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Top 5 for 2021

rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 66,310 Lives Here
edited December 2021 in Pro race
So who makes up your top five riders you enjoyed watching in 2021?

I’ll start


1. Wout van Aert
2. Mathieu van der Poel
3. Egan Bernal
4. Julian Alaphilippe
5. Kasper Asgreen
_
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Posts

  • gsk82gsk82 Posts: 3,251
    edited December 2021
    Van Aert
    Van Der poel
    Pogacer
    Roglic
    Alaphilippe

    That was easy.

    The more interesting thing will be to see if anyone can join the club.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 66,310 Lives Here
    Surprised anyone can enjoy Roglic!
    _
  • JimD666JimD666 Posts: 1,290
    edited December 2021
    Julian Alaphilippe
    Wout van Aert
    Tom Pidcock
    Mathieu van der Poel
    Anna van der Breggen

    I'll add a honourable mention to Geraint Thomas. If only as to wonder what will cause him to crash this time...
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 23,432
    Van Aert
    Alaphilippe
    Mvdp
    Pog
    van der Hoorn
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 23,432
    Probably should have found space for Cavendish
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 26,540
    Cavendish
    Carapaz
    Van Aert
    Pogacar
    Pidcock (got me to watch cross & MTB)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 23,432
    kingstongraham said:

    Probably should have found space for Cavendish

    (And Ganna and Charlotte Worthington.)
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 66,310 Lives Here
    Hmmm yes. Tempted to swap out Asgreen for Gana.
    _
  • MattFalleMattFalle Posts: 11,644
    gsk82 said:

    Van Aert
    Van Der poel
    Pogacer
    Roglic
    Alaphilippe

    That was easy.

    The more interesting thing will be to see if anyone can join the club.

    this and, tbh, it'll probably be the same when this question is asked at this time next year.
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 23,432
    I'll be honest, I can't remember vividly a single Roglic win this year. That Taco day though....
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 66,310 Lives Here
    Yes, would be interested to hear the workings for how anyone can enjoy watching Roglic.
    _
  • MattFalleMattFalle Posts: 11,644
    Same can for Cavendish tbh.

    ride in pack
    ride in pack
    ride in pack
    struggle in grupetto
    ride really fast for 300m
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • TheBigBeanTheBigBean Posts: 18,158
    van der Poel
    Pogacar
    Cavendish
    Pidcock
    Roglic
  • TheBigBeanTheBigBean Posts: 18,158
    kingstongraham said:

    I'll be honest, I can't remember vividly a single Roglic win this year. That Taco day though....

    Do you remember him losing Paris-Nice?
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 26,540
    MattFalle said:

    Same can for Cavendish tbh.

    ride in pack
    ride in pack
    ride in pack
    struggle in grupetto
    ride really fast for 300m


    Cavendish was more about the journey back from the abyss than the races themselves though.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • gsk82gsk82 Posts: 3,251
    rick_chasey said:

    Yes, would be interested to hear the workings for how anyone can enjoy watching Roglic.

    I took 5 to watch as meaning who's going to be the 5 most successful.

    I can't watch a race with Roglic in. His mere presence is a spoiler.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 66,310 Lives Here
    gsk82 said:

    rick_chasey said:

    Yes, would be interested to hear the workings for how anyone can enjoy watching Roglic.

    I took 5 to watch as meaning who's going to be the 5 most successful.

    I can't watch a race with Roglic in. His mere presence is a spoiler.
    Ah my mistake I will correct
    _
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 23,432
    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    I'll be honest, I can't remember vividly a single Roglic win this year. That Taco day though....

    Do you remember him losing Paris-Nice?
    I don't really like watching people crash, so even that wasn't fun.
  • TheBigBeanTheBigBean Posts: 18,158
    kingstongraham said:

    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    I'll be honest, I can't remember vividly a single Roglic win this year. That Taco day though....

    Do you remember him losing Paris-Nice?
    I don't really like watching people crash, so even that wasn't fun.
    Did we see him crash? I just remember him trying really hard to get back on.
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 23,432
    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    I'll be honest, I can't remember vividly a single Roglic win this year. That Taco day though....

    Do you remember him losing Paris-Nice?
    I don't really like watching people crash, so even that wasn't fun.
    Did we see him crash? I just remember him trying really hard to get back on.
    I don't remember tbh.

    That whole race was nowhere near as much fun as Tirreno Adriatico. Not even in the same league.
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 26,540
    rick_chasey said:

    Yes, would be interested to hear the workings for how anyone can enjoy watching Roglic.


    I think they have convinced themselves that he is exciting based on two false narratives from the media.

    1. That the Sky model is dead and the new generation aren't tied to their trains and power meters. There's not really much evidence for this and Roglic's successes have come from taking the Sky model and removing the attacking. (Basically the Wiggins version of the Sky model)

    2. Because they are from the same country and the first three letters of the names rhyme, Roglic and Pogacar are basically the same rider.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 23,432
    RichN95. said:

    MattFalle said:

    Same can for Cavendish tbh.

    ride in pack
    ride in pack
    ride in pack
    struggle in grupetto
    ride really fast for 300m


    Cavendish was more about the journey back from the abyss than the races themselves though.
    I do enjoy watching Mørkøv guide him to the perfect spot 300m out.
  • MattFalleMattFalle Posts: 11,644
    RichN95. said:

    MattFalle said:

    Same can for Cavendish tbh.

    ride in pack
    ride in pack
    ride in pack
    struggle in grupetto
    ride really fast for 300m


    Cavendish was more about the journey back from the abyss than the races themselves though.
    not very enjoyable to watch him race though. his side story was either "meh, who cares" or "ooooh, ooooh, ooooh Cav must jeff myself" dependant on his viewpoint of him.

    So doesn't really fit top 5 billing.
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 66,310 Lives Here
    RichN95. said:

    rick_chasey said:

    Yes, would be interested to hear the workings for how anyone can enjoy watching Roglic.


    I think they have convinced themselves that he is exciting based on two false narratives from the media.

    1. That the Sky model is dead and the new generation aren't tied to their trains and power meters. There's not really much evidence for this and Roglic's successes have come from taking the Sky model and removing the attacking. (Basically the Wiggins version of the Sky model)

    2. Because they are from the same country and the first three letters of the names rhyme, Roglic and Pogacar are basically the same rider.
    I'm glad you said it's Wiggins version of sky as I almost wrote a post explaining he's the most boring GC winner since Wiggins, but then I thought people would jump on me as off the bike Wiggins IS quite interesting, which of course, Roglic is not.
    _
  • MattFalleMattFalle Posts: 11,644
    No one is as dull as Froome on and off the bike though, so you've got to him an award for that.
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • TheBigBeanTheBigBean Posts: 18,158
    kingstongraham said:

    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    I'll be honest, I can't remember vividly a single Roglic win this year. That Taco day though....

    Do you remember him losing Paris-Nice?
    I don't really like watching people crash, so even that wasn't fun.
    Did we see him crash? I just remember him trying really hard to get back on.
    I don't remember tbh.

    That whole race was nowhere near as much fun as Tirreno Adriatico. Not even in the same league.
    Well, yes, but two of the people lighting up that race are in my top 5, and if we had to restrict it to a top 2, it would be just those two.
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 23,432
    edited December 2021
    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    I'll be honest, I can't remember vividly a single Roglic win this year. That Taco day though....

    Do you remember him losing Paris-Nice?
    I don't really like watching people crash, so even that wasn't fun.
    Did we see him crash? I just remember him trying really hard to get back on.
    I don't remember tbh.

    That whole race was nowhere near as much fun as Tirreno Adriatico. Not even in the same league.
    Well, yes, but two of the people lighting up that race are in my top 5, and if we had to restrict it to a top 2, it would be just those two.
    So your highlight of watching Roglic was when he lost?

    It was a good day, tbf
  • TheBigBeanTheBigBean Posts: 18,158
    rick_chasey said:

    Yes, would be interested to hear the workings for how anyone can enjoy watching Roglic.

    It's a bit like watching Valverde. Year round racer who has won LBL, competed in Lombardy at the other end of the season, won the Vuelta and won the Olympic TT, whilst still knocking out decent performances at the tour and other stages races throughout the year. He didn't do all that in 2021, but I thought he showed a lot more than just a sprint finish in several races in 2021.

    Also, he's this forum's pantomime villain, so he gets bonus points for that.
  • RichN95.RichN95. Posts: 26,540
    rick_chasey said:



    I'm glad you said it's Wiggins version of sky as I almost wrote a post explaining he's the most boring GC winner since Wiggins, but then I thought people would jump on me as off the bike Wiggins IS quite interesting, which of course, Roglic is not.

    It's hard to tell what they are like personally as there's usually a language barrier and everything is filtered via the media. And the English language media have just dubbed him a ski-jumper and decided that that's enough 'colour'. Similarly Sagan never really says much and is viewed as a great character but according to Slovakian journalists he's quite dull.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • TheBigBeanTheBigBean Posts: 18,158
    kingstongraham said:

    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    TheBigBean said:

    kingstongraham said:

    I'll be honest, I can't remember vividly a single Roglic win this year. That Taco day though....

    Do you remember him losing Paris-Nice?
    I don't really like watching people crash, so even that wasn't fun.
    Did we see him crash? I just remember him trying really hard to get back on.
    I don't remember tbh.

    That whole race was nowhere near as much fun as Tirreno Adriatico. Not even in the same league.
    Well, yes, but two of the people lighting up that race are in my top 5, and if we had to restrict it to a top 2, it would be just those two.
    So your highlight of watching Roglic was when he lost?

    It was a good day, tbf
    Sport includes losing as well. It's very dull if the same person wins all the time. One of things I admired about Contador was that he turned up to win every race he entered. He didn't just shrug and say it's only Paris-Nice, he did everything he could to win and and ended up losing by a few seconds on two occasions. Roglic came out of his comfort zone that day.

    Similarly, Froome and the Vuelta. He made it a great race on many occasions.
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