Who is the greatest rider of all-time



Who is the greatest rider of all-time

  • Bernard Hinault

    Votes: 10 1.0%
  • Fausto Coppi

    Votes: 24 2.5%
  • Francesco Moser

    Votes: 28 2.9%
  • Eddy Merckx

    Votes: 2 0.2%
  • Gino Bartali

    Votes: 604 63.1%
  • Luison Bobet

    Votes: 4 0.4%
  • Felice Gimondi

    Votes: 1 0.1%
  • Rik Van Looy

    Votes: 2 0.2%
  • Lance Armstrong

    Votes: 2 0.2%
  • Miguel Indurain

    Votes: 280 29.3%

  • Total voters
    957
Originally posted by patch70
Didn't Jim Thorpe also win the decathlon gold medal in the olympics but have his medal taken away for playing another sport professionally?

Thank-you, I forgot about that. Another reason why he should be considered greater then Eddie...

Memph
 
Originally posted by pagie
of course Eddy merckx was one of the greats in his time, sorry was the greatest of his time. But in the present there is no comparison with the amazing lance armstrong. Things have moved on since the good old days and if they were to meet, where they were both at their peak, I'm afraid to say that lance would wip butt big time.

Wow, your either American or ignorant. No way that Lance is better than Eddie. First look at how weak Lance was at this years Tour and still won. Why? His team helped him win. Also how many stages did he win this year? The Tour has changed from the best rider winning to the best team with a rider that can have a few good stages winning.

Look at the # of over all victories Eddie has over Lance. He won the Tour plus other races, unlike Lance. Does Lance even race in any other races besides the Tour? Lance has it easier then when Eddie raced......

Memph
 
Originally posted by Memphmann
10-15 seconds of contact does not equal the contact other athletes have to endure in other sports....

Memph

yeah did thorpe do ameriucan football or english football. if he did american football, he was not neccessarilly in a contact position
 
Originally posted by IFF
yeah did thorpe do ameriucan football or english football. if he did american football, he was not neccessarilly in a contact position

Thorpe was a RB, QB, Kicker in the old AFL. So yes he was tackled alot in old style equipment......

Memph
 
Merckx is no comparism to armstrong.
Merckx never had any serious competition and also got gifted a tour when the leader by 20mins crashed out.
If it wasn't for that fluke he wouldn't be in the 5-time winner list.
Lance would win every tour he entered if he bothered.
 
Originally posted by Cycling expert
Merckx is no comparism to armstrong.
Merckx never had any serious competition and also got gifted a tour when the leader by 20mins crashed out.
If it wasn't for that fluke he wouldn't be in the 5-time winner list.
Lance would win every tour he entered if he bothered.

Lance would only win if his team stays strong enough to keep him at the front. Lance is racing the Tour the way it has become. A good rider can win with a strong enough team. Also please answer me this all you Lance fans. What other races does he enter, yet have a chance of winning besides the Tour????

Memph
 
He would win every grand tour simply because they are easier than the TdF and although i'm a simoni fan i feel he would beat simoni in the giro and would go on to claim the the hat-trick.
 
Originally posted by Cycling expert
He would win every grand tour simply because they are easier than the TdF and although i'm a simoni fan i feel he would beat simoni in the giro and would go on to claim the the hat-trick.

OMG, you can't be serious?? We could agrue this until our fingers got sore from typing. Since Lance shall never attempt this we shall never know. But not in the same year...

Memph
 
OMG, although i'm certainly not a fan of his i have to believe that in his pomp of last year Lance would have destroyed all comers and won the hat-trick.............
But we'll never know!
 
The numbers I'm about to give are very correct:
Eddy Merckx participated in 1582 professional races and he won 445 of them. That means that he won 28.12% of the races he participated. Even if Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France for the 6th time, it doesn't matter. EDDY RULES!
 
"Eddy Merckx participated in 1582 professional races and he won 445 of them. That means that he won 28.12% of the races he participated. Even if Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France for the 6th time, it doesn't matter. EDDY RULES!"

definately! Eddy raced everything - not just the tour. I can't see anyone now racing beating Merckx's stats, Eddy is simply the greatest cyclist in history.
 
As is usually the case, what if Ali met Tyson, what if.....

I honestly can't believe all this. Take a look at the competition surrounding the players. How deep were the fields they competed on? I don't think Merckx had to deal with 181 full time professional athletes.

I even saw someone intone that teams were not around back then.... Come on. Do you think that they didn't have teams and alliances when Merckx was riding? And 28% is great when all the competition are part-time semi-pros.

Take Armstrong, put him on a 21 lb bike along with Merckx and whomever else you want. Let's see who stands and can stride up the Alps or the Pyrennes for 10km without sitting.

I don't mean to degrade Merckx or the others, but in terms of who is the better athlete - Armstrong hands down - fitter, stronger and faster. And that doesn't even get down to the drive and motivation factor......
 
How do you dare to say such a thing! You're degrading him!
Don't you remember when Merckx had to deal with Ocanja in the Tour de France? They where riding so fast that they arrived 2hours before the suggested time... And you would say that Armstrong is more motivated??? I don't think so. You just wait till next year when Armstrong will be riding the Tour again. He'll be crushed like a little bug by Ullrich and Vinokourov! I've got much respect for Armstrong, the way he had to go through was a real hell and I respect him for that but saying that Armstrong is a better cyclist than Merckx, I won't dig that.
BTW: Newbie!!! :p
 
Originally posted by Routier
How do you dare to say such a thing! You're degrading him!
Don't you remember when Merckx had to deal with Ocanja in the Tour de France? They where riding so fast that they arrived 2hours before the suggested time... And you would say that Armstrong is more motivated??? I don't think so. You just wait till next year when Armstrong will be riding the Tour again. He'll be crushed like a little bug by Ullrich and Vinokourov! I've got much respect for Armstrong, the way he had to go through was a real hell and I respect him for that but saying that Armstrong is a better cyclist than Merckx, I won't dig that.
BTW: Newbie!!! :p

I have to agree. No way Armstrong is better. He barely has a couple great days and wins the Tour.....

Memph
 
Originally posted by Routier
How do you dare to say such a thing! You're degrading him!
Don't you remember when Merckx had to deal with Ocanja in the Tour de France? They where riding so fast that they arrived 2hours before the suggested time... And you would say that Armstrong is more motivated??? I don't think so. You just wait till next year when Armstrong will be riding the Tour again. He'll be crushed like a little bug by Ullrich and Vinokourov! I've got much respect for Armstrong, the way he had to go through was a real hell and I respect him for that but saying that Armstrong is a better cyclist than Merckx, I won't dig that.
BTW: Newbie!!! :p

And I suppose 54kmph in a time trial isn't riding fast....
Newbie?
Did you even follow the sport back then?
Some of us did, and some of us rode.
:)
 
Originally posted by Memphmann
Wow, your either American or ignorant. No way that Lance is better than Eddie. First look at how weak Lance was at this years Tour and still won. Why? His team helped him win. Also how many stages did he win this year? The Tour has changed from the best rider winning to the best team with a rider that can have a few good stages winning.

Look at the # of over all victories Eddie has over Lance. He won the Tour plus other races, unlike Lance. Does Lance even race in any other races besides the Tour? Lance has it easier then when Eddie raced......

Memph

I don;t think that being american has anything to do with this...I mean he probably is, but I am american and there is no way that Lance is better than Merckx. Lance might not even be better than lemond.
 
Originally posted by jroes
As is usually the case, what if Ali met Tyson, what if.....

I honestly can't believe all this. Take a look at the competition surrounding the players. How deep were the fields they competed on? I don't think Merckx had to deal with 181 full time professional athletes.

I even saw someone intone that teams were not around back then.... Come on. Do you think that they didn't have teams and alliances when Merckx was riding? And 28% is great when all the competition are part-time semi-pros.

Take Armstrong, put him on a 21 lb bike along with Merckx and whomever else you want. Let's see who stands and can stride up the Alps or the Pyrennes for 10km without sitting.

I don't mean to degrade Merckx or the others, but in terms of who is the better athlete - Armstrong hands down - fitter, stronger and faster. And that doesn't even get down to the drive and motivation factor......

How many people athelets from the past could be dropped into a competition today and have the same sucess. Eric Heiden would be so slow. If Merckx was around today he would have access to different training methods ect. Now if you want to argue that the competition was weak back then ok, but no one says that fausto coppi had a lack of competition. Merckx simply had more talent that Armstrong as did the badger and probably lemond as well. I don;t mean to take anything away from Lance. He is the best TDF rider of all time, but not the best cyclist.
 
Originally posted by lazysegall
I don;t think that being american has anything to do with this...I mean he probably is, but I am american and there is no way that Lance is better than Merckx. Lance might not even be better than lemond.

Finally someone that has the same opinion. I truly believe that Greg is better then Lance. Had a weaker team for his wins. Better TT, closest victory in history. Did Lance ever have to come from behind on the 2nd last day in the TT? Make that much time and win? Sometimes all people look at is the # of victories.....

Memph
 
Just face it,
Merckx is better than any other cyclist. Merckx was very talented and he had style! GO GO GO Merckx ;P

Oh and btw: He was also Belgian (like me :p)
 

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