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Cyclingnews' 2002 Top Ten: Part twoThree more of the year's best, as selected by the Cyclingnews team7: Sean Eadie
The big guy from New South Wales proved in track cycling, speed, power and talent are much more important than aerodynamics - or at least that a bit of drag around the jaw doesn't slow you down enough to matter. Eadie has also been a tremendous ambassador for the sport of track cycling - he's articulate and personable and the skills acquired in his other life profession of primary school teacher particularly shine when he has dealings with young cyclists. World track championships sprint
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6: Johan Museeuw
Two World Cups, second in Flanders and second in the World Cup overall from a rider who annually seems to have to struggle back from disastrous setbacks and who is retiring at the end of the Spring of 2003 - though we've heard that before from the Lion of Flanders... Paris-Roubaix was in the words of the CN team's most fervent Museeuw fan - "just sheer ass-kicking." Museeuw's third victory in the Queen of the Classics was perhaps his best, although 2000 was also a pretty gutsy performance. This year, Museeuw let the others eat mud as he accelerated away on the pavé with 41 km to go until the Roubaix velodrome. He won by an impressive 3'04, which is a dominating ride in anyone's books. He then defended his World Cup lead in true style, picking up a surprisingly canny win in the HEW Cyclassics in August. He couldn't hold off Paolo Bettini in the late season classics though, and ended up second in the World Cup overall. If Museeuw does retire next year the peloton will lose one of its grittiest riders, a man who never seems to complain, however hard conditions get. 5: Cadel Evans
At the end of last year Cyclingnews writer and MTB fan John Stevenson applauded Cadel Evans' move from the minor leagues of mountain biking to The Show of the road, saying it was clear that Evans has the potential to be a world-class talent in stage racing. Riding in the Giro d'Italia this year, Evans found himself handed the chance to demonstrate that potential when his Mapei team leader Stefano Garzelli was expelled from the race after a positive test for probenecid and Paolo Bettini abandoned with a muscle sprain. Demonstrating a canniness beyond the expectations of a rider in his first Grand tour, Evans rode a tactically perfect stage 16 to take the maglia rosa. The next day, the dream was shattered as Evans discovered that riding into the leader jersey is one thing but staying in it is quite another. On the brutal ascent to Folgaria, Evans cracked, losing 15 minutes and the leader jersey to eventual winner Paolo Savoldelli. For a rider in his first Grand Tour to wear the leader jersey is not especially unusual, but to take it in the mountains, when the race's serious contenders are queuing up to make their moves, was a remarkable achievement for the young Australian. His reward was a contract with Telekom for 2003 as likely GC contender for the 2003 Tour de France. Look out, Lance! Part Three: Four & Three |
