Cycling Weekly's top 30 British riders of 2009

[Skip Madness]

Cycling Weekly have bestowed upon us their top 30 British riders of 2009.

01 Mark Cavendish
02 Bradley Wiggins
03 Emma Pooley
04 Lizzie Armitstead
05 Chris Hoy
06 Steve Peat
07 Russell Downing
08 Ben Swift
09 Victoria Pendleton
10 Becky James
11 Daniel Lloyd
12 Peter Kennaugh
13 Nicole Cooke
14 Geraint Thomas
15 David Millar
16 Wendy Houvenaghel
17 Matt Crampton
18 Roger Hammond
19 Jeremy Hunt
20 Jo Rowsell
21 Kristian House
22 Sarah Storey
23 Alex Dowsett
24 Chris Newton
25 Ian Wilkinson
26 Helen Wyman
27 Michael Hutchinson
28 Katie Colclough
29 Dean Downing
30 Joe Perrett

What do you reckon? I'd say the top four are the right riders in the wrong order. And Ben Swift and Daniel Lloyd were good, but ahead of Nicole Cooke and Peter Kennaugh? There's also a good case for putting Jo Rowsell ahead of Wendy Houvenaghel, I think. Possibly Becky James ahead of Pendleton? Chris Hoy is a great rider but he is way too far up that list.

My list would be very road-biased, so Steve Peat will have to clear off:

01 Emma Pooley
02 Mark Cavendish
03 Lizzie Armitstead
04 Bradley Wiggins
05 Peter Kennaugh
06 Nicole Cooke
07 Russell Downing
08 Becky James
09 Victoria Pendleton
10 Ben Swift

 

[mangaman]

I disagree a bit - I think their top 4 is about right although I agree Chris Hoy shouldn't be anywhere near 5th

Emma Pooley had a very good season as did Lizzie Armitstead

But Cavendish won Milan-San Remo and 6 stages in the TDF - that's a stellar season by any sprinter's standards in any age and the guy's only 24.
He'd be in most people's top 5 riders in the world from 2009 I would have thought.

Wiggins coming 4th in the tour was also amazing.

Cav easily number 1 Brit for me
Bradley 2nd
Happy to debate between Pooley and Armitstead for 4th

 

[Skip Madness]

But Cavendish won Milan-San Remo and 6 stages in the TDF - that's a stellar season by any sprinter's standards in any age and the guy's only 24.
He'd be in most people's top 5 riders in the world from 2009 I would have thought.

Cavendish would certainly be in my top five riders from 2009. In fact - remarkably, now I think about it - I'd say the top two on my list would be my second and third internationally of 2009. I may not be able to say that about two British riders very often.

 

[mangaman]

Cavendish would certainly be in my top five riders from 2009. In fact - remarkably, now I think about it - I'd say the top two on my list would be my second and third internationally of 2009. I may not be able to say that about two British riders very often.

I know - and the future looks bright for the Brits in road cycling of both sexes.

Definitely the most exciting time to be a British cycling fan ever.

All we need now is the media and the public to notice.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I'm sorry but you'd have to have Steve Peat up there, and probably the Athertons and Tracey Moseley too. The CW list is more than a bit tokenistic when it comes to MTBing. Britain has some of the best downhillers in the world and we don't celebrate their acheivements enough.

 

[mangaman]

I'm sorry but you'd have to have Steve Peat up there, and probably the Athertons and Claire Moseley too. The CW list is more than a bit tokenistic when it comes to MTBing. Britain has some of the best downhillers in the world and we don't celebrate their acheivements enough.

Probably right FM - I have to admit I'm not well up on the MTB scene.

Certainly Steve Peat as a world champion should be ahead of Chris Hoy (and probably Lizzie Armitstead) although the whole thing is a bit hard to compare.

Probably they should have had separate lists for road / track / MTB / BMX

 

[rich p]

Isn't CW a road cycling magazine though? Does MTB have a similar outlet?
They've only put Peat in for tokenism I suspect.

 

[mangaman]

Isn't CW a road cycling magazine though? Does MTB have a similar outlet?
They've only put Peat in for tokenism I suspect.

Mind you there are loads of track riders in the list so I think they mean it to be "all round".

 

[rich p]

Mind you there are loads of track riders in the list so I think they mean it to be "all round".

Yes but road and track riders are often the same people in team GB and there is precious little MTB reporting in CW.

 

[Skip Madness]

I'm sorry but you'd have to have Steve Peat up there, and probably the Athertons and Tracey Moseley too. The CW list is more than a bit tokenistic when it comes to MTBing. Britain has some of the best downhillers in the world and we don't celebrate their acheivements enough.

No doubt, bus as someone who isn't especially interested in downhilling and follows it to no great extent I don't feel adequately placed to extoll their virtues.

 

[resal1]

I'm at a loss. Can anyone explain to me the factual evidence that motivates placing Chris Hoy at 5 and Victoria Pendleton at 9. Last year it was obviously medals that counted. Chris Hoy had 3, Brad had two and those slackers Pendleton and Cooke only had 1 each. Ergo Chris Hoy was the greatest cyclist since Tommy Simpson.

If "road" is worth more than "track" or "MTB", via the postioning of Russel Downing & Dave Millar, why is Cooke so far down the list? As Skip stated, still number 6 in the World and at the National Champs outsprinted spinter Armistead and kept Pooley covered.

Perhaps I expect more than a cynical pandering to their favourites. That is one magazine that has certainly moved audiences in recent years. For many years, the Thursday post was the one guaranteed highlight of my week.

 

[lukesdad]

From the mtbers point of view I dont think they ll give a hoot about CW s list.

 

[Will1985]

If Hutch is on the list, Julia Shaw should definitely be on it as she has achieved so much more on the domestic TT circuit.

More tokenism, but CW doesn't seem to pay much attention to those riding bikes without drop bars.

 

[Dave5N]

If Hutch is on the list, Julia Shaw should definitely be on it as she has achieved so much more on the domestic TT circuit.

More tokenism, but CW doesn't seem to pay much attention to those riding bikes without drop bars.

Quite right too.

 

[Dave5N]

Personally I think our Current National Road Champio should be a fair bit higher. Even if Cav and co. don't agree.