Well, it is a cycling forum after all!
I'll have an early punt on a man with more all round talent on a bike than almost anyone, Tomac
Pro road racer;
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Pro XC racer
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Pro-downhiller
[img] http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000FZuabjfxEx0/s [/img]
He's also been pretty handy on a BMX and MX bike too. Oh, and he's a really nice guy to boot!
Is he the greatest? Certainly among the most versatile which has to count for a lot, IMO!
albert einstein
Tomac +1 there will never be another rider like him.
Cedric Gracia is another talented 'all round' rider, Greg Minnar is another. I think in the UK Chris Askrigg would be up ther too.
John Tomac even sent me a signed poster upon request! Its framed and in my shed, one of my most prized possession's 🙂
Greatest by what measure? Success, ability?
Success - Eddy Merckx gets my vote - he won nearly 25% of all his races over a 14 year period (1965 to 1978). His best year was 1971 where he won 45% of races entered.
Ability - Merchx is the only rider ever to have held all three coloured jersey's in the TdF in 1969.
Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_Merckx#Records /edit
Not knocking Tomac, mind you, but a difficult question to answer IMO.
Dr Albert Hoffman
The cannibal, pretty much end of thread 😉
I know, everyones going to say "he only really tried in the TDF blah blah, Mercx rode 100 races a year etc etc" but Lance Armstrong may not be the most likeable character but as a bike rider, phenomenal. And Big Mig wasnt too shabby either.
Ladies & gentlemen, may I present Wilbur and Orville Wright. Inventors of the left hand pedal thread.
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Well, it is a [s]cycling[/s] MOUNTAIN BIKING forum after all!
FTFY
For Eddy enthusiasts. Habitual seat post fiddler.
I think the point about John Tomac is that he excelled in all three disciplines
No rider comes even close to what Merckx did and no one ever will.
these days you have classics specialists, grand tour specialists,tt specialists etc. Not Eddy, he won the lot. everything. Hour record, all the classics, all the tours (tour de france and Giro 5 times), all the jerseys in Tour de France in 1969, world champion 3 times. He will never be bettered.
miguel indurain for me.
surf mat
No contest.
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Merckx
It is often said that Coppi would have had the most successful pro cycling career were it not interrupted by WW2 and a stay in a POW camp.
Beryl Burton
She dominated women’s cycle racing in the UK, winning more than 90 domestic championships and [u]seven world titles[/u], and setting numerous national records. She set a women's record for the 12-hour time-trial which exceeded the men's record for two years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryl_Burton
Eddy Merckx was the greatest road cyclist ever. 47% win average in 1971. Almost half the races he entered? Probably quite handy on a cross bike too, but obviously never got a chance at MTBing.
Tomac - good call - great all rounder, although not a memorable road career, he was an insipration. Probably rhe best MTBer ever?
If chickhen legs hadn't been caught then a modern era MTB world champ and TDF winner would be some double.
Dr Albert Hoffman
LOL
Nice bit of lateral thinking there.
Akrigg
sod the road stuff, they're not 'proper' skills!
Good point re Beryl Burton. Let's also add in Jeannie Longo (spl?), then.
Graeme Obree.
World record on bike built and designed by himself.
Lots of other good cyclists, but that elevates him above them all.
I was once in a 25mile Time Trial and Beryl Burton was off 1 minute in front of me. She chatted nicely to me at the start (I was only 16) but that was the last I saw of her.
Not saying he was the best, but this guy was pretty f*cking mental..
[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Godwin_%28cyclist_born_1912%29 ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Godwin_%28cyclist_born_1912%29[/url]
200 miles a day for 500 days straight. Afterwards had to learn how to walk again!
a modern era MTB world champ and TDF winner would be some double
Yep.
Thinking of cross-discipline riders, Wiggins seems to do quite well. How many others go from track to Tour successfully?
Lots of other good cyclists, but that elevates him above them all
Couldn't disagree more.
molgrips, a huge proportion of TdF sprinters and lead-out men are or were trackies. Road and track crossover is pretty common.
Jason Mcroy - easy
I don't think he's the best of all time but Cavendish should get an honourable mention for what he does. He's a specialist though not an all rounder. He's got a good few years left in him and will raise the bar in terms of race and stage wins.
This thread needs pictures.
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Lots of other good cyclists, but that elevates him above them all.
In the early days of the tour you had to fix your own bikes. riders regularly ended up at blacksmiths till the early hours, fixing their bikes. Obree is a legend for what he did, but not even in top 20 of greatest cyclists
The trolling zoo fighter, King of the forced dust eating.
The greatest cyclist of all time must be Thomas Stevens, he make the people above look like mumys boys...he was the first person to ride around the world, and he did it on a PENNY FARTING in 1884-86, ****ing amazing bloke!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Stevens_(cyclist)
Gustav Mesmer
Not sure if he's the best or not but lemond has certainly increased the pay packets for pros and increased the popularity of road cycling here and in the us in his day. Coming back to win tdf after being shot was pretty cool as well.
Off road, Joe Murray is worth a mention.
molgrips, a huge proportion of TdF sprinters and lead-out men are or were trackies
I mean trackies who go on to high GC results doing well in the Mts - not just sprinters. I only say this because it's pretty much as big a shift in discipline as you can get, isn't it?
Are there two more diverse activities?
and he did it on a PENNY FARTING
lol
Nico Vouilloz was arguably the greatest downnhiller, he and Anne-Caroline Chausson dominated downhill when I was into the sport.
Big Mig dominated the tour when I started watching it.
Where they are the greatest I don't know but they certainly were the ones that inspired me.
Merckx for sure. Not only did he win all three jerseys in the TdF, it was his first TdF.
And, if there had been a white jersey for best young rider, he'd have won that as well.
He won by nearly 18 minutes.
That on it's own is almost enough.
Among [i]many[/i] other feats his hour record remains, effectively, unbroken - it has been surpassed, but indoors and with meticulous preparation and understanding of aerodynamics (talking about standard bike record).
leggyblonde - Membersurf mat
hahahahhahaha 😆
Drug free rider i would have to say Greg LeMond , if his brother in law had not shoot him i think its fair to say he would have won a few more Tour,s de France.
Rider with drug conviction Eddy Merckx .
Miguel Indurain was the guy I was in awe of as I grew up so he's my choice.
If you go back to before the wars there were some riders that did truly amazing things, sadly in my boozy state I can't remember any names 😳
Races were flippin truly epic and think what they were riding and the roads they cycled on.
Even the famous six day events were actually run non stop over six days....people actually died.
MrSparkle - Member
No contest.
MrSparkle, what, when, where is that picture? have you got the wider shot?
This isn't greatest road racer of all time! This is a mountain bike forum. Anne-Caro has to be up there. Multiple world DH champion, BMX gold etc. Also Chris Akrigg seems to be able to turn his hand to anything, though not in terms of competitive cycling. Mind you he surprised a few roadies at that hill climb thing last year. 😉
MrSparkle.... MRSPARKLE.... oi... OI...
Got to be " The Big Mig ",
Heart the size of an ox !!!!!.
Still close one with, Mercx and Lance, all super athletes and way a head of the competition in their day !!!!!!!
Gave me my dreams and goals.
adstick - Member
This isn't greatest road racer of all time!
Read the title..."Greatest cyclist".
😉
i'd say tomac all round
Roger De Vlaeminck for me. MR Paris Roubaix.
No question Merckx
matt hofman too
Gino Bartali
3 Giros and 2 TdFs split by WW2. So without the war getting in the way the tally could have been far, far greater.
Bit busy in the war too, with long "training" rides smuggling documents for the Italian resistance and looked after a Jewish family hidden in his cellar. He would have been shot if found out.
In the 1948 TdF (which he won), he averted a civil war in Italy simply by mesmerising his fellow countrymen with his exploits that they stopped fighting.
That's pretty great!
Elfinsafety's mum.
Jonny T, how many people have crossed as many disciplines has him with his level of success. He may not have been an amazing road racer, but good enough to hold his own with the big names.
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if you are just going to name roadies..... why not matt hoffman or jamie bestwick.............. unbeatable
my mum 😀
[url= http://www.newburyrc.co.uk/prod/php/getrecords.php?dist=50 Miles]50 mile TT[/url]
[url= http://www.newburyrc.co.uk/prod/php/getrecords.php?dist=100 Miles]100 mile TT[/url]
[url= http://www.newburyrc.co.uk/prod/php/getrecords.php?dist=12 Hours]12 hour[/url]
Records still standing after 46 years
I think as sports evolve and diversify it get hard to be an all rounder. Even if you are equally good at all disciplines you have to choose to specialise to some extent to progress.
I think a better question for me is possibly something like favourite / best cycling legend.
Road / track: Eddy Merckx
Head banger: Tommy Goowdin
MTB: has to be Tomac
BMX: is a tie between Matt Hoffman, Dennis Mccoy and Jamie Beswick, I can't separate them.
MTB: Tinker Juarex
www.tinkerjuarex.com
Road: Richard Virenque
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Virenque
Got to be " The Big Mig ",Heart the size of an ox !!!!!.
hemocrit level constantly around 49.9% and within 1% of all his team mates, first of the EPO generation....
Eddy Merckx won the yellow, green and polka in the tour de france all at the same time (and would have counted for the u24 white jersey if they'd have been presenting it)
underthewood, classy call for Gino Bartali
mountain biking and road? Cadel Evans ?
Greg LeMond was class, as was Fignon
Virenque? 😆
Coppi,Merckx,JT,JMC.
MTB - Tomac, Frishi, Tim Gould, JMc
Road - Merckx, Burton, Armstrong
Track - Hoy, Merckx, Obree
10x world DH Champ, and currently spanking all comers at various enduro Dh events. Nico!
No rider comes even close to what Merckx did and no one ever will.these days you have [s]classics specialists, grand tour specialists,tt specialists etc[/s] drugs test. Not Eddy, he [s]won[/s] took the lot. everything. Hour record, all the classics, all the tours (tour de france and Giro 5 times), all the jerseys in Tour de France in 1969, world champion 3 times. He will never be bettered
FTFY
Among many other feats his hour record remains, effectively, unbroken - it has been surpassed, but indoors and with meticulous preparation and understanding of aerodynamics
So if meticulous prep isn't allowed, how exactly is anybody supposed to break it? You have to also bear in mind that he took the record at altitude, which is worth far more than indoors, and that the meticulous aero prep gained Boardman and Sosenka relatively little.
I should point out I'm not an EM hater at all - he has my vote as the greatest.
As a man, Poulidor.
As an athlete, Merckx.
As a test as to whether you're pissed or not, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov.
How hard a question?
coolest, without a doubt! :-
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best??? Too tough, there are so many amazing riders!) People like Mark Weir, remy Absalon Jared Graves, Cedric, Matt Hunter, Berrecloth, semenuik, kyle straight, Kirt Voreis Akrigg, Madskills???? They are all amazing all round riders and in my book that makes brilliant riders to watch! then there are the pure racers, sam hill, peaty, barel? But my preference the best rider to watch is brendon fairclough he's just sooooooo smooooth and always looks like he is having fun; even when racing!!
oh yeah and victoria pendleton! and emily batty!
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Steve Peat yet. A UK XC champ and UK and World Champ in his chosen discipline over a 15 year + period, and remain competitive at the top level of a brutal sport well into his 30's.
While age isn't such a big issue for a road racer, the nature of WC DH at the top level these days takes a far higher toll on more muscle groups. And to stay at the top of such a demanding discipline for such a long period deserves some recognition IMHO.
But would he class himself as a cyclist? i don't know.
So I'd have to go for Jonny T.
Sure Merckx has to be up there, but I can say that he is the greatest, for the reason alone that he would not be a great ridding buddy. 1st off he'd always have to beat you, up the hill, to the cafe, every where all the bloody time, that'd get annoying. And secondly has anyone ever seen A Sunday in hell? Who's ever been riding with someone like that, who just CAN NOT stop fiddling with bars, seats, everthing. Do it before you go for a ride you git, you-are-getting-one-my-tits.
So I'll go for Ulrich. He could keep up with Lance even with a tummy full of Bratwurst.
Was peaty a uk xc champ? I know he raced xc, but i thought he never went beyond expert cat.
I am likely to be wrong though, not followed the race scene to much for a few years.
Jmc? I know he was a big personality and an expert bike handler, but was know way in the same leagues as John Tomac or Eddie M.
I never really thought of John T in this way before, but I reckon he would be near the top
may i introduce...
cracking site.
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quote from the pic.
THERE IS SO MUCH MID-90S BADNESS GOING ON HERE. NO SURPRISE NOBODY COULD STEP TO BIG MIG.
SO ****ING TOUGH A SOVIET FIGHTER JET WAS NAMED AFTER HIM.
CYCLING’S EQUIVALENT OF ARNIE IN BLACK LEATHER AND SHADES ON A ****ING HARLEY.
Women MTB
Alison Sydor and I wonder how much more Juliana Furtado could have won if she never contracted Lupus.
Beryl Burton deserves to be up there too. beat men and women, held a record for 28 years. Untouchable for many years.
hughjengin - Member
I know, everyones going to say "he only really tried in the TDF blah blah, Mercx rode 100 races a year etc etc" but Lance Armstrong may not be the most likeable character but as a bike rider, phenomenal. And Big Mig wasnt too shabby either.
Both great TdF riders, but there are riders who haven't been mentioned who won more Grand Tours overall than Armstrong.
Hinault, for instance, won 10 Tours of France, Italy and Spain, PLUS numerous classics, etc. Even his record doesn't compare to Merckx.
Anyway, Merckx for my vote - if MTBs had been around, what's the betting that he would have won everything? (And he's got an X in his name for that added something-factor. 🙂 )
I can't believe that someone mentioned Virenque! The greatest actor in the history of cycling?