Poll

Road cyclist, that is.  Who gets your vote?

Anquetil
Merckx
Hinault
LeMond
Armstrong
Wiggins
Coppi
Indurain
Fignon
Cavendish
Burton
Teethgrinder
Other (please state)

Author Topic: Greatest cyclist of all time?  (Read 116855 times)

Martin 14

  • People too weak to follow their own dreams, will a
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #50 on: 07 November, 2012, 07:34:20 pm »
How do you measure greatness ;)
People too weak to follow their own dreams, will always find a way to discourage yours

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #51 on: 07 November, 2012, 07:43:17 pm »
I voted Fignon. Maybe not the greatest on a bike but dam good. He is however I think the best racing cyclist at writing about being a great racing cyclist.  Some of his stuff is just beautiful.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #52 on: 07 November, 2012, 08:03:36 pm »
Traditionally, I've always answered Merckx to this question, even though he'd retired before I even learned how to ride a bike, so that's based on reputation alone.

However, it was Lemond who really got me interested in cycling. Sure, there were Hinault, Fignon, Kelly, Delgado, Abdoujaparov and Millar around at the same time, and they were all great, but my abiding memories of watching the Tour de France on C4 in that era are of Lemond. 

Plus, in light of recent events, I've come to admire him even more as a person, as well as a cyclist.

d.

"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #53 on: 07 November, 2012, 08:06:38 pm »
Breaking news - you can now change your vote!
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Martin 14

  • People too weak to follow their own dreams, will a
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #54 on: 07 November, 2012, 08:40:53 pm »
Maurice-Francois Garin....for being the first tour winner and laying the foundations for the greatest bicycle race on the planet :)
People too weak to follow their own dreams, will always find a way to discourage yours

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #55 on: 07 November, 2012, 08:42:55 pm »
And for taking a train in 1904.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #56 on: 07 November, 2012, 08:50:54 pm »
Very sensible.  Bet he didn't do any of that not stopping at cafes nonsense.
Getting there...

Martin 14

  • People too weak to follow their own dreams, will a
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #57 on: 07 November, 2012, 10:01:55 pm »
And for taking a train in 1904.

Indeed, proof that cheating even back then was present :)
People too weak to follow their own dreams, will always find a way to discourage yours

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #58 on: 08 November, 2012, 04:49:17 pm »
Bartali. Won the tour both before the war and ten years after. His record during the war which only became known quite recently and after his death shows that he was seriously heroic in the absolute sense as well as on the bike.

Have voted for Mercx, because of his amazing dominance, BUT...this guy Bartali is a real world hero, and gets my vote too.
Spinning, but not cycling...

arabella

  • عربللا
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Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #59 on: 08 November, 2012, 05:18:51 pm »
Jeannie Longo

blah blah column inches devoted to men s column inches devoted to women
blah blah last years spoty
blah blah
Any fool can admire a mountain.  It takes real discernment to appreciate the fens.

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #60 on: 18 January, 2013, 04:13:51 pm »
What about Bobet, he won three tours during my road racing days.
"100% PURE FREAKING AWESOME"

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #61 on: 18 January, 2013, 04:36:10 pm »
Should really have Nicole Cooke on that list. If you look at her career, she's been nearly as impressive as Beryl Burton.  Also Jeanie Longo

If you are restricting it to road, then I vote Beryl.
None of the others dominated (road) time trialing as well as road riding as much as her.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #62 on: 18 January, 2013, 06:01:43 pm »
Bartali isn't on the list. His war time activities have already been mentioned - but those make him a great person, possibly the greatest person who was a (professional) cyclist, not the greatest cyclist. I'm torn between Burton and Merckx for my vote - I'd kind of disqualify Burton because she was great at cycling, rather than a great cyclist - unlike the others she didn't make a living from it. But then neither does TG (you might say both live(d) for rather than from cycling) and he's on the list, so...
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #63 on: 18 January, 2013, 06:28:22 pm »
Hmm, perhaps we should now add Nicole Cooke to the list?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #64 on: 18 January, 2013, 08:36:52 pm »
Or perhaps we filter the shortlist to exclude anyone who has ever failed a drug test or admitted taking banned performance enhancing substances?

It would be a very short list.

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #65 on: 19 January, 2013, 02:33:27 pm »
Should really have Nicole Cooke on that list. If you look at her career, she's been nearly as impressive as Beryl Burton.

I am a Nicole fan but this statement is more ridiculous than anything LA said this week!

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #66 on: 19 January, 2013, 03:00:30 pm »
I don't think so at all. Before I made it I looked up their record. Beryl set far more records, true, but Nicole dominated professional road cycling in a way that Beryl didn't, and Beryl wasn't facing the same level of competition.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #67 on: 19 January, 2013, 03:06:15 pm »
I'd put Vos ahead of Cooke...
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #68 on: 19 January, 2013, 03:18:41 pm »
I voted Fignon. Maybe not the greatest on a bike but dam good. He is however I think the best racing cyclist at writing about being a great racing cyclist.  Some of his stuff is just beautiful.

I'd say that Tim Krabbé is the best racing cyclist to write about cycle racing.

He is also pretty damned good at something else...

Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #69 on: 19 January, 2013, 03:27:17 pm »
I voted Fignon. Maybe not the greatest on a bike but dam good. He is however I think the best racing cyclist at writing about being a great racing cyclist.  Some of his stuff is just beautiful.

I'd say that Tim Krabbé is the best racing cyclist to write about cycle racing.

He is also pretty damned good at something else...



I presume that you're not referring to his facial topiary skills?  ;D

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #70 on: 19 January, 2013, 03:36:26 pm »
I don't think so at all. Before I made it I looked up their record. Beryl set far more records, true, but Nicole dominated professional road cycling in a way that Beryl didn't, and Beryl wasn't facing the same level of competition.

Hmmm, BB won 12 national RR champs and 2 Worlds, to NC's 10 national and 1 World. BB would have won more Worlds if not that she was so good that she was usually marked out of the race so much. In addition she managed 5 World track golds. She also once beat me in a 10, something Nicole has not yet managed to do! :-)

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #71 on: 13 April, 2013, 05:44:19 pm »
I tried to vote "Other - please state", but didn't get the chance (unless I did something wrong) so would state here, Marianne Vos

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #73 on: 28 February, 2014, 09:56:27 pm »
Agree with spesh with bartali, book is excellent read, he did amazing things during the war years
There's always time for a second slice of cake.

Re: Greatest cyclist of all time?
« Reply #74 on: 01 March, 2014, 09:05:01 am »
I would add one comment about  Beryl Burton's record, when she was competing in national/international women's road races it was thought that females were not capable of riding long distances or hilly courses.   Most road races were comparatively short distances and she was a marked rider.   It would have been very interesting to see her compete in current women's events.
Don't forget that she was world champion at the pursuit and also she beat the men's record for 12 hours so she was certainly was an "all rounder", indeed she held the women's Best All Rounder award for a record number of years and I believe the distances involved were 25, 50 and 100 miles, the 12 hour event was only for the men's BAR.