"Gobsmackingly Brilliant" rides of 2000

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Erik Zabel

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Erik Zabel's spring campaign. A sprinter who has transformed himself into an exceptional Classics rider. By the time the spring World Cup races were done, I don't think anyone in the peloton thought they had any chance of winning the World Cup from Zabel.

Jon Lested
California, USA
Sun, 10 Dec

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Zabel - World cup victory + green jersey = STUD

Brandon Gilhooly
Boulder, Colorado
Sat, 9 Dec

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I was there at the finish line when Eric Zabel took his stage at the Tour Down Under after a long break with Massimiliano Mori. They came in together, and right in front of me, with 50 meters to go, Z stepped on it and Mori just blew out a breath in frustrated admiration. After a brief salute Zabel wheeled around and gave Mori a big high five. I thought it was the classiest gesture I've ever seen in sport.

John Yerxa
Carrickalinga, SA
Fri, 8 Dec

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Zabel's 6-day results. This is impressive because of the incredible season he had to date, from Tour Down Under stage win to World Cup with A Green Jersey in there for good luck. In a sense this is a vote for the whole package, of which the 6-day results are just to finishing touch.

Dan Connelly
Tuesday, December 5

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Zabel's April. The man's incredible preparation was visible the entire month. His ability to suffer over terrain that, in the past, has not suited him well was remarkable. Particularly at Amstel Gold and the Ronde:
4th - Ronde van Vlaanderen
41st - Gent-Wevelgem
3rd - Paris-Roubaix
39th - Liege-Bastogne-Liege
1st - Amstel Gold

John M. Foster
Saint George, Utah, USA
Monday, December 4

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Last but certainly not least: Erik Zabel. He was simply the most consistent and thus best rider this season. A cycling season runs from January until November, and no one did as good as he did during that period. Wins in Milano-San Remo and the Amstel Gold, 4th in Vlaanderen and 3rd in Roubaix tells that he had a formidable early season. Winning his fifth consecutive (!!!) green jersey was perhaps even better, and yes, this time he did win a stage. By the way, Romans Vainsteins is a good second in this category and his world title a justified finish of a great and consistent season.

Ivo Habets,
Den Haag - Netherlands

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And don't forget Zabel who rode strong all over the year.

Alexander Vogt
Germany
Tue, 12 Dec

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The man of the year is Erik Zabel. He booked 19 (in words: nineteen!) UCI wins, including 2 WC races, the overall World Cup, and a stage of the TdF. Don't forget the green jersey for the fifth time in a row. Winning races from January (Tour Down Under stage) to November (Six Days in Dortmund) is absolutely gobsmackingly brilliant !

Michael Kubis
Wed, 13 Dec

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Always at front: Erik Zabel

Jonas Coertjens
Belgium
Thu, 14 Dec

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Zabel - The Powerhouse in nearly every bunch gallop

Mark Windsor
Bathurst NSW, Australia
Fri, 15 Dec

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