in his time as did the badger.
    He sure did. Halcyon days.

    My point was that this thread is about the best rider to never have won one
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Big ted, the cannibal Kelly and
    the badger

    Kelly won plenty monuments in his time as did the badger.
    He sure did. Halcyon days.

    My point was that this thread is about the best rider to never have won one

    apologies. I did not read the title with
    care. My avatar very much qualifies
    for the answer to the question
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    Dave_1 wrote:
    [
    apologies. I did not read the title with
    care. My avatar very much qualifies
    for the answer to the question

    Did exactly the same thing myself, just thought I'd point it out before someone came along and burned you. For what its worth was watching some of the Kelly wins on Youtube as didn't watch them back in the day, to sum it up was very impressive.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Dave_1 wrote:
    apologies. I did not read the title with
    care. My avatar very much qualifies
    for the answer to the question

    No he doesn't. He won Milan San Remo twice.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    RichN95 wrote:
    Dave_1 wrote:
    apologies. I did not read the title with
    care. My avatar very much qualifies
    for the answer to the question

    No he doesn't. He won Milan San Remo twice.

    but you don't say who does boss
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Phil Anderson? I define "best" by how
    they did in the grand tours...hence we must
    look back to an era where all rounders
    existed...it cannot be anybody in last 20
    years as no grand tour winners do
    cobbled classics. Anderson 2nd 1988 Flanders
    and Fignon 3rd Paris Roubaix 1988. Lemond
    has a 4th or 5th place at Paris Roubaix...
    Disagree with a lot of what Rich says esp the weird
    way he defines best and ignores the greats of a bygone
    era...but Freddy Maertens is a fair pick
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Phil Anderson? I define "best" by how
    they did in the grand tours...hence we must
    look back to an era where all rounders
    existed...it cannot be anybody in last 20
    years as no grand tour winners do
    cobbled classics. Anderson 2nd 1988 Flanders
    and Fignon 3rd Paris Roubaix 1988. Lemond
    has a 4th or 5th place at Paris Roubaix...
    Disagree with a lot of what Rich says esp the weird
    way he defines best and ignores the greats of a bygone
    era...but Freddy Maertens is a fair pick
    You're still ignoring the fact that Fignon WON two monuments and therefore isn't the best rider never to win a monument.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    RichN95 wrote:
    Dave_1 wrote:
    Phil Anderson? I define "best" by how
    they did in the grand tours...hence we must
    look back to an era where all rounders
    existed...it cannot be anybody in last 20
    years as no grand tour winners do
    cobbled classics. Anderson 2nd 1988 Flanders
    and Fignon 3rd Paris Roubaix 1988. Lemond
    has a 4th or 5th place at Paris Roubaix...
    Disagree with a lot of what Rich says esp the weird
    way he defines best and ignores the greats of a bygone
    era...but Freddy Maertens is a fair pick
    You're still ignoring the fact that Fignon WON two monuments and therefore isn't the best rider never to win a monument.

    Did he win two monuments, or did he win one monument twice? My head has just exploded.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)

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