Review of 2009
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doddy13 |
Posted on 31-10-2009 09:39
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Grand Tour Champion
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So, let's do a little highlights of the year thread, should be fun. Here's a template
Low Point:
I'd Rather forget...:
Memorable Points (for good or bad):
I won't forget...:
Best point of the season:
Race of the Year:
Rider of the year
So, i'll go first then..
Low Point: The protest of the Milan stage of the Giro, that was a disgusting move, those who made that decision should be ashamed.
I'd Rather forget...: The entire 2nd Week of the TDF, and Di Luca testing positive after giving a great Giro battle.
Memorable Points (for good or bad): The deaths of Nolf in the Tour of Qatar and VDB just a month ago.
I won't forget...:Menchov falling in the final KM of the giro.
Best point of the season: Cadel Evans winning the World Championships, a fantastic race.
Race of the Year: World Championships Road Race
Rider of the year I hate to say it but.. Boasson Hagen i think, he's proved alot this year.
Your turn.
There's no point slapping a schleck - Sean Kelly on "Who needs a slap"
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issoisso |
Posted on 31-10-2009 10:02
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Tour de France Champion
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Low Point: Rocks falling and radio transmission problems causing the re-routing and almost complete neutering of possibly the most epic stage the sport would've seen since 20 or more years ago.
I'd Rather forget...: The Tour de Suisse route. Usually it's an awesome race with a brilliant route and excellent racing. This year the route was fixed for Cancellara to win for political reasons to do with the higher ranks of swiss cycling. Both pathetic and boring.
I won't forget...:Menchov crashing, indeed
Best point of the season: None in particular
Race of the Year: World Championships Road Race
Rider of the year Valverde. He had the best results, you can't argue with that.
And let me add
Surprise of the year Wiggins was probably the biggest one
Disappointment of the year Igor Antón. There's a few other "worthy" candidates
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
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SportingNonsense |
Posted on 31-10-2009 10:21
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Team Manager
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Low Point: The way Paris-Roubaix just fell into Boonen's hands, it could have been a great finale if not for the crashes around him.
I'd Rather forget...: Armstrong
Memorable Points/I won't forget...(Same thing surely) : Wiggins being able to climb with the best of them in the Tour (for most of the time)
Best point of the season: Cavendish winning Milan San Remo, the huge effort needed to overhaul Haussler right on the line, to win the race most discounted him from winning (this year at least)
Race of the Year: Gotta be the Worlds RR
Rider of the year: Cavendish, the most wins, 9 in Grand Tours (10 with the Giro TTT)
Surprise of the year As isso says, its hard to think of one bigger than Wiggins
Disappointment of the year: The Valverde case taking forver, and still yet to be, resolved, and that because of that he was able to ride the Vuelta and win it.
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kumazan |
Posted on 31-10-2009 10:40
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Team Leader
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Low Point: The UCI doing nothing to prevent Valverde keep riding. The riders' protests in both Tour and Giro.
I'd Rather forget...: The Pyrenees in the Tour.
Memorable Points (for good or bad): Wiggins suffering a flat tire in the WC TT, and smashing his bike to the floor. Sadly, the deaths of Nolf and VDB.
I won't forget...: Menchov crashing. Spilak crashing two times in a couple of minutes in San Sebastian.
Best point of the season: Mmm, a difficult one. Perhaps Gilbert's win in Lombardia. Not the best race of the year, but I loved to see Philippe winning a monument.
Race of the Year: WC Road Race.
Rider of the year Philippe Gilbert, he has improved a lot, a now he has a fully deserved monument in his palmares.
Surprise of the year: Wiggins and Hoogerland. Wiggins did a massive leap forward in the mountains, and Johnny came of nowhere to a 5th in Lombardia. Wow.
Disappointment of the year: Kim Kirchen. He did almost nothing this year. |
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Wiggo |
Posted on 31-10-2009 10:44
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Classics Specialist
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Low Point: Valverde being able to win the Vuelta, even after being convicted in Italy.
I'd Rather forget...: The TdF, boring as hell apart from Wiggo, and he still didn't get a podium.
Memorable Points (for good or bad): (bad) Nolf, VdB, (good) Cav's awesome season.
I won't forget...: Menchov crashing.
Best point of the season: Cav minning MSR probably.
Race of the Year: Worlds RR
Rider of the year: Cav
Surprise of the year: Wiggo, Le Mevel.
Disappointment of the year: Boonen getting
P-R so easily. |
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mrlol |
Posted on 31-10-2009 11:01
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kumazan, don't forget Kirchen got injured early on in the season.
I'm rather bad at remembering a full year and summing it up, but here we go.
Low Point: Bos/Impey incident
I'd Rather forget...: Gesink crashing left and right
Memorable Points (for good or bad): Grischa Niermann having a huge antenna on his helmet in the TdF stage where the radio's where not allowed.
I won't forget...: gotta agree with Menchov's crash, and I'll add another one; Perdo Horillo.
Best point of the season: Being in Annecy at the time of the TdF TT.
Race of the Year: WC RR, no doubt.
Rider of the year Phillipe Gilbert. Great way to end the season.
Surprise of the year: Jonney Hoogerland.
Disappointment of the year: Oscar Freire. Couldve made more effort to have a good second half of the season after his crash.
And I'll add:
Team of the year:
Good: Columbia; winning left and right. And again. And again.
Bad: Pretty much every French team. Suprize? no. |
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Guido Mukk |
Posted on 31-10-2009 11:21
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Tour de France Champion
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Good one..
Low Point:Valverde case..and other doping cases.
I'd Rather forget..: Tour de France profile
Memorable Points (for good or bad): Cavendish winning Milano-San Remo (how was that possible), Contador crack in Paris-Nice
I won't forget...: Cancellara worlds TT ride
Best point of the season: problems a finding one
Race of the Year: Worlds
Surprise of the year: Wiggins
Rider of the year: That would be Cavendish (hugh domination)
Edited by Guido Mukk on 31-10-2009 11:22
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Roman |
Posted on 31-10-2009 11:35
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Grand Tour Specialist
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Low Point: Tour de France and boring stages in Pyrenees.
I'd Rather forget...: Team Astana
Memorable points...: Contador crack in Paris - Nice, Team Columbia winning machine, Evans winning World Champs RR,..
I won't forget...: Kreuziger is first Czech rider in top 10 of Tour de France.
Best point of the season: Liege - Bastogne - Liege - Andy Schleck had won finally some big race.
Race of the Year: World Championships Road Race
Rider of the year: Alberto Contador. He won Tour de France + he had many other great results.
Surprise of the year Jakob Fuglsang. He had great first season of his career.
Disappointment of the year: Stijn Devolder. Big ambitions and only one big result.
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ruben |
Posted on 31-10-2009 11:47
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Grand Tour Champion
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Low Point: The routes of the Tour de Suisse and Tour de France
I'd Rather forget...: Thomas Dekker
Memorable Points (for good or bad): Pedro Horrillo crash...damn
Best point of the season: The giro duels between Di Luca and Menchov
Race of the Year: Worlds Road Race I think
Rider of the year: I would vote Alberto Contador, if he'd race anything after the Tour, sadly he didn't. So now my vote goes to Valverde.
Surprise of the year: Wiggins and Hoogerland. Wiggins suddenly can climb out of nowhere and Hoogerland goes from kermesses to top 5 Lombardia. What the hell just happened?
Disappointment of the year: All dopers + big dissapointments like Greg van Avermaet, Oscar Freire, Gert Steegmans etcetera.
Teams of the year:
Good: Team -we win every mass sprint and nearly every hilly stage-Columbia
Bad: The French teams weren't much as usual, also I'll add Fuji Servetto |
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Il Grillo |
Posted on 31-10-2009 11:48
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Domestique
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One of my favourite cycling sites live-radsport.ch has a category every year which is called "cycle awards" where you can vote on things like "Best GT stage" or "Best one day race" and many more categories thats quite interesting.
Low Point: Milrams performance the whole season. Only significant thing was Cioleks stage win at the Vuelta and Wegmans win at Eschborn-Frankfurt-City-Loop (against a weak field), the rest you heard of the team was just excuses for their bad performances. They didnt even managed to get on the podium with 25 riders in the race at the german nationals.
I'd Rather forget...: Contador helping Valverde to win Criterium Dauphine Libere.
Memorable Points: Haussler jumps away in the final of Milano-San Remo and Cavendish beating him on the line
I won't forget...: Contador's hunger flat in Paris-Nice
Best point of the season: Finally we got rid of Di Luca for two years.
Race of the Year: I wasnt able to watch the most interesting one day races (P-R, WC) so my vote goes for the Giro d'Italia. Although the race was missing a high altitude stage, the course was made up for a great race and was better as expected before. The giro showed that 2 early mountaintop finishes doesnt mean that a tour has to become boring if the route is made up great. Almost every day (except the Milano stage) was exciting to watch with interesting finishes. Wont forget Sastres 2 mountaintop wins, the epic ITT, doped up Di Luca with a staccato of attacks nor Menchov's fall in the final.
Rider of the year: Contador/Cavendish both dominated the season in their field.
Surprise of the year: Heinrich Haussler's Performance in first half of the year croned by a TdF stage win
Disappointment of the year: Oscar Freire just grabbing 1 win the whole season. |
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mrlol |
Posted on 31-10-2009 11:56
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Grand Tour Specialist
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Also, I kinda forgot; Silence lotto had a rubbish season as well. (apart from the last month). |
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Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 12:33
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Waghlon |
Posted on 31-10-2009 12:18
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Low Point: Vinokourov. On my television. Urgh.
I'd Rather forget...: The five billion times Michael Rasmussen claimed he got a new contract.
Memorable Points (for good or bad): Almost getting run over at the Post Danmark Rundt, being quite literally stuck to a leather sofa during the heatwave during Le Tour, having my annual nap during the final 50 of Paris-Roubaix as usual.
I won't forget...: The danish national theme playing during Contadors TDF cermony
Best point of the season: Evans winning the Worlds. I thought it was highly deserved.
Race of the Year: Honestly, im not sure.
Rider of the year: Cavendish. I dont like him, but i cant deny he won a lot.
Surprise of the year: Wiggins
Disappointment of the year: Too many to count
THE THOMAS VOECKLER PROPHET OF PCM DAILY
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wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 31-10-2009 12:32
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Grand Tour Champion
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Low Point: Bos and Impey saga
I'd Rather forget...: Valverde(completely)
Memorable Points (for good or bad):
I won't forget...: When Evans attacked at the worlds
Best point of the season: Cancellara taking the worlds by the scruff of the neck
Race of the Year:Gotta be the worlds
Rider of the year: Russell Downing
Surprise: Bradley Wiggins
Dissapointment: Lief Hoste. where was he?
Young rider: Heinrich Haussler for that awesome start when he really fulfilled his talent
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Deadpool |
Posted on 31-10-2009 13:04
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Team Leader
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Low Point: The entire tdf
I'd Rather forget...: di luca doping
Memorable Points (for good or bad): Armstrong returns (for bad)
I won't forget...: Menchov falling
Best point of the season: Cadel in rainbow
Race of the Year: World Champs
Rider of the year: Mark Cavendish
Young rider: Heinrich Haussler
Surprise: Wiggo
Disappointment:
Edited by Deadpool on 31-10-2009 13:06
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fenian_1234 |
Posted on 31-10-2009 13:31
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Low Point: Di Luca and Menchov riding like men on a lot of drugs at the Giro, and then only one of them being caught.
I'd Rather forget...: The amount of times the favorites sat and watched each other in big races one day races and then let someone else win.
Memorable Points (for good or bad): Paris-Roubaix. A sprint in the velodrome would've rounded off a great race, but for me seeing some of the accelerations Boonen put in were an absolute pleasure. The 'carnage' was what makes P-R the race it is.
I won't forget...: Valverde winning the Vuelta when he really should have even been racing.
Best point of the season: The return of Ivan Basso.
Race of the Year: Paris-Roubaix.
Rider of the year: Mark Cavendish for his sheer dominance of sprints at the TdF. |
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ursul |
Posted on 31-10-2009 14:49
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low point: the boring tour de france
I'd rater forget: The amount of times the favorites sat and watched each other in big races one day races and then let someone else win.
memorable points: the domination of Cavendish on sprint
I won't forget: Andy Schleck winning L-B-L
best point of the season: Cadel winnig at the world
Race of the year: world champs
rider of the year: Phillipe Gilbert, a season end like that...
When Nothing goes rigth, go left...
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MTSN98 |
Posted on 31-10-2009 14:54
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Low point: The whole ‘Cav + Hushovd = Stained Green Jersey’ saga
I'd rather forget...: The Tour ‘decider’ on Mont Ventoux. Come on, even the breakaway won on a stage where nothing interesting happened (except the bush fire which was far more interesting than the racing)
Memorable points: Valverde’s face in the Dauphine when Sylwester Smyzd out-foxed him on Ventoux
I won't forget...: What else can it be apart from Menchov falling again and again and again…
Best point of the season: MSR – Cavendish catching Haussler (just!) in the last millimetres of the 298km race
Race of the Year: World Champs RR – an absolute epic
Rider of the year: Fabian Cancellara – awesome up and down the hills, and (nearly) unbeatable in the TTs
Surprise of the year: Johnny Hoogerland – didn’t know who he was before this year!
Disappointments of the year:
Daniele Bennati – couldn’t even out sprint team-mate Sabatini
Mauricio Soler – did he win anything? |
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Johan92 |
Posted on 31-10-2009 15:27
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Domestique
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Low Point: All the breakaways that won stages in GT. Instead of a great battle between the favourites, a couple of "unknown" riders won instead.
I'd Rather forget...: The Pyrenees in the Tour.
Memorable Points (for good or bad): When Armstrong made his attack on the Blockhaus(?) stage in Giro. The King was back.
I won't forget...: Cavendish
Best point of the season: Boasson Hagens Giro.
Race of the Year:
Rider of the year Cavendish, won "everything".
Surprise: Probably the boring Vuelta. A few stages were very nice entertainment, but overall, it was boring. Hoped it would be a great race with so many good riders at start, but they just looked on each other before Gesink attacked 2 km from the line.
Disappointments of the year: Freire, Bennati and Boonen. Really hoped that they could show something in the Tour, were almost every good sprinter were in.
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issoisso |
Posted on 31-10-2009 15:32
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Tour de France Champion
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Johan92 wrote:
Low Point: All the breakaways that won stages in GT. Instead of a great battle between the favourites, a couple of "unknown" riders won instead.
(...)
Best point of the season: Boasson Hagens Giro.
I'm laughing pretty hard at this point
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
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Bosskardo |
Posted on 31-10-2009 15:47
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Sprinter
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Low Point: Valverde winning Vuelta, Di Lucas doping
I'd Rather forget...: Winner of Tour (who was it again)
Memorable Points (for good or bad): MSR finish (feel sorry for Haussler)
I won't forget...: Cancellara WC TT final 100 meters
Best point of the season: Taaramäe's podium at Tour de Romandie
Race of the Year: WC
Rider of the year: Cavendish (don't like it but thats how it is)
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