The best/most exciting attack ever.

rick_chasey
rick_chasey Posts: 72,216
edited April 2012 in Pro race
Which is the attack you remember being excited by the most?

Was it hearing Cancellara eating the peloton alive at Harelbeke last year?


Was it Ulrich's failed attempted on the Tourmalet?

Was it Hinault on his way to Luchon in the 1986 Tour?

(These are merely examples).
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  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,878
    One from childhood.

    Ciappucci (sp?) attacking on a mountain stage (Sestriere?) and riding solo for hours.

    the thing that really stuck in the memory was him coming to a standstill on some of the climbs as the crowd were going bonkers and he couldn't get through.



    Also pointless attacks on the Champs Elysee are always great to see.
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  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Fabio Parra on Alpe d'Huez in the 1988 TdF. Got balked by the crowds and motorbikes. :(
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  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Landis, Morzine :twisted:
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Ciappucci (sp?) attacking on a mountain stage (Sestriere?) and riding solo for hours.
    At the time I was naive to the doping ways of the peloton but that was still a WTF day.
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  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,878
    JonGinge wrote:
    Ciappucci (sp?) attacking on a mountain stage (Sestriere?) and riding solo for hours.
    At the time I was naive to the doping ways of the peloton but that was still a WTF day.


    Whaddaya mean doping?
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  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    JonGinge wrote:
    Ciappucci (sp?) attacking on a mountain stage (Sestriere?) and riding solo for hours.
    At the time I was naive to the doping ways of the peloton but that was still a WTF day.


    Whaddaya mean doping?
    Sorry, sorry, I meant bread and water. Bread and water.

    :D
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  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    "Pedro Delgado's sprouted wings!" was a good one. A few Indurain ones where he just rides the best cyclists in the world off his wheel - one that Roberto Conti won (I think) and the one through the Ardennes where Bruyneel just sat on his wheel and said it was like being motorpaced. Any of R Millar's stage wins. Abdoujaparov in the twilight of his career winning with a lone breakaway.

    Sorry, some of these are more "memorable" as opposed to "the best, most exciting ever". Landis was a good one, which I was there to see in person!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,216
    BigMat wrote:
    Sorry, some of these are more "memorable" as opposed to "the best, most exciting ever". Landis was a good one, which I was there to see in person!

    Could you smell the testosterone?
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,141
    Bertie against Lance Arcalis (stage 7 TdF 2009) c'mon ya can't beat that
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  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    BigMat wrote:
    Sorry, some of these are more "memorable" as opposed to "the best, most exciting ever". Landis was a good one, which I was there to see in person!

    Could you smell the testosterone?

    Smelt like a tramp in Charing Cross station - mixture of sweat, whisky and a couple of beers...
  • Pantani, Les Deux Alpes
    Mainly because I was there, had been out in the rain all day and heard chatter that Ullrich had bonked. Saw Pantani come flying past and then Ullrich ages later at a snails pace. Such a great experience as a 17 year old.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,216
    I remember hearing about this attack in sixth form and getting so excited about it the teacher sent me out of the class.

    The one attack that made the hairs stand on the back of my neck wasCancellara in E3 last year on the Oude Kwaremont. My favourite commentator, Karl Vannieuwkerke is on the back of the motor right by Cancellara, long before the cameras get to him. You can hear how excited he is when Cancellara goes. And go he does. He just keeps going and going and going. It's like one big attack - culminating in a lovely little shot here where Tankink, desperately trying to get into Canc's wheel (who's ridden past about 4 groups on the road and eaten up an enormous amount of time on his own) gets closer and closer, before stopping and screaming in pain because of the cramp.

    It's as much the commentary as anything else. I've never heard someone get quite as excited as I do for something like that before. Not because they support them, not because they share the same nationality, but because he appreciates cycling!
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    Jalabert into Verdun in 2001 is probably up there.
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  • TommyEss
    TommyEss Posts: 1,855
    JonGinge wrote:
    JonGinge wrote:
    Ciappucci (sp?) attacking on a mountain stage (Sestriere?) and riding solo for hours.
    At the time I was naive to the doping ways of the peloton but that was still a WTF day.


    Whaddaya mean doping?
    Sorry, sorry, I meant bread and water. Bread and water.

    :D

    Bread and water?
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,207
    The Chiappucci break is the one that springs to mind. Also, Eros Poli over the Ventoux in 1994 - would the big lump manage to hold off the chase?

    Outside of those it would have to be Canc in Flanders in 2010. He lets Boonen go to the front after he had tried and failed just before the climb started, sits there and assesses him for a bit and then just goes without getting out of the saddle. It's no wonder the joke about the electric motor got taken seriously especially when he did the same the following week (although at least he had the decency to get out of the saddle for a couple of pedal strokes that time)!
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    I notice that there is a similar thread over in the Asylum!

    A couple that had me shouting at the telly-

    Cancellara - 2007 TdF - Compiegne - riding off the front of the bunch with 1km to go as the sprinters teams were lining up to mop up the break

    Cuddles, attacking J-Rod and Kolobnev and riding 5km solo to win the Worlds. Not the most violent acceleration ever, but unexpected!


    No proper coverage for me at the time, so I ended up shouting at the newspapers and Cycling Weekly-

    Stephen Roche attacking (and counter attacking) his maglia-rosa wearing teammate Roberto Visentini on the stage to Sappada in the 1987 Giro
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,216
    LangerDan wrote:
    Cancellara - 2007 TdF - Compiegne - riding off the front of the bunch with 1km to go as the sprinters teams were lining up to mop up the break

    Yes.

    He makes up the majority of exciting attacks than I can remember.

    Boonen '05 Ronde was great too, because he totally didn't have to.
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Indurain in 95, the day before the first TT. That was unexpected
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  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    My favourite is Crans Montana..where they go this week in Tour of Romandy! But 27 years ago

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zByAl1H ... re=related
  • Saronni's rocket-ship late attack in the 1982 Worlds at Goodwood:

    http://youtu.be/Wpuue6Pp8vI
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    Saronni's rocket-ship late attack in the 1982 Worlds at Goodwood:

    http://youtu.be/Wpuue6Pp8vI

    Nobody could have stopped Sarroni by the looks of that kick he put in.
  • Ullrich on the Arcalis, 97. Don't care how juiced he or the rest of the peloton were, but he rides the best off his wheel with ease. Strong and fluid, it's incredible to watch.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5EocT-l ... re=related (start at 9 mins)
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  • Ullrich on the Arcalis, 97. Don't care how juiced he or the rest of the peloton were, but he rides the best off his wheel with ease. Strong and fluid, it's incredible to watch.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5EocT-l ... re=related (start at 9 mins)

    If that's the clip I'm thinking of, I love the way he casually looks at the view down the valley once he's dropped everyone!
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Ullrich on the Arcalis, 97. Don't care how juiced he or the rest of the peloton were, but he rides the best off his wheel with ease. Strong and fluid, it's incredible to watch.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5EocT-l ... re=related (start at 9 mins)

    Speaking of science experiments, this one of poor old VDB is also eye popping

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8MOQuF4_BI
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  • Pantani to Les Deux Alpes - I remember it was a horrid day, and I'd finished school for the summer holidays.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    Some good choices so far.

    One of my favourites was Bartoli's attacks to win the 1997 Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He was away with the ONCE duo of Jalabert and Zuelle and worked them both over with sheer power in the final 5 kms.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,194
    If we're talking juiced up then Riis on Hautacam 96 is pretty impressive. Done with quite a bit of style, claimed it was inspired by Fignon.
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  • image.jpg

    Carlos Sastre on Alpe d'Huez in 2008. Remember being excited all day!

    Also like that rather than winning the Tour by being consistant over 3 weeks, he pretty much won it on that one stage!
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Eros Poli on the Ventoux
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  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    I think we should have two categories..those who jump hard to attack from behind with some brief element of surprise e.g. Pantani in 1998 and those like Frank Vandenbrouke at 1999 Vuelta, Hinault at 1985 TDF in swiss Alps, or Indurain at la Plagne 1995 where they hit the front and set a hard tempo for some kilometeres....and the other 50 guys can see what is going to happen a few kms up the road but can't stop it....

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