Because it's very hard to race at the top year round. Even the roadies and mountain bikers who do cross tend to race a truncated season based on the world championships, so instead of a 4 month season they do a one month season if that. I think you seriously underestimate Stybar, he's got more class in his pinkie than Hincapie ever had.

Hey I got called Lance twice yesterday on my daily ride by random folks one being a cop.
Maybe its a sign I need to loosen on the doping....

Yeah I'd disagree with that. Neither wiggins or Evans are as explosive on the climbs and only wiggins TTs better. Don't get me wrong they're great riders but I don't think they're anywhere near the same league as Contador. That's why he's won so many grand tours and the others only one each.

Jarmila Kratochvilova



I remember seeing her during the 1980 Olympics. I wished I could have had the same upper body physique.

She reminds me of some of today's women's tennis players.

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"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

The Hulkster!

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She's got a package that would put more than a few guys to shame.

The term you used is "complete stage racer", not explosive climber. Wiggo and Evans are both more complete as racers and are reminiscent of stage racers of the 80's. Wiggo on the boards and Paris Roubaix, and Evans winning worlds and that atrocious stage in Montalcino are testaments to that.



Aside from the veracity of your statement, be glad that the owner of this place isn't a fan of Lemond or else you'd have gotten the boot like so many who saw through the Armstrong charade

I have always believed that he did and always will. With him beating so many confirmed dopers, I seriously doubt that his natural talent was that much better than that of the people he beat while they were doping. I stand by my statement that he got out in time before he got caught. If that gets me banned on this site so be it. I know others agree with me!

The greatest doper off all times is not on any list but it is the person that has done it and gotten away without being caught. The problem that I have is that the list of people that have gotten away with doping is far larger than that of the people who did and got caught. Lance is just the biggest JA that got caught.

Today we don't have stage races reminiscent of the 80's. We have what we have, and Contador has won three Tours, three Vueltas, and two Giros along with a many shorter stage races. Evans and, especially, Wiggins are not even in the same league when it comes to discussing stage racers of this era. Those two don't rate above Nibali and Menchov. Heck, Valverde rates better than those two.

having "others agree with" [you] is not the most logically persuasive of arguments. I know you aren't going to persuade me, and i won't be able to persuade you, but Armstrong did put a bounty out there demanding dirt on Lemond, and the best he could find was the vitamin b12 injection. Back when Armstrong reigned supreme, you can be sure he'd have publicized anything that could have tarnished Lemond, except he found nothing.



I'd give it to you if you say Valverde is a more complete stage racer as he's won quite a few different types of races, but he has only one grand tour (2009 Vuelta in which Evans got hosed with a minute+ a bike change) in his palmares. Contador is the best stage racer but by no means the most complete. His palmares in the classics leaves much to be desired.

or perhaps it's all semantics as my definition of complete stage racer means the most versatile of stage racers.

Apparently class doesn't equal results, but Stybar is still youngish.
Hincapie's best results at PR, a pair of 4ths, Stybar has a 5th and 6th and that is the sum total of Classics palmares, so no his career so far on the road is still a long way from equaling Hincapie.

Stybar is proof that second tier road talent is good enough to be a CX world champion if you know how to ride a bike.
I understand you can't be on form all year, but given the choice of being a second tier roadie or a CX world champion
I think the decision would be easy, even if you don't make a career out of it. Stybar is proof, he is known as a CX world champion,
the fact that he road races is mostly a curiosity.

The Seahawks offensive coordinator, cuz he had to be high to call that play.

I'll put Indurain out there as the 'nicest'.

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29 years and counting

For the win. Though I am not getting the tennis comparison. Serena looks oddly... natural IMO.

Richard Virenque and Marco Pantani come to mind. Richard because he was the face of the Festina affair but he did his time and came back to win races in a bold manner. A part of me wonders if he really came back clean, but he was so much fun to watch that I'll confess I didn't care too much. Pantani is in a similar place. You knew it couldn't be real but it was amazing theatrics and his personality lit up the race. We may never see another one like him again in my lifetime.

Tommy Chong

To the part in bold...no chance. Here is your metric....Rominger goes 55 kph on the full blown Ferrari program in the 1994 world hour record....our boys on the biological passport today are barely cracking 51 kph. Virenque came back and was taking the polka dot jersey from a peloton filed with dopers on the EPO+transfusion plan. No chance in frozen hell that Virenque came back clean. It was in the era when number 7, the UCI, ASO and the French TV networks were all in collaboration WWE/NFL style to keep the dream and $$$ gravy train alive. Virenque clean has about the same chance that you watched a 1 yard line pick off yesterday with 22 clean men on the field with zero pharmaceutical enhancement....but wasn't the superbowl awesome?

Sit back, kick back, and enjoy the show that our gallery of dopers put on for our entertainment. It has been going on since Roman Gladiator times. We're watching a show. The secrets that the gladiators have to conceal to keep the show alive are tricks of their collective trades...big money, big show, big enhancement, big cover ups. Nothing new. I am sure when they had Madison racing at Madison Square Gardens and track cycling was the biggest betting sport in America, things were pretty well the same.

I guess once the 'big guns' have set their modern-day Hour markers, we'll have an even better comparison. To think that Rominger did that on a steel tubed frame as well....

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29 years and counting

Usain Bolt

In addition, look at the company she kept. Definitely all the proof one needs.

Captain America

Kind of looks like Roger Daltry

Her still standing 200 WR of 21.34 at the Seoul Olympics casts a doubt for a lot of people. I have read accounts that even though the wind was measured at +1.3 mps (+2.0 is max allowable for a WR) that at the same time as the race, the long jump gauge was reading almost +3.0. That particular race might just have been wind-aided.

For that matter, take a look at all the still standing women's records from the 80's:
Marita Koch (East German) 400m
Jarmila Kratochvílová (Czech) 800m
Yordanka Donkova (Bulgaria) 100m Hurdles
Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria) High Jump
Galina Chistyakova (Russia) Long Jump
Natalya Lisovskaya (Russia) Shot Put
Gabriele Reinsch (East German) Discus
And the Russian 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams. Is there a communist block theme?

And don't forget the Chinese distance crew from the early 90's
Yunxia Qu
Junxia Wang

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Proud Member of Chris McDonald's 2018 Big Sexy Race Team "That which doesn't kill me, will only make me stronger"
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Huh? Contador has 8 wins (6 still count) across all three GTs. Wiggo and Evans have 1 each at just Le Tour. Plus I believe Contador jas close to 15 podiums in other stage races.

If the argument is more complete rider then it's a different conversation. But more complete stage racer isn't even a competiton. That aside, Wiggo is more competent on cobbles but not even in same league of a descender as Contador--which skill is more relevant?