Which of the retired pros will be missed the most in 2018?

[brommers]

Contador, Voeckler, Boonen, or some one else? What do people think?

 

[FishFright]

Voeckler. Tommy V. was a great attacking rider who, on his day, showed what was it was to give it all for a chance of a win.

 

[Crackle]

I'll still always harbour the suspicion that Voeckler sandbagged a lot of his career in favour of being the housewifes favourite. I'll miss Contador's attacking style and Booned in the Classics, so all of them really.

 

[petek]

Contador who sorta epitomised 'noughties' pro-cycling IMO.

 

[brommers]

Distinctly different attributes, but I'm going to miss all three.

 

[smutchin]

I'll still always harbour the suspicion that Voeckler sandbagged a lot of his career in favour of being the housewifes favourite.

Suspicion? I thought it was a well-known fact. Voeckler was always a hugely talented rider but learned early on in his career that being a show pony is a lot less work than actually trying to win races. Anyway, I don't know how we're going to 'miss' someone in the 2018 season who was pretty much totally anonymous for the whole of the 2017 season.

I've voted for Boonen but I think I'll miss Contador as well, for all his faults.

Is anyone going to miss Andrew Talansky?

 

[mjr]

Voeckler, partly because he wasn't caught on drugs like the other two (Contador still disputes his I think? and Boonen not performance-enhancing), but also for the sheer class of extending with Europcar in 2011 to save his teammates - he wasn't exactly working cheap on a salary of €420k but I think that was rumoured to be half Cofidis's offer.

 

[smutchin]

wasn't caught

To be fair to Voeckler, I think he wasn't caught because there was nothing to catch. And maybe that's one of the reasons his results never truly reflected his potential.

 

[Crackle]

I won't miss Ned Boulting pronouncing Voeckler's name though.

 

[Welsh wheels]

Contador, Voeckler, Boonen, or some one else? What do people think?

I'll miss Contador, especially as I have been told I have his climbing style.

 

[cyberknight]

Tommy for his gurning panache, bertie for his hilly blasts

 

[mjr]

To be fair to Voeckler, I think he wasn't caught because there was nothing to catch. And maybe that's one of the reasons his results never truly reflected his potential.

I'll agree when we're a few years on with no retrospective positive or credible accusations from former teammates or staff. Been burned too many times.

 

[themosquitoking]

Bertie, he looked so pretty riding uphill.

 

[smutchin]

Been burned too many times.

You're crossing the line from justifiable skepticism into jaded cynicism.

I see no reason to be suspicious of Voeckler. Quite the opposite, in fact.

 

[HLaB]

I know he's been retired a year now but I still miss Spartacus the most