Road Bike Racing - Classy looking pro riders

Remarks on another thread got me thinking 'Who's the classiest looking Pro - current or retired'

I thought of a few names, Moser, Roche, De Vlaeminck, but I couldn't go past Didi Thurau. Damn he looked the biz. Tall, proportioned, relaxed, smooth pedalling, no upper body movement. He looked class. Plus he had the tan, blonde hair and rode for Italian teams!

Anyone got any other names to throw in the mix?




Black socks and white danish hairnets automatically exclude a rider from making this list :D

Fonz DeWolf?

Who's the most Akward? Chalie Motte (spelling)?

Mario is the man!

Tha Beeg Jurrrman Jan Ullrich - has anyone ever seen this guy stand on a climb? or in response to an attack?

In Mtn. Biking, John Tomac was the man. He would glide over the terrain, letting his bike absorb the shock of the bumps, you could have placed a level on his back and it would have stayed throughout the entire race. It was his fluid style that allowed him to be World champ in both cross-country and downhill in the same year.

Dudes, you're missin' the point. Class and style. Fons De Wolf is on the right track.

Mario (god love him) has style, but he's crass. Tomac, good as he was, raced an (ugh) mountain bike. Huge style disadvantage. :p

Ulrich rides in dirty shoes, and rides with this elbows out. C'mon.

Being a decent six day rider helps. Those guys always nearly always look classy, especially the guys from the 70's and 80's.

GREAT THREAD!!!

Most stylish:
Jacky Durand
Pascal Lino
Gianni Bugno
Laurent Jalabert
Johan Museeuw
Brad McGee
Miguel Indurain

Frogs on a matchbox:
Luc Roosen
Francisco Mancebo
Sean Yates
Eric Wohlberg
Fabio Parra
Jean-Francois Bernard
Jan Nevens

GREAT THREAD!!!

Most stylish:
Jacky Durand
Pascal Lino
Gianni Bugno
Laurent Jalabert
Johan Museeuw
Brad McGee
Miguel Indurain

Frogs on a matchbox:
Luc Roosen
Francisco Mancebo
Sean Yates
Eric Wohlberg
Fabio Parra
Jean-Francois Bernard
Jan Nevens

Museeuw and Jalabert were beasts, not as stylish as the others on your list. I wish McGee would bloody wear socks in TT's though!

I like the shocker list, except Bernard. I always thought he looked ok, plus he didn't yell at me when I played with his STI levers back in 89 or 90 when he rode the Sun Tour! :D First set of them I ever saw!

For an absolutely shocking style, check out photos or film of Ferdi Van den Haute. I read one commentator describing him as looking like he was being horsewhipped!. Another shocker was Michel Pollentier - all knees and elbows.

McGee....socks are mandatory. Please report to the fashion police monthly during your probationary period to ensure compliance.


Bernard...1990 Sun Tour at the Treasury Gardens. I was all over that Look carbon with STI like a shark on a bleeding tuna. Got his signature next to Scott Steward's and Eddie Salas....pisser. I put him on the list coz his feet pointed in different directions.....looks like he was trying to stop them sliding off the pedals.
Oh...and he did that sick calf-muscle-thingy in the Chazal-MBK team bus during the Tour in about 1995. Yuck.


Is Rominger's hump back worth a mention??? I'm reluctant to include him coz he's such a superstar, but a lack of serious style points can't be ignored.

Who's the most Akward?


Dammit!!!!

I forgot the most goofy of them all.....


Fernando Escartin.

Who's the most Akward? Chalie Motte (spelling)?

Tyler Hamilton's time trialling form was pretty scary, but it doesn't look like that will be an issue any more.

Sean Kelly's position on the bike was hideous but effective. (Sadly mine is just hideous.)

How about Larunet Brochard and his mullet?

Any Pics for these comments?

Currently: Di Luca looks great in the white Pro-Tour leader's kit. Doesn't clash with his Bianchi.

Just retired: See Graham Watson's tribute to Cippolini at Grahamwatson.com! What a stylish dude!

Hincapie is in the mold of the Museeuw, and while that is manly, I'm not sure stylish is the word. Cool, though!

Tyson

Any Pics for these comments?


I think you'll need video to truly appreciate Fernando Escartin going full gas on a col....

Currently: Di Luca looks great in the white Pro-Tour leader's kit. Doesn't clash with his Bianchi.



Tyson


I nominated Di Luca to take over Cipo's mantle as style guru in the pro bunch in another thread somewhere....

I think you'll need video to truly appreciate Fernando Escartin going full gas on a col....

It's akin to a crab scuttling up a rock, except uglier and dressed in flouro green.

It's akin to a crab scuttling up a rock, except uglier and dressed in flouro green.


With big sweat marks (i hope) all over the light blue Kelme shorts.



Nice Gios frames, tho.

De Vlaeminck

Thurau

Escartin

......funny.

Tha Beeg Jurrrman Jan Ullrich - has anyone ever seen this guy stand on a climb?
As a matter of fact, yes. Not often, and not for long. But yes, I have seen him do it!

De Vlaeminck

Now, that's class, and Didi Thurau also.

F. Escartin, and all of those "climers" are always a little funky, due to their size.

Museew Is my all time hero. Jaja has to be second. If you look at them, these sprinter turn one dayer are a bit funky, not classy and smooth like Merckx or R DeValeminck. Look at Kelly or Ferdi Mertaens. I almost want to say that these old Belgain one day stars just have class. It is also earned as well. Ok I am bias. Saw A sunday in Hell when I was 17 back in the stone age. DeValeminck and Merckx just out class everyone. I really can't say that about any of the riders today. OK, maybe Tom Boonen. If he developes and wins like Museew, then he will earn it. There were a few in the 80 as well.

I have to disagree with Classic 1. Mig. Indurain? What has he done. Never win any races in the early or through out the season like Jaja, kelly or Museew. Too calculated. No fun to watch. oh, forgot, you almost have to win the worlds or at least place in the top three to earn that I think. People like Armstrong don't even show ( ok I am gonna get kill here). I forgot Cipo, he should be in a toothpaste commercial. He always looks tired with those teeth sitting in. Sorry man, no class.

When you mention the horse, F. Van den haute. I had a large poster on my wall of him coming into the Roubaix (spelling?) stadium. back in the early 80's. come an think of it, he does look like a horse.

Jeff

According to Velonews Basso gets the women the most excitted.he gets the biggest grouppie vote? .Is that not the best guide..? but, then most women, could probably care less about riding style....should we include that as a determining factor...

No it is not the best guide and it shouldn't be a determining factor. That isn't what he ask. I have to say that Basso does look smooth and classy.

I've always liked the way Bernard Hinault looked on the bike. Maybe not the most graceful, but he just looked like this compact little packet of power. You could tell just by looking at him that he wouldn't go down easy. In the flesh, he just looked to be a notch above the entire peleton (I was lucky enough to see him ride the Coors Classic).

http://www.bernardhinault.com/photos/80/hinault%2080-4.jpg

I used to love watching Marco Pantani over and over in the tour. Beautiful rider.

Look...just many a cyclists rides to keep in shape...that effects all aspects of our life including popularity with the other sex...hopefully, his groupie followers pays some attention to his cycling style..

I used to love watching Marco Pantani over and over in the tour. Beautiful rider.


True. Floated above the pedals.

Forgive the large image, but it really illustrates good posture always exemplified by Jakob Piil. He may not score many wins on his breakaways, but it isn't for a lack of technique.

http://www.cervelo.com/images/2004/2004piil.JPG

Piil.....looking good turning the big dog. Socks over shoes is also very pro.

Doesn't get cheated by the wind. Ever.

This is why Dudu tops my list. Great positon.

Forgive the large image, but it really illustrates good posture always exemplified by Jakob Piil. He may not score many wins on his breakaways, but it isn't for a lack of technique.

http://www.cervelo.com/images/2004/2004piil.JPG


...and he rides the 6 days. :)

Road: Laurent Jalabert, Johan Museeuw

MTB: Ned Overend, Thomas Frischknecht, Daryl Price, John Tomac, Greg Herbold, Tinker Juarez, Juliana Furtado, Sara Ballantyne, Alison Dunlap, Marla Streb, Jacquie Phelan, Cindy Devine, Paola Pezzo, Cindy Whitehead, Alison Sydor, Sylvia Furst

Interesting that I find the MTBers have more style. :D Maybe I just haven't learned to recognise style and class in road riding but I can identify it through the "flow" exhibited by MTBers... probably because my only racing experience has been in MTBing.

most ackward? Mancebo. Looks like the
hunchback of Notre Dame OD'ing on
starbucks and red bull when on a
climb.
Bobke kind of fits in here too.
Hate to say it, but for TT, Lance is pretty
tuned in. Il Falco on a descent (or Sean Yates
for that matter).
overall? No question. Coppi was pure class.

Marty

Forgive the large image, but it really illustrates good posture always exemplified by Jakob Piil. He may not score many wins on his breakaways, but it isn't for a lack of technique.

http://www.cervelo.com/images/2004/2004piil.JPGvery true..


http://home.comcast.net/~pereiraeduardo/csc-piil.jpg

I nominate Hinault as well

I nominate Hinault as well


Hinault had the best race face. Sean Kelly was a close a second.

Jacques Anquetil. A quiet classy man who, despite his long gangly limbs, had a very smooth riding style.

http://www.cyclinghalloffame.com/riders/pics/0023540L.jpg

Jacques Anquetil. A quiet classy man who, despite his long gangly limbs, had a very smooth riding style.
]

Good one JimmyV. What a disgrace that it took 40 posts to mention Jacques Anquetil.