GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
very difficult to form an opinion on people you've not seen ride in the flesh.
best is a broad church.
best is a broad church.
Best Tour De France riders in history?
- Thread starter Cyclisme
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
I would say that it's impossible to compare riders of different eras. How do we know how the particpants of the the twenties or thirties who often rode on single freewheels, having to stop, turn the rear wheel round to obtain a different gear, raced up and down mountains on what were little more than gravel tracks, had to change their own tyres in the event of a puncture and had to overcome difficuties that today's riders couldn't imagine , would fare against the riders of today?
Perhaps some would do well, others not so well but the opposite is also true. How many of today's stars would still be shining if they didn't get an armchair ride provided by their team-mates until it was time for them to go to work? How many would cope with stages of 300 sometimes 400kms?
To try to say who are the best ever TdF riders is really a hopeless task, how do we know how strong the opposition was? Was Roger Walkowiak who won in 1956 a more worthy winner than Lucien Aimar (1966) ?
This is an argument which can run forever and there will never be agreement.
In my opinion anyone who even reaches Paris qualifies as a giant of the road, whereas anyone who wins must be a giant of the human race.
Perhaps some would do well, others not so well but the opposite is also true. How many of today's stars would still be shining if they didn't get an armchair ride provided by their team-mates until it was time for them to go to work? How many would cope with stages of 300 sometimes 400kms?
To try to say who are the best ever TdF riders is really a hopeless task, how do we know how strong the opposition was? Was Roger Walkowiak who won in 1956 a more worthy winner than Lucien Aimar (1966) ?
This is an argument which can run forever and there will never be agreement.
In my opinion anyone who even reaches Paris qualifies as a giant of the road, whereas anyone who wins must be a giant of the human race.
Good post normgow. In fact, it doesn't really come down to "best", as already mentioned, that's impossible to calculate, it comes down to favourites in the end, and there's nowt wrong with that. I always had a soft spot for big Jan, and I just saw this today - seems he just enjoys riding bikes like the rest of us.......
"I just want to find the pleasure of cycling again," he continued. "Hobby races are a lot of fun. You ride along with like-minded people, talk about the course and bikes, give some advice... it's just cycling. Without having to talk about doping all the time!"
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ullrich-turns-to-cyclosportive-racing
"I just want to find the pleasure of cycling again," he continued. "Hobby races are a lot of fun. You ride along with like-minded people, talk about the course and bikes, give some advice... it's just cycling. Without having to talk about doping all the time!"
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ullrich-turns-to-cyclosportive-racing
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
or off their face on pot belge
Isn't that reserved for the post Tour party in Paris? I've always wanted to know which 'leading Belgian pro' it was whose wife performed 'a memorable striptease' under the influence of pot belge and the team end of year party.
Actually, correct that to 'I've always wanted to see the wife who performed...'
CobbledClassic
Senior Member
If I had to pick 5:
Merckx
Contador
Fignon
Pantani
Anquetil
Love them or loathe them, they were among the best and have some interesting stories to boot.
Merckx
Contador
Fignon
Pantani
Anquetil
Love them or loathe them, they were among the best and have some interesting stories to boot.
Hont
Guru
- Location
- Bromsgrove
Just to throw a couple more into the mix...
Joop Zootemelk (can't be sure of that spelling). More Tours than anyone else (saving George Hincapie now) and he won overall in 1980 as well.
Erik Zabel (most green jerseys)
Lucien Van Impe (record polka dot jerseys until the ever-popular Virenque stole the crown) and overall winner as well
Joop Zootemelk (can't be sure of that spelling). More Tours than anyone else (saving George Hincapie now) and he won overall in 1980 as well.
Erik Zabel (most green jerseys)
Lucien Van Impe (record polka dot jerseys until the ever-popular Virenque stole the crown) and overall winner as well
Toshiba Boy
N+1er
- Location
- By the beach, West Zummerzet
Acknowledging how subjective such a task is, I can only come up with one name...
Merckx.
There so many stats to back his claim up, but let's leave it at the 1969 TdF, his first, aged 24, wins the Yellow (by almost 18 minutes!), and the Green and the Polka Dot (and the White if there had been one at the time).
Unbelievable.
Eddy, Eddy, Eddy.....
Merckx.
There so many stats to back his claim up, but let's leave it at the 1969 TdF, his first, aged 24, wins the Yellow (by almost 18 minutes!), and the Green and the Polka Dot (and the White if there had been one at the time).
Unbelievable.
Eddy, Eddy, Eddy.....
Can't argue with that !
oldroadman
Veteran
- Location
- Ubique
A very difficult thing to do as you are trying to compare riders over a 100 year period! The best option may be to look at the "modern" era (say the last 20 years), and see what you deduce.
For this exercise ignore who did or did not indulge in "preparation", because at times almost everyone had medical support - it's just that testing was not so sophisticated until quite recently.
Therefore it's reasonable to propose that whoever was on top would have been on top anyway, assuming a level playing field (i.e. everyone, or almost everyone, is "at it", or as today, it's a very clean peloton and slower average speeds reflect this).
That may be a more considered reflection. And no-one I know/knew is saying anything about stripping wives..
oldroadman
Veteran
- Location
- Ubique
[QUOTE 1477745"]
The Cannibal
[/quote]
No disagreement with that. He won in the days when you rode a full season, not simply focussed on the TdF. Where are the Schlecks, for instance, at the Classics? Tommy Voeckler is a good modern example of a class rider who is racing properly all season, and still gets yellow at the Tour, or Phillipe Gilbert, winning hard stages.
Cipo was a great sprinter and strong rider, but showed no respect for the Tour simply packing when it got difficult. Not a great at that but not bad in the classics, at least.
The Cannibal
[/quote]
No disagreement with that. He won in the days when you rode a full season, not simply focussed on the TdF. Where are the Schlecks, for instance, at the Classics? Tommy Voeckler is a good modern example of a class rider who is racing properly all season, and still gets yellow at the Tour, or Phillipe Gilbert, winning hard stages.
Cipo was a great sprinter and strong rider, but showed no respect for the Tour simply packing when it got difficult. Not a great at that but not bad in the classics, at least.
Looking at the link posted by the OP, I think that is pretty conclusively the best Tour riders in history.
Coppi - early part of his career robbed by the war and is still the Campionissimo
Anquetil - so good he opted not to ride the Tour one year in order to increase his earning power
Merckx - the absolute greatest (I think the only rival claim can come from Coppi, based solely on the years of his career lost)
Hinault - Statistically the closest to Merckx
Indurain - 5 straight Tours
Armstrong - makes the list as it's about the Tour. Was it Merckx who said 'Now you're a great of the TOur, but not of cycling'?
People like Fignon, Lemond et al were all great cyclists but never touched the above in terms of the Tour.
Coppi - early part of his career robbed by the war and is still the Campionissimo
Anquetil - so good he opted not to ride the Tour one year in order to increase his earning power
Merckx - the absolute greatest (I think the only rival claim can come from Coppi, based solely on the years of his career lost)
Hinault - Statistically the closest to Merckx
Indurain - 5 straight Tours
Armstrong - makes the list as it's about the Tour. Was it Merckx who said 'Now you're a great of the TOur, but not of cycling'?
People like Fignon, Lemond et al were all great cyclists but never touched the above in terms of the Tour.
What about the years from 1903 to 1948? Were there no great riders in that era? How about Gino Bartali who won twice; with ten years and a world war in between?
How about Louison Bobet, the first to win three in a row? What about the "Touristes Routiers" who rode in the days before national teams and had to look after themselves with no support. Trying to find an hotel room after a 400km stage on roads like cart tracks must have been a real hoot. Not to menton eating, resting, tending any bodily ailments (probably not few) and fixing your bike for the next marathon stage.
The Tour today is in many respects entirely different from those early races but with the common denominator that , as in any bike race, you have to press hard on the pedals.
I enjoy reading these different choices but please remember that the Tour didn't start with Lance Armstrong or Eddy Merckx or Jacques Anquetil or Fausto Coppi.
One big problem is that there are very few people alive who experienced the victories of these pre-war stars, I certainly don't, but they shouldn't be forgotten.
How about Louison Bobet, the first to win three in a row? What about the "Touristes Routiers" who rode in the days before national teams and had to look after themselves with no support. Trying to find an hotel room after a 400km stage on roads like cart tracks must have been a real hoot. Not to menton eating, resting, tending any bodily ailments (probably not few) and fixing your bike for the next marathon stage.
The Tour today is in many respects entirely different from those early races but with the common denominator that , as in any bike race, you have to press hard on the pedals.
I enjoy reading these different choices but please remember that the Tour didn't start with Lance Armstrong or Eddy Merckx or Jacques Anquetil or Fausto Coppi.
One big problem is that there are very few people alive who experienced the victories of these pre-war stars, I certainly don't, but they shouldn't be forgotten.
