"Gobsmackingly Brilliant" rides of 2000Andrei Zintchenko---- One ride that really stands out is the last few kilometres of the Tour
of Flanders. The mental and physical strength of Tchmil was awesome
with the chasing pack literally breathing down his neck. Beautiful stuff.
The other I 'm sure doesn't qualify but I'll tell you anyway. I managed
to get home on my bike even faster than usual completely tanked up on
Guinness and didn't even fall off! As good as Tchmil? Keep up the good
work for all you guys who must spend more time in front of computers
than on bikes. Christian Westhoff ---- Tchmil - Always there in the closing kilos. The guy never ---- Not to sound repetitive, but to me, the finest classics win of the
year was Tchmil's win at Ronde. I find myself pulling for this guy in
every classic. He is always near the front, and with the heart of a
Clydesdale, he has to be considered a threat to win. He is a character
of mythology! It's like he is hopelessly compelled to smash his body
and talent on the sharp rocks of a race. Win going away, or die trying.
I love to see characters like this get their wins. Adam Nemmers ---- Tchmil in Tour of Flanders screaming along at 60km/h inspired me to
go out and train (the first time I had done so in weeks with work and
all). I must have bored my non cycling friends with the story countless
times. Sorry guys! BIKEMAN ---- Andrei Tchmil - for winning while it seems he's loosing Kai Naumann ---- One word: Tchmill. One race: Tour of Flanders. One man, all alone, so close, yet uncatchable. Don't we all wish we had his self belief, his physical abilities, and the mind to pull it off. And how tantalizingly close he came again at the World's. The man is a monster. I hope he never, ever retires. Scott Powell ---- Andrei Tchmil in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Wim Ponsaert ---- The one race that impressed me the most was the Tour of Flanders. I
had good money on that race, which made the last 6 or 7 miles all the
more heart-stopping, but apart from that, what a day Tchmil had! 37
years old, never had more than an 18 second gap at the most, and a field
of 30 riders chasing him. Incredible! Sure, it may not have been right
up there with Koblet's legendary solo raid in the Tour back in 1951,
but nothing is anymore, is it? So Andreï Tchmil gets my vote. I saw Armstrong climb the Montée
de Hautacam, too, but he was just too strong - there was no competition,
and thus no excitement. That's not really a fair argument, I know, but
(and I'm aware that the entire English-speaking world will hate me for
saying this) it just wasn't normal. He was climbing faster in the last
kilometer of the ascent than in the first, for God's sake! Anders P. Jensen ---- Tchmil for his extraordinary win in the Ronde, a phenomenal throw
of the dice, and without question the most exciting finale to any race
this year Neil Storey ---- Best Classic win of 2000?? Ronde van Vlanderen - Tchmil. The man was
incredible, staying out in front where everybody could see him, for
so long...... Self belief, tenacious, audacious, call it what you will.
It has to be the best win of the year for me, much as I am a great admirer
of Johan Meseeuw, as a rider, a supreme example to everybody, and Roubaix,
a pure anachronism, but isn't that what makes a classic? Mike Burns ---- It wasn't very much in the classics this year. Only one World Cup comes
to my mind, and that is the Tour of Flanders. In a typical Tchmil-way
the Belgian-Russian-Ukrainian-Moldavian veteran rushed towards the finish.
It reminded me of the way he once won the (I think) E-3 Prijs, when
Ekimov simply couldn't keep his wheel. Ivo Habets, ---- The old fox Tchmil's ride in Flanders. Alexander Vogt ---- Without a doubt, Tchmil at Flanders. Old Johan won Roubaix because
he had the team, Tchmil had himself the previous week. "jmacal" ---- Tchmil, Ronde van Vlaanderen. Class. Kjetil Haaland ---- A steam train to Meerbeke: Andrei Tchmil. Jonas Coertjens ---- But the best was the toughest: Tchmil - now that's how to ride a bike.
Mark Windsor ---- Flanders: Tchmil. He went away and nobody followed, dumb. It isn't
like they hadn't seen this from him before. T Sexton ---- Tchmil at Flanders - simply classic ! Brad ---- |