"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Tour of California - best group of Pro riders ever to race in the US?

Great roster here:

http://velonews.com/article/87172/tour-of-california-releases-full-rosters-for-the-race



Is this the best group of riders ever to race in the US?

Don't know the caliber of the riders from way back at the Coors Classic. Obviously the Atlanta Olympics would have brought a lot of top riders for the road race and TTs.

Some very big names on the list:

Lance Armstrong (USA)
Levi Leipheimer (USA)
Christopher Horner (USA)
Yaroslav Popovych (UKR)
Andy Schleck (LUX)
Fränk Schleck (LUX)
Fabian Cancellara (SUI)
Gustav Larsson (SWE)
Jens Voigt (GER)
Juan José Haedo (ARG)
Stuart O'Grady (AUS)
George Hincapie (USA)
Mark Cavendish (GBR)
Adam Hansen (AUS)
Kim Kirchen (LUX)
Michael Rogers (AUS)
Christian Vande Velde (USA)
Svein Tuft (CAN)
David Zabriskie (USA)
Tom Boonen (BEL)
Oscar Freire Gomez (ESP)
Ivan Basso (ITA)
Alessandro Vanotti (ITA)
Cyril Dessel (FRA)
Tadej Valjavec (SLO)
Carlos Sastre (ESP)
Thor Hushovd (NOR)
Floyd Landis (USA)
Oscar Sevilla
Tyler Hamilton
Francisco Mancebo
Victor Hugo Pena
Freddy Rodriguez

Impressive... most impressive.

http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/vader.jpg

Coors.

LeMond, Hinault.

I dunno, the Hell of the West races was pretty stacked. You had Kevin Costner, the evil Russian guy, The Cannibal, Kevin Costner's brother and Eddy merckx announcing.

I dunno, the Hell of the West races was pretty stacked. You had Kevin Costner, the evil Russian guy, The Cannibal, Kevin Costner's brother and Eddy merckx announcing.

:roflmao2:

Is this the best group of riders ever to race in the US?

Probably not. 1996 Olympic Games or 1986 World Road Race Championships.

Coors.

LeMond, Hinault.

Were there any other big Euro names there? Looking for a start list now...

Probably not. 1996 Olympic Games or 1986 World Road Race Championships.

Lance wasn't at either.;)

Lance wasn't at either.;)

LOL. Cycling existed before 1999 apparently. :p

Actually, he raced Atlanta.

LOL. Cycling existed before 1999 apparently. :p

Actually, he raced Atlanta.

Yes but that was when he was Lance Armstrong...... Now he is Lance :)

Coors.

LeMond, Hinault.

ok, that's two. any other big names in that race?

Were there any other big Euro names there? Looking for a start list now...

Selected names from 1986 Coors from some results and pics I have in a book

Hinault
Lemond
Anderson
Hampsten
Kuum
Argentin
Alcala
Ugrumov
Phinney
Van der Poel
Kiefel
Knickman
Pierce
Van Vliet
Cornillet
Bauer
Lauritzen
J-F Bernard
Pelier
Ducrot
De Rooy
Konyshev
Duclo Lasalle
Piasecki

Naw, the Euro's didn't really send their best teams to Coors back in the day. Not that those guys are losers, but the ToC field is definitely more stacked; teams are sending their A-list roster.

So yeah, I'd say it's the best stage race field ever. But the Worlds or Olympics would have to be "best field ever in the US"

Naw, the Euro's didn't really send their best teams to Coors back in the day. Not that those guys are losers, but the ToC field is definitely more stacked; teams are sending their A-list roster.

So yeah, I'd say it's the best stage race field ever. But the Worlds or Olympics would have to be "best field ever in the US"

Sorry, but I'd take Hinault, Lemond, Alcala and Argentin over the top 4 on the ToC list.

Sorry, but I'd take Hinault, Lemond, Alcala and Argentin over the top 4 on the ToC list.

Thats a tough one. The only rider in the TOC who can match Hinault and Lemond is Lance, but I think a lot of the riders match better with Alcala and Argentin.

ITs almost a toss up, I am just glad this is one of the best fields in a long time on domestic soil.

Why no mention of Tour DuPont?

Hinault vs. Lance- Bernie won everything, bonus for winning Paris Roubaix. +2 Coors

Lemond vs. Contrador- Lemond won just about everything +1 Coors

Hampsten vs. Sastre- Both GT winners. Normally lean towards the TDF but Sastre will never have a poster of him covered in snow going over the Gavia +1 Coors

Phinney vs. Cavendish- Winingest US rider evuh. Created Mini-Phinney +1 Coors

Argentin vs. Boonen- Argentin won more classics, including Liege 3 times in a row. Boonen won Paris Roubaix twice. Tie.

Kiefel vs Voigt- Best 'fro in pro racing evuh vs the guy who once downed an entire Slurpee in one gulp and ended up on the ground with the worst brain freeze evuh. +1 TOC

Anderson vs Liepheimer- Neither won a grand tour. Anderson spent more days in the yellow jersey, much broader palomares including 2 classics wins. +1 Coors

On doping suspensions you have to go with the TOC though. And If I was building a TTT team you could do some serious damage with the TOC crew if you could just get Levi to pull through for once.

Probably not. 1996 Olympic Games or 1986 World Road Race Championships.

boom.

Lemond vs. Contrador- Lemond won just about everything +1 Coors

This is a tough comparison, Contador's just getting started; but still, the guy's won all three GT's. Even saying that only results to the present are included, it's tough to give this one to Lemond.

Of course, if you're talking 1986 or something, and as such are including Hinault, you'd have to say that the 'fair' comparison is Lemond's results up until 86.

Advantage: Contador, far and away.

Tour of California is in February when most of the riders are far from peak form and are not targeting the race. When was the '86 Coors Classic? July? +1 Coors

Tour of California is in February when most of the riders are far from peak form and are not targeting the race. When was the '86 Coors Classic? July? +1 Coors

It wasn't in July I think a race somewhere in Europe, you might have heard of takes place every July.:notamused:

Phinney getting pissy... and then winning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI8WHD_YlGk

Coors Classic was in August. 1985 was the first year it started in San Francisco - I was a course marshall for the Prologue up to Coit Tower and the Fisherman's Wharf Criterium.

In 1987 I met Team Bianchi and they autographed my program.


http://lh3.ggpht.com/_hSZo5vjiPmQ/SYiQ24uXevI/AAAAAAAAFbo/4MCxVNCSpHo/s800/Coors-Classic-1987-Guide.jpg

I dunno, the Hell of the West races was pretty stacked. You had Kevin Costner, the evil Russian guy, The Cannibal, Kevin Costner's brother and Eddy merckx announcing.

And Alexandra Paul.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_WPGSO3-j2-g/RszeYRUIABI/AAAAAAAALF0/JREFUN_yMQc/s512/FOTO%20Y19XX%20SCAN%20070822%20STUDIO%20ACTRESS%208X10%20B%26W%2003%20copy.jpg

Hubba hubba.

It wasn't in July I think a race somewhere in Europe, you might have heard of takes place every July.:notamused:

oops. August.

The point is that many of the fast guys at ToC are just there to race themselves into shape. They aren't going for the win.

What about The hell of the west?

What about The hell of the west?

what's not hell in the west?

what's not hell in the west?


http://www.nationalparkreservations.com/images/banff/moraine_lodge_3.jpg

I dunno, the Hell of the West races was pretty stacked. You had Kevin Costner, the evil Russian guy, The Cannibal, Kevin Costner's brother and Eddy merckx announcing.


And Alexandra Paul.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_WPGSO3-j2-g/RszeYRUIABI/AAAAAAAALF0/JREFUN_yMQc/s512/FOTO%20Y19XX%20SCAN%20070822%20STUDIO%20ACTRESS%208X10%20B%26W%2003%20copy.jpg

Hubba hubba.

I wouldn't put Alexandra Paul and stacked in the same thread.

This is a tough comparison, Contador's just getting started; but still, the guy's won all three GT's. Even saying that only results to the present are included, it's tough to give this one to Lemond.

Of course, if you're talking 1986 or something, and as such are including Hinault, you'd have to say that the 'fair' comparison is Lemond's results up until 86.

Advantage: Contador, far and away.

Three TDF's trump one TDF, Giro and Vuelta. World Championship makes it a slam dunk. Ain't travelin forward or backward in time.

Three TDF's trump one TDF, Giro and Vuelta. World Championship makes it a slam dunk. Ain't travelin forward or backward in time.

I believe you mean TWO world championships. 1983, 1989. Won the U23 title in 1979 as well. Dangled silver around his neck in 1982 and 1985, too.

The contador argument is moot anyways, he is not even in the TOC.

I believe you mean TWO world championships. 1983, 1989. Won the U23 title in 1979 as well. Dangled silver around his neck in 1982 and 1985, too.

Ayup. World Championship(s). Plus he got called off of Hinault or he had 4 in the bag despite getting shot.

AC's a talent no doubt, and he might well surpass Lemond at some point. But he won his TDF by default beating no past winners, beat nobody of note in the Giro, though he got Sastre coming off a TDF victory, albeit with a much weaker team than he had at the Tour.

BTW, I've talked to a few former pros who raced that era and to a person they say LeMond was the most talented bike racer they had ever seen. And this includes a guy who raced with both Greg and Lance.

No question though, Wookie had the 'fro.

Looks like we're not the only ones discussing this:

http://www.velonews.com/article/87379