Rider Retirements

[Bond.ShaneBond]

This thread is one for the outgoing riders who are about to hang up the cleats. Feel free to post some feelings about the cyclists who we won't see riding again.

 

[Bond.ShaneBond]

David Moncoutie suits up for his final race tonight in the Vuelta a Espana's final stage. Hopefully the peloton will allow him a lap at the head of the peloton out of respect to this clean champion. Best known for dominating the Vuelta's mountains and riding either in a breakaway or at the very back of the peloton, Moncoutie was a quiet star. Paul Sherwen is going to have to find something else to talk about, he got many miles out of David sitting off the back. Moncoutie is widely regarded as a loner, and a clean rider in a filthy generation. He rode for pleasure more than competition. He never focused on GT GC, but rather stage glory and podiuming smaller stage races. He got the most out of himself, naturally.

Just briefly, here are his best two GT GC results:
2002 Tour de France.
1 Lance Armstrong*
2 Joseba Beloki*
3 Raimondsas Ruimas*
4 Santiago Botero*
5 Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano*
6 Jose Azevedo*
7 Francisco Macebo*
8 Levi Leipheimer*
9 Roberto Heras*
10 Carlos Sastre
11 Ivan Basso*
12 Michael Boogerd*
13 David Moncoutie

2008 Vuelta a Espana
1 Alberto Contador*
2 Levi Leipheimer*
3 Carlos Sastre
4 Ezequiel Mosquera*
5 Alejandro Valverde*
6 Joaquin Rodriguez
7 Robert Gesink
8 David Moncoutie

Life isn't fair.

 

[Rioli2Gunstall]

I love cycling but when someone that finished 13th is the actual* winner, they really need to sort out there shit.

Well done David, did it in style.

 

[Bond.ShaneBond]

Oscar Freire has bowed out of cycling, and he went down swinging. He has given Valverde a blast for being selfish during the World Championships, which were Oscar's final race. He was the three time World Champion, as well as winning Milan San Remo three times and the green jersey in the 2008 Tour. A superb palmares. He is a sprinter who was always in contention when an uphill section was to be seen late in the race.

 

[Freakie]

Oscar Freire has bowed out of cycling, and he went down swinging. He has given Valverde a blast for being selfish during the World Championships, which were Oscar's final race. He was the three time World Champion, as well as winning Milan San Remo three times and the green jersey in the 2008 Tour. A superb palmares. He is a sprinter who was always in contention when an uphill section was to be seen late in the race.

Whilst he had a great career, he had absolutely no hope in the Worlds this year and his swipe at Valverde was unjustified and a poor way to go out.

 

[Bond.ShaneBond]

Last night Alexander Vinokourov won his final race, a tribute in Monaco. The entertaining but controversial Kazakh will most likely stay involved at Astana, or unite Eurasia and become President. His career highlights are winning the 2006 Vuelta a Espana, 2012 Olympics Road Race and twice winning Liege-Bastogne-Liege. His most famous win is on the Champs Elysees in the 2005 Tour de France. However, his has been a very controversial career, and he divides public opinion like few others. He had a difficult time on T-Mobile, famously being nullified by his own German teammates. His 2007 doping suspension and apparent lack of remorse is not appreciated by many. But many fans are willing to forgive these transgressions due to his entertaining racing style, mostly featuring insane attacks. He also suffered plenty of crashes and injuries.