Most Disappointing Rider of the Year: Nominations Please!
by ursula on Oct 31, 2009 5:20 AM EDT
Email
PrintLet's see if there's some juice for this category. IMO there should be just one rule for this poll: no dopers. Everyone else is fair game. Why no dopers? First, they are too obvious. Second, I'd rather not give them any more attention. I don't want a poll where I choose among Killer, Tin Tin and Dekker.
So if we are to leave the dopers aside, there could be any number of riders nominated. You got your injury disappointments like Benna or Kirchen, or VDS disappointments like Gasparotto, or Grand Tour disappointments like Levi, or aging disappointments like Oscarito: so the nominations are open! (And, I have to now make another poll of Most Improved Rider now too.)
116 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Anton!
(I have lots of riders to choose from my VDS)
That guy was gold last year in the Vuelta till he fell at the Angliru. This year a loosy 20 place in GC. What’swrong with him. I expected a top 10 place minimum. We also haven’t seen him much the rest of the year. He has one win on his palmares:
Urkiola Igoera – Subida Urkiola
Well for his potential that sucks. Let’s hope it’ just one year
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
Though it pains me, as he's one of my favourites, I have to agree here.
Anton was riding a blinder in the Vuelta last year when he fell on the Angliru and that crash really knocked the stuffing out of him. It didn’t look horrendous at the time but it was worse than it appeared and his recovery took ages. He really struggled for fitness and form all year. It looked like it was a such a massive relief for him when he won the Subida Urkiola which I think is testament to the rough time he’s had. I really hope he can put this year behind him and get back to his best.
Not even going to mention The Beautiful One With The Fragile Body. Waaaaaaah!
"If I were World Road Race Champion, I would wear black shorts. That probably has more to do with me being on the wiser side of 30 and understanding better that the decisions I make now never really go away. White shorts would not be something I'd be proud of...." - David Millar, in Rouleur.
Gert
(Steegmans) is definitely the rider who disappointed me the most this season :-(. The extent of my disappointment reflects the hope that I had held for him. (Not your fault, Gert, but there ya go LOL).
Reunited with Robbie at the TDU, it looked to me like the old partnership was again showing great promise. He and Robbie went on to rack up some early season wins, to my increasing delight. But then… well, the health issues… and then worse – the ‘team’ issues. I was torn when he parted company with Katusha. On one hand, I applauded him for taking a stand and sticking to it. On the other hand, I thought: “Stupid boy, stick with Robbie and learn from him while you can!”.
And he has capped off the season by joining the dark side :-(. It is unclear to me how he is going to progress a great deal, in that team.
Oh well… I shall continue to cheer for Gert, and my hope for him still flickers. He may yet live up to his potential ;-)
Yeah but nothing he could do.
Strucj by Pfeiffer and heard he did pretty well in Lombardie(sp?). He fell on a hill apparently?! Why can this only happen by Rabo?!
(I remember another case where the leadersjersey was brought down in the last km uphill.. Tour or Giro)
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
what case is there to make?
Tuft delivers break-out time trial performances at Olympics and Worlds in 08, was set-up for prime time in 09. Got injujred, over-trained or something in compensation, and was relegated to first 50k duty in the rest of the races he rode.
Or, was I missing something?
No.. But Tuft's only good race was hic WC last year me thinks..
So if you don’t ride good the whole year, there is only race where he dissapoint.. The WC
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
I did decades ago know a young
guy that became a ranked Canadian croquet player
choose the right sport and instantly ranked.
Personally (as a Canadian), it’s nice to see several in the pro Peleton
Moo
Raced for a top-level team in top-level races this year.
08:Tour de Beauce, Tour of Missouri, Tour de(?) Georgia, Oly TT, WCTT. North American program.
09:Tour of Califonia, Tirreno-Adriatico, Volta-Catalunya, Daphine-Libere, Ostereich-Rundfahrt, Eneco Tour of Benelux, Vuelta (15 stages), WCTT 15th behind riders who were not there in ‘08, WCRR (abandoned), Sun Tour and quite a few 1 day pro-tour and Monuments.
You’re a hard man to please R Mc.
About what anyone should expect.
If his outstanding results from two TTs in ‘08 were to be taken as an indication that he would sweep the Pro-tour off its feet, well? What they got Svein was a ride on Garvin and close to a hundred days of racing at the pro-tour level were he performed better than half his team mates results wise and helped his team leaders to victories.
I didn’t expect much more and I’m sure his bosses didn’t either.
Tuft was very highly ranked...
on the UCI Americas Tour (and won it the year prior, I think it was). Like fancan points out, it’s a big jump from continental races to ProTour – big learning curve I think and hopefully next year will be his year again!
I agree - bad luck not disappointing
Post concussion syndrome is highly variable but he gave us a taste in the Sun Tour of what we might expect from a healthy Svein.
Also a switch of roles from leader to domestique doesn’t mean he is going to post top results in all his races. He will get his chances but his job is different on Garmin.
I agree...He didn't even come close to anything. He needs to figure out his training and then maybe he might
get a result. Vaughters hyped him up too much
by Vlaanderen90 on Oct 31, 2009 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Both disappointments
Gesink because of crashing in Tour & Vuelta. Let’s say it wasn’t his fault.
Boom, realistically, not so much a disappointment as: no exceptional year. TTs were nothing to write home about.
Boom did win a GT stage and the Tour of Belgium.
If the latter had been a VDS race, I bet he wouldn’t have been named in this thread at all.
So could I nominate Theo Bos
and under which rule is he eligible.
I can get the Gesink case although I won't give him the dissapointment case.
He was also 3rd in the AGR and 4th(?) in the Dauphine.
Boom on the other hand?!
16th WC and 9th in the first Vueta TT and 9th in the prologue in Suisse. Pretty solid results for a Neo
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
Bet you could.
Barbie-Barbie is serious Art. I’m in awe. Andrew Warhol can take a walk in the snow. IMHO.
Jerome Coppel?
I’m wondering whether I should include him next year
I went German last year with Leenoos and Ciolek
That’s the Ciolek who had such a pathetic year that he didn’t even get a nckname here. At least Gasparotto gave you some hope with his pathetic little escapes, even if you knew that he’d blow it before the end. The only time you learned that Ciolek was racing was if you bothered to read all the way down the results, right to the DNF entries. French looks good to me.
I was so hoping he would win 10 stages after his first sprint win in the first stage of the Vuelta
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
Ciolek's problem was expectations.
In CQ rankings he dropped only a few places, from 64th to 72. In VDS he almost doubled last year’s points—his price was a little high based on last year’s performance or we’d be very happy with him there.
He had a number of good finishes in the Tour (7 top tens, including one podium) plus came in 3rd for the green jersey, won a Vuelta stage, was 3rd in Vattenfalls. Really not such a terrible year.
3rd in the Vattenfalls doesn't get you a nickname
I’m not picking him again until he’s something other than Gerald “Gerald” Ciolek.
I think he was disappointing
but I am certainly being unfair.
Very young, and I will DEFINITELY pick him in 2010.
(now he has no hope)
Moo
+1
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 1, 2009 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
Well I didn't know that
until AFTER he made it to my VDS. I was busy that news cycle.
"…I saw bloody Cavendish coming, really fast…"
HH
Eeh.. right..
But he couldn’t ride because he doped.. couple of years back..
And eeh.. not sure about the only than
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
Levi
Should have had aspirations of at least one, if not two GT podiums and a stage win here and there. Got caught up in the Astanadrama and finished with not much.
Jens Voigt doesn’t know where you live, but he knows exactly where you will die.
But he won the Tour of California!
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Nah, Cav won that one too
didn’t someone post a video of the Columbia team racing each other downhill on little tiny bicycles?
Disappointing, yes...
But disappointment of the year? A bit harsh. That was really a nice win against some pretty decent competition in the ToC.
Der Leeenooooos
what the hell was that boy?! Stay healthy next year and don’t freakin get dropped at the bottom of climbs…alright?
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
btw of Course agree about Lenos..
Invicible the whole freaking season.. And if that wasn’t worse enough VDS wish.. He’s also still German..
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
InviSible frinkster, spelling it with a c makes it closer to invincible..which he certainly wasn't
and the tagline, well google balloon boy if you must, it’s a long story.
Look, it's a bird...no, it's a plane....oh never mind it's just fucking balloon boy
Judith Arndt deserves a nomination somewhere around here
every time it looked like she was about to win she’d fall and break her arm.
Or get doored, meh.
Rough year all around for Arndt. On the womens side, I’d say Nicole Cooke’s year was a tad underwhelming also.
Every single darn cotton-picking slowpoke of Milram.
The Other Unluckies: Chicchi, Devolder, Grabsch, Quinziato, Steegmans, and Weylandt, along with Danielson nd Voeckler (because those two never live up to expectations) because I do not recall any of these parties having illness or injury.
"As you can imagine, there are better places to have your birthday party than in some village called Mushny Mush Mishme." --The Wisdom of Jens
He all but disappeared after Flanders.
"As you can imagine, there are better places to have your birthday party than in some village called Mushny Mush Mishme." --The Wisdom of Jens
True, but when you're nominating for THE most disappointing rider of the year
it seems to me that winning a monument might give you an automatic pass.
I would agree.
And anyone in 2009 calling TD a disappointment for his year, well, I just don’t know what to say there.
Grabsch took at least one TT win this year
About on part for him. Plus, his infamous 3rd place in a Vuelta sprint finish…
by Douglas Ansel on Oct 31, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions
+ 2
lol
I waited a half an hour to give my two toddlers breakfast until I had my Eneco tour coverage sorted, then made sure I got them fed before the sprint. --- Bought With Blood. ..... Hmmm, my kinda people. If only they could explain to my wife why my bike belongs in the house and not the garage. --- Thevaro
Basso
He diseled his way to top 5s in GTs, but really, that smiley-grimace thing has lost a lot of shine. I expected him to smile even brighter this year without the dopage and he failed me.
On a more serious note... Boonen
Tom, I understand you’re an unhappy sprinter. You want to race flanders and roubaix all year round, yes you do. But come on, there’s still prize money for 3rd place. Surely that’s worth sprinting the last 50m for.
by Douglas Ansel on Oct 31, 2009 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Heh
win a monument and most disappointing rider of the year at the same time?
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 1, 2009 10:27 AM EST up reply actions
Prize money? He has one of the top contracts in cycling and when you cut up that 1000 euro for 4th place, the individual
racers/workers are not getting much
Tyler Hamilton, Tomeke and VDB
I was vying for Boonen this season but it seems he has issues and he needs help fast otherwise he’ll be retracing Tyler’s footsteps soon or even those of VDB who’s dead
Already done? (Try that again)
Already done?
Uran Uran has to be on the list! Seriously.. Ubertalented, that’s why he was in my VDS, and it totally didn’t work out. C;mon Uran! I want to celebrate for you next year!
Ballan has also had to eb on the list. After his WC it ahs to be his year. Dommagely, that’s not a word, we never say the WC jersey on his shoulders.
Spilak also deserves to be on the list! Had a good cobblesseason last year but I haven’t seen him this year. To bad because it’s a promising youngster.
Soler! The mountain classification winner of the Tour 2008, it was 2008 no? You thought he would somewhere climb away but that was not the case. After a disastrous Giro where he fell, what 15 times a stage, he wasn’t seen anywhere. Looking to CQranking he had some solid results in minor one day races.
Cobo.. Good old Cobo, ooh that was his teammate Piepoli.. After a splendid Tour last year where he was fabolous but was retreated out of the Tour he couldn’t come back to that old level.. Strange? No.. We all know the story from SDV. They were on ‘the winning mood’. Not lovely to say as it’s one of my fave riders but it seems clearly that way. He ended with a solid Vuelta and after Vuelta thing.
Cobo.. Good old Cobo, ooh that was his teammate Piepoli.. After a splendid Tour last year where he was fabolous but was retreated out of the Tour he couldn’t come back to that old level.. Strange? No.. We all know the story from SDV. They were on ‘the winning mood’. Not lovely to say as it’s one of my fave riders but it seems clearly that way. He ended with a solid Vuelta and after Vuelta thing.John-Lee Augustyyyyyyyyynnnnnnnnn.. In which ravine do we know have to look.. I seriously haven’t seen him this year. Looking to cqranking that is a good possibility with an 11th stage in the Settimana Lombarda as best result this year
Cobo.. Good old Cobo, ooh that was his teammate Piepoli.. After a splendid Tour last year where he was fabolous but was retreated out of the Tour he couldn’t come back to that old level.. Strange? No.. We all know the story from SDV. They were on ‘the winning mood’. Not lovely to say as it’s one of my fave riders but it seems clearly that way. He ended with a solid Vuelta and after Vuelta thing.John-Lee Augustyyyyyyyyynnnnnnnnn.. In which ravine do we know have to look.. I seriously haven’t seen him this year. Looking to cqranking that is a good possibility with an 11th stage in the Settimana Lombarda as best result this yearCould make the case for 3 or 4 others but I already know all my riders of my VDS sucked… So contintinue is worthless.. (Yess those riders were ALL in my VDS team + the already named Anton)
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
You are my saver..
Still have no clue why my text is doubled 3 times! Can you fix that also?
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
I kind of like it
It is almost like you meant it for artistic reasons, especially with the new text added on at the end of each repeated paragraph. It’s almost like watching memento or something.
Allow me
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 1, 2009 10:29 AM EST up reply actions
Ho.. I will explain
First time I write down my story it came facked up like this.. No worries I though I just make another comment with the smae text but sorted out. So copy past it another commentbox. Got rid of the double ups and the little language mistakes. Hit post and…. it was messed uop again! It was NOT my fault!
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
I can picture that actually
something about the comment not fully loading…
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 1, 2009 11:26 AM EST up reply actions
Soler won the mountains jersey in 2007
2009 was pretty much on a par with 2008 for him.
If somebody have read it. Ballan is not in my VDS. Little mistake
What do you fear most?
1. coup d’etat
2. putsch
You reckon we can try that trick with Cavendish too
Bah Cavendish. Bah Cancellara. Bah Bert. Bah Ernie. Bah Gonzo. Bah Fozzie Bear. Bah Bagpuss.
Where's Marzio Bruzeghin
After his display of talent in ‘08, I haven’t seen him much this year – what gives?
he slipped
not sure if he was the worst, but it wasn’t a great year for him.
"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert
by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 1, 2009 10:30 AM EST up reply actions
Benatti
It’s as if he took a year off. He didn’t even look beautiful for the 2009 season. Bad sunglasses.
by ZoeRochelle on Nov 1, 2009 2:28 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Not winning the Tour may be disappointing to you, but
landing on the podium with a teammate makes his comeback a surprise and a success to many. What’s a sad and true fact, that we all age and our performance abilities wane? Gimmie a break, and not my collarbone please.
No horn, watch for finger.
Find Wallie...
Let’s create a photo that has hidden in it all the riders that have dissapointed us – what do think?
ME!
Oh, you mean PRO riders. I’d vote for a tie between Boonen and Ballan. They didn’t have awful seasons, but in terms of disappointments, they’re both up there. Lot’s expected of WC jersey, at least by me. He just rested on his laurels.
Boonen disappointed in that he promised so much (e.g. to contend for green in TdF), then he squandered it away with his other problems. I do hope his rehab works well for him.
As for me, I had a very disappointing season in that I didn’t get out to ride nearly as much as I wanted to. It was really hot this summer and I’m getting too old for that. Fortunately, the winter looks promising….at least for the MTB. (I live in a warm-ish climate.)
Side note: If all goes well, I’m taking time off next May to head to California and see me some AToC action!!
Menchov
In the sense i expected more from him the rest of the season. I know I know he won a GT……
Your bike doesn't want to crash so relax and let it roll!!!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
Featured Stories
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
![This is funny on so many levels. [Html should open bigger]](http://cdn3.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/239959/flagged_small.jpg)
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
