Professional Cycling - Greatest Tour Cyclist of all time?

<a href="http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8661431/">Lance is greatest — only at the Tour</a>.

Merkx vs. Armstrong. I tend to agree with the article. I believe Eddy Merckx is, hands down, the greatest cyclist of all time. But I do not think he would've beaten Armstrong in the tour.

I am sure this has been debated on this forum before now. But it is an interesting topic.

...if by interesting, you mean "pointless".

Merckx

11 Grand Tour wins
6 points jerseys
10 combined overall, points and KOM tdf jerseys
points jerseys in all three tours
all three jerseys in one TDF
Tour/Giro wins in same year 3 times
96 days in yellow
34 TDF stage wins in 7 attempts
8 stage wins in both 1970 and 1974 TDF
72 days in pink
24 Giro stage wins

There's simply no contest.

Different Eras...Different Riders. Technology, training, nutrition and teams are all different.

But I would like to see the best Armstrong against the best Merckx in the TdF.

These debates always remind me of the great "Bears" fans skit on Saturday Night Live.

[ dissolve to the Round Table, where Bill Swerski and his Chicago Bears Super Fan friends sit, surroundsed by polish sausange and bratwurst ]

Bill Swerski: Good afternoon, my friends, and welcome to "Bill Swerski's Super Fans"! I'm Bill Swerski, and with me, as always, are the Super Fans: Pat Arnold..

Bill Swerski: Now, gentlemen, let me ask you this: What if Da Bears were all 14 inches tall, you know, about so high? Now, what's your score of today's game?

Carl Wollarski: Against Da Giants?

Bill Swerski: Yes, give 'em a handicap.

Carl Wollarski: Bears 18, Giants 10. And that would finally be a good game.

Pat Arnold: Yeah, it would be a good game. Mini Bears 24, Giants 14.

Todd O'Conner: What about Ditka? Would he be mini, too?

Bill Swerski: No, he would be full-grown.

Todd O'Conner: Oh, then, uh.. Mini Bears 31, Giants 7.

Carl Wollarski: Oh, hold on. Then I change mine, too. I thought it was Mini Ditka.

Bill Swerski: Okay, gentlemen, another scenario: Da Bears, they don't make it, the plane is delayed.. and the only one who shows up is Ditka. Ditka vs. Da Giants. Okay, score, gentlemen.

Pat Arnold: Alright, after da heart attack, I gotta say Ditka 17, Giants 14. He just barely gets by.

Bill Swerski: Alright, that sounds exciting. Perhaps, you know, a late Ditka field goal.

Todd O'Conner: Bears!

Superfans: Bears!!

Armstrong is clearly the most successful Tour de France rider ever, and the king of his era.
Merckx was clearly the king of his era, and was the most dominant rider that the sport ever has and ever will see.
Simplifying it to 'who would kick who's ass' is like apples and oranges. Things were so different then and now. Merckx himself even says that you can't really compare eras.

Wait a minute, seems like i've heard this discussion somewhere before.

:rolleyes:

These debates always remind me of the great "Bears" fans skit on Saturday Night Live.

[ dissolve to the Round Table, where Bill Swerski and his Chicago Bears Super Fan friends sit, surroundsed by polish sausange and bratwurst ]

Bill Swerski: Good afternoon, my friends, and welcome to "Bill Swerski's Super Fans"! I'm Bill Swerski, and with me, as always, are the Super Fans: Pat Arnold..

Bill Swerski: Now, gentlemen, let me ask you this: What if Da Bears were all 14 inches tall, you know, about so high? Now, what's your score of today's game?

Carl Wollarski: Against Da Giants?

Bill Swerski: Yes, give 'em a handicap.

Carl Wollarski: Bears 18, Giants 10. And that would finally be a good game.

Pat Arnold: Yeah, it would be a good game. Mini Bears 24, Giants 14.

Todd O'Conner: What about Ditka? Would he be mini, too?

Bill Swerski: No, he would be full-grown.

Todd O'Conner: Oh, then, uh.. Mini Bears 31, Giants 7.

Carl Wollarski: Oh, hold on. Then I change mine, too. I thought it was Mini Ditka.

Bill Swerski: Okay, gentlemen, another scenario: Da Bears, they don't make it, the plane is delayed.. and the only one who shows up is Ditka. Ditka vs. Da Giants. Okay, score, gentlemen.

Pat Arnold: Alright, after da heart attack, I gotta say Ditka 17, Giants 14. He just barely gets by.

Bill Swerski: Alright, that sounds exciting. Perhaps, you know, a late Ditka field goal.

Todd O'Conner: Bears!

Superfans: Bears!!

DA BEARS!

Ditka versus God?

These debates always remind me of the great "Bears" fans skit on Saturday Night Live.



This is from Velonews:

Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka also paid tribute to Armstrong, although some details of the effort escaped the retired American football mastermind.

"Look at that guy in France riding that bike," Ditka said. "I have no idea what he's doing over there. But do you understand how hard that is? Get on your bike and ride for 10 minutes and tell me how you feel. And this guy is going to win again? This guy is going to live his dream again? That's just amazing."

Can't compare different eras.

It's unfair and pointless.

Yeah it is sort of dumb to compare such things . . .

<sarcasm>Although Lance is by far the best one testicle having cyclist in history. </sarcasm> ;)