Who was/is the greatest cyclist of all time?

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;

Pro XC racer

Pro-downhiller

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.

Well, it is a cycling 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.

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 seven world titles, 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..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Godwin_%28cyclist_born_1912%29

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.

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, **** 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 many 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 – Member

surf mat

hahahahhahaha 😆