My favourite retired riders

My favourite retired riders

Cyclists are like many things in life. They come and they go. They enter the sport as ambitious youngsters and leave the sport full of good and/or bad experiences. I've listed a few of my favourite retired riders. 

Djamolidine Abduzhaparov

He might not be the most stylish cyclist in cycling history. He didn't sprint always right to the finishline, but he was as fast as a cannonball. He represented Uzbekistan. It might not be a country with a big cycling tradition but every cycling fan will remember this country because of 'Abdu'. He won the green jersey in Tour de France 3 times, won Ghent - Wevelgem, green jerseys in both the Giro and Vuelta and many more victories

Mario Cipollini

Another sprinter in this list is Mario Cipollini. The Italian wasn't only known for his fast legs. He was also known for his special outfits. He had to pay a lot of fines, but he liked it anyway, and the spectators liked it even more. Wouldn't it be nice to see these kind of riders again that like to stand out? He wasn't only known for these reasons by the way. He also won 42(!) stages in Giro d'Italia, 12 stages in Tour de France, 3 times Ghent - Wevelgem and off course worldchampion.

 

Greg LeMond

Greg LeMond will always be remembered for his Tour de France win of 1989. He won this race on the last day. This could be an inspiration for many other riders to never give up and believe in themselves till the last chance to make a difference. He didn't only win this Tour de France. He also won in 1986 and 1990 and became worldchampion twice. 

Thomas Voeckler

The Frenchman wasn't the best climber, the best sprinter or the best cobbles but it didn't hold him back to still win many races in his carreer. His braveness and tactical abilities made him always a big contendor for the stage wins. He also took the yellow jersey in the Tour de France twice through a breakaway. The GC favourites thought that it would be easy to drop him but he suprised them and stayed in the yellow jersey till the last days of the race. His strong will to win could be an inspiration for many young riders.