Best duels ever

takethehighroad
takethehighroad Posts: 6,823
in Pro race
The latest INRNG Post is a retrospective about the 1964 TDF, and suggests the fuel between Anquetil and Poulidor was what made it so good.

So it got me thinking about other great duels over the years and thought it would make a good discussion piece.

The one that immediately jumped to my mind from my lifetime is Armstrong Ullrich TDF 03, but I know Richard Moore would choose the 86 TDF.

Are there any duels outside the GTs? Paris Nice 07 (or was it 08?) was a battle between Contador and Rebellin and the 2010 Classics season was Boonen v Cancellara

Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    edited April 2020
    Simeoni, Cunego ;).

    Boonen Cancellara for sure. Absolutely.

    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Simeoni Basso?
    _
  • Darius_Jedburgh
    Darius_Jedburgh Posts: 675
    Lemond/Hinault especially the Alpe d'Huez stage.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730

    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,025
    FrankYates said:

    Lemond/Hinault especially the Alpe d'Huez stage.

    He was just proving him a worthy winner and helping him to win.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    Contador had a few: Rasmussen in 2007, Schleck in 2009-10, Froome in 2014 (Dauphine & Vuelta). Also internal battles with Armstrong & Leipheimer.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Darius_Jedburgh
    Darius_Jedburgh Posts: 675
    TheBigBean said:

    FrankYates said:

    Lemond/Hinault especially the Alpe d'Huez stage.

    He was just proving him a worthy winner and helping him to win.
    I'm not sure of that. Yes, when it was apparent that he couldn't shake Lemond off, but before that there was almost open warfare between the two of them.

    Didn't they agree that Lemond was going to win the Tour so he gave Hinault the stage as a thank you?
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,025
    FrankYates said:

    TheBigBean said:

    FrankYates said:

    Lemond/Hinault especially the Alpe d'Huez stage.

    He was just proving him a worthy winner and helping him to win.
    I'm not sure of that. Yes, when it was apparent that he couldn't shake Lemond off, but before that there was almost open warfare between the two of them.

    Didn't they agree that Lemond was going to win the Tour so he gave Hinault the stage as a thank you?
    I am not even sure Hinault believes what I wrote, but it is the excuse he gave at the time.

  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    Merckx v Roger De Vlaeminck

    This only comes to mind after Rich's thread about the greatest Paris Roubaix rider.
    The Cannibal against the Classics specialist who both won all five monuments.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    Lucho Herrera V Robert Millar for various mid eighties KoM jerseys. At least that's what it felt like at the time
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    edited May 2020
    Further to the Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi rivalry but it must be a slow day at Coronavirus centre.
    Bartali: Italy's cycling key worker on the 20th anniversary of his death.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/52538289

    About as "in depth" as the Beeb gets these days.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    blazing_saddles said:

    Further to the Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi rivalry but it must be a slow day at Coronavirus centre.
    Bartali: Italy's cycling key worker on the 20th anniversary of his death.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/52538289

    About as "in depth" as the Beeb gets these days.

    Not a bad little article, to be fair.
    The recent(ish) biography of him was quite good
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Valour-Bartali-France-Legend/dp/0753828146/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bartali+road+to+valor&qid=1588707526&sr=8-1
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,127
    Froome vs Wiggins
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
    Instagramme
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,823
    I've listened to the Eurosport Recycle series of podcasts the last week or so and there was a great one about Anquetil v Poulidor in Paris Nice. Was a good listen (as is most of the rest of the series)
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    edited May 2020
    All very well listing the ones you've read are great duels - how about ones you witnessed?

    Duels I enjoyed: Contador & Schleck - something about Andy Pandy and not being on disco/astana. And he felt like such a pure talent versus Contador's dick dastardly mind.

    Armstrong vs Ullrich - tragically one sided. That 2005 prologue ITT absolutely killed me. Took back-to-back Boonen victories the days after to get me out of my funk.

    more to follow when I have done some work

    _

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