Best bike handling skills in the pro peleton
12-22-06, 10:37 AM
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Best bike handling skills in the pro peleton
Who do you think has the best:
Accident avoidance skill,
Bike tricks skill,
Smoothest spin,
Best out of saddle technique,
Best overall?
Please don't tell me it's LA
Accident avoidance skill,
Bike tricks skill,
Smoothest spin,
Best out of saddle technique,
Best overall?
Please don't tell me it's LA
12-22-06, 10:39 AM
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Not sure about overall, but as for sprinters I would say Robbie needs consideration. He has a better ability to weave through high speed traffic at the end of races than anyone I have seen. That surely takes some excellent handling skills.
12-22-06, 11:02 AM
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Originally Posted by TheKillerPenguin
Rassmussen?
12-22-06, 11:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Cypress
Flat ground:
Steeeeep ground:
No hander:
Steeeeep ground:
No hander:
12-22-06, 11:30 AM
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I can just imagine the team rides:
Team rider #1: "OK guys, let's go, go, go!!"
Floyd: "Naw, naw, wait! Check this out! *does wheelie*
Team rider #1: "Yes, Floyd, that's great, but it won't win you the Tour de France."
Floyd: "Yeah, I know, we have drugs for that! Plus, it'll win me Cypress' undying respect."
Team rider #1: "Damn, you win again!"
Team rider #1: "OK guys, let's go, go, go!!"
Floyd: "Naw, naw, wait! Check this out! *does wheelie*
Team rider #1: "Yes, Floyd, that's great, but it won't win you the Tour de France."
Floyd: "Yeah, I know, we have drugs for that! Plus, it'll win me Cypress' undying respect."
Team rider #1: "Damn, you win again!"
12-22-06, 11:42 AM
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McEwen comes from a BMX Backgroud, Floyd from a Mtn Bike Background. Robbies does wheelies too, usually as he crosses the top of the mountains. tough to say, but McEwen mixes it up head to head, banging bodies with guys much bigger than him at 45mph. and i can;t ever remember him falling either. IM sure he has, we all have, i just dont remember ever seeing it.
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12-22-06, 11:48 AM
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I know you don't want to hear LA, but he was pretty fearless.
Stephen Roche could go from the back of the peloton to the front, just by weaving his way through holes and never having to push a bit of wind. Cool as ice he was.
Descenders include Yates and Salvodelli.
McEwen is tops for sprinters at the moment.
Stephen Roche could go from the back of the peloton to the front, just by weaving his way through holes and never having to push a bit of wind. Cool as ice he was.
Descenders include Yates and Salvodelli.
McEwen is tops for sprinters at the moment.
12-22-06, 12:10 PM
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Originally Posted by hiromian
Why him?
He was the world mountain biking champion. Takes some handling skills. These guys like Floyd, Rasmussen and McEwen really are showing how valuable skills from other styles of riding can be.
12-22-06, 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted by tekhna
He was the world mountain biking champion. Takes some handling skills. These guys like Floyd, Rasmussen and McEwen really are showing how valuable skills from other styles of riding can be.
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12-22-06, 12:24 PM
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It can be very difficult to tell who has handling skills. They are only on display when you are close to the limit and in general this is something to avoid. Tricks like Floyd doing wheelies means little.
That said, don't forget that when he needed the time Floyd put time into everyone on the final downhill on stage 17 in the last TDF.
Armstrong did show some pretty good skills when needed. He displayed them rarely, he did an excellent job in avoiding situations where he was at the edge. But in that crash where he cut across a switchback he showed he has the skills in the rare cases that he did need them.
That said, don't forget that when he needed the time Floyd put time into everyone on the final downhill on stage 17 in the last TDF.
Armstrong did show some pretty good skills when needed. He displayed them rarely, he did an excellent job in avoiding situations where he was at the edge. But in that crash where he cut across a switchback he showed he has the skills in the rare cases that he did need them.
12-22-06, 12:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Cypress
Flat ground:
Steeeeep ground:
No hander:
Steeeeep ground:
No hander:
12-22-06, 12:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Smoothie104
McEwen comes from a BMX Backgroud, Floyd from a Mtn Bike Background. Robbies does wheelies too, usually as he crosses the top of the mountains.
Here's one from the Lotto/Domo days. Note the bandage on his left shin. We all fall sometime, for sure.
12-22-06, 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Smoothie104
McEwen comes from a BMX Backgroud, Floyd from a Mtn Bike Background. Robbies does wheelies too, usually as he crosses the top of the mountains. tough to say, but McEwen mixes it up head to head, banging bodies with guys much bigger than him at 45mph. and i can;t ever remember him falling either. IM sure he has, we all have, i just dont remember ever seeing it.
One handed:
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12-22-06, 12:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Keith99
It can be very difficult to tell who has handling skills. They are only on display when you are close to the limit and in general this is something to avoid. Tricks like Floyd doing wheelies means little.
That said, don't forget that when he needed the time Floyd put time into everyone on the final downhill on stage 17 in the last TDF.
Armstrong did show some pretty good skills when needed. He displayed them rarely, he did an excellent job in avoiding situations where he was at the edge. But in that crash where he cut across a switchback he showed he has the skills in the rare cases that he did need them.
That said, don't forget that when he needed the time Floyd put time into everyone on the final downhill on stage 17 in the last TDF.
Armstrong did show some pretty good skills when needed. He displayed them rarely, he did an excellent job in avoiding situations where he was at the edge. But in that crash where he cut across a switchback he showed he has the skills in the rare cases that he did need them.
Floyd's downhill capabillities are tops, can anyone match it. His trick moves rock and they make him fast too
Track star moves and snaking up through the peleton in the sprint the way R.M. can is classic.
12-22-06, 01:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Cypress
I lose. lol
12-22-06, 01:30 PM
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I think Salvodelli is a better descender than Floyd although neither of them
are anywhere near as good as JaJa was.
McEwan probably has the best handling skills of any rider in the peloton
currently.
Spin? I dunno Zabriski has to be pretty smooth, but LA was always smooth
no matter how stressed he appeared.
marty
are anywhere near as good as JaJa was.
McEwan probably has the best handling skills of any rider in the peloton
currently.
Spin? I dunno Zabriski has to be pretty smooth, but LA was always smooth
no matter how stressed he appeared.
marty
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12-22-06, 01:57 PM
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Originally Posted by lotek
I think Salvodelli is a better descender than Floyd although neither of them
are anywhere near as good as JaJa was.
McEwan probably has the best handling skills of any rider in the peloton
currently.
Spin? I dunno Zabriski has to be pretty smooth, but LA was always smooth
no matter how stressed he appeared.
marty
are anywhere near as good as JaJa was.
McEwan probably has the best handling skills of any rider in the peloton
currently.
Spin? I dunno Zabriski has to be pretty smooth, but LA was always smooth
no matter how stressed he appeared.
marty
With some of the best riders decending skills get overlooked. They are seldom needed and also don't stand out from the other abilities.
12-22-06, 03:03 PM
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Hell, Salvodelli won his second Giro on the strength of his descending skills. He had the race lost on the last climb, and came back to win by making up a minute or down on the way down to the finish.
12-22-06, 03:51 PM
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I would say Robbie then Floyd but Robbie himself claims Frederic Moncasson could put his bike anywhere he wanted to (except in front of Robbie apparently)