Newsgroup: it.sport.ciclismo
Titolo: Who is the greatest climber, stage racer today?

Who are the greatest riders? Track racers, one day classic riders? Sprinters
in one day races? Or climbers and stage racers?
Everyone knows that the greatest pro racers in the sport are the climbers
and stage racers, because that is the real test, and the best all around
skills.
Realistically speaking though, and you shouldn't be upset by this Meg. Cooke
is not the greatest stage racer and climber in the world if the Grande
Boucle reflects a real test of what the ladies were made of. If we are
really to seperate the men from the boys, or the ladies from the girls, who
would come out on top?
If the Grande Boucle was even say 16 stages long like 2003, had at least 4
or 5 hard grueling mountain stages with the really hard long climbs like in
2003, not to say Ventoux is not, it is, but its not enough, and I am afraid
it was Nicole racing against herself, but if the stage race was such, then
you would see who the greatest climbers and stage racers are today.
Who are they????????
Faby, Brandli, Edita, and Somaribba would leave the peleton behind, Cooke
included on nearly every climb. These 4 ladies would finish several minutes
ahead on the peleton. Cooke would be a few minutes ahead of the next group,
but still would finish several minutes behind on the final GC after Faby,
Nicole, Edita, etc.
Realistically the Final GC would look something like this...
after 16 stages or more, 18 stages max...
5 big mountainous stages..
Final GC...
1. Faby
2. Edita - at 50 seconds down
3. Brandli at 1.20
4. Somaribba at 1.20
5. Cooke at 4 to 6 minutes down or more
6. Rest of the peleton at 8 minutes down or more.
Who is the greatest climber and stage racer in the world today?
Cooke? no!!!
Brandil, yes perhaps!!
Edita, yes, very well could be!!
Somaribba, possibly, but she is retired!
Faby? Absolutely!!!!!!!! :-)
B-

 would come out on top?
You should perhaps say...who were the greatest riders?
Now...this cycling doesn't exist. We don't have stage races like the old 
Grande Boucle anymore. Nicole, this great multitalented hero, is the 
best at this kind of cycling...made of frenetic one day races, short 
stage races (not many big climb...but not easy anyway).
Well, Nicole was also able to win the Giro in 2004 (the biggest stage 
race on the 2004 calendar). The youngest ever winner at the fastest ever 
speed...She has many skills, you know that...(she can climb very well, 
she can sprint and she is also one of the best time trialist in the world).
And she is also the youngest ever rider to win the World Cup...in 2003.
Not to mention her four Junior World Champion titles (1 TT, 2 Road race, 
1 MTB).
She is a legend :-)
-- 
http://modesta.biciticino.ch
Il sito dedicato alla giovane ciclista lituana Modesta Vzesniauskaite

 wrote in message
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Yeah, but for raw physical climbing ability, I think she would fall short in
either a very long endurance climb, or better yet a long stage race with
many long hard climbs that favor the climbers. While the races today may be
tailor made for Cooke, that doesn't take away from the great ones who
possible all 4 ladies are beyond ther prime, Edita, Brandil, Somaribba and
Luperini, but I think it's not only a great tribute to these great ladies
but an astonishing truth, that they are in fact still the greatest climbers
today, even past their prime. It's just that the powers that be have taken
away their chances to display their greatest abilities to shine in the long
stage races. They have been muzzled, and while that's an incredible shame,
we still known who the great ones are, even if they cannot prove it in
today's courses.
It's not just a Euro problem however. Even here in America, long stage races
are being replaced by pathetic one day classics or constantly being cut back
every year, like Redlands and Sea Otter. But it doesn't matter much over
here to me, since the only great climber in North America is from Canada,
but I still prefer the long courses like the HP Challenge. But the bad news
is that these shorter, non selective courses will in time, made a dying
breed out of great climbers like Luperini before their talent is even known,
and that is indeed a very scary thing for the future.
The most fascinating thing in cycling, even down through all of history is a
(pure) climber, and if there are no courses for them to shine, then they
will never be known in the future. All the Bartali's, Pantani, Luperini,
Gaul, of the future will be lost, and what a tremendous incredible shame, or
pity that will be for cycling. :-(
B-

 Sprinters
CUT
il ng è *it* .sport.ciclismo
quindi dovete scrivere in italiano.
altrimenti postate su un ng in lingua anglosassone.

 wrote in message
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Normally yes, but I am a oddity, which once stranded here, I decided it was
a nice place, and not to leave! :-)
B-

 altrimenti postate su un ng in lingua anglosassone.
What?
