Ranking the best cyclists of all time is an endless debate. It's impossible to compare cycling eras and there's always a personal preference involved. However, the question of who's the greatest cyclist of all time is easy to answer and cannot be debated. Based on the points schema of the King of the Echelon cycling ranking, these 10 legends make up the all-time cycling hall of fame.
If you're curious about the details of the points schema, I wrote about it in this blog post: Pointless rider rankings are useful.
10. Felice GIMONDI (ITA) - 6393pts
Can you imagine: Felice Gimondi is the 10th best rider ever, while Eddy Merckx was his main opponent. It really makes you wonder what his palmares would have looked like without Merckx. But it's not like his Italian gentleman had to complain about what he díd win during this 13-year career as a professional cyclist.
Together with Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault, Gimondi is the only rider who won the 3 Grand Tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España) and the World Championship. Additionally, Felice Gimondi displayed his versatility by winning the 3 most diverse Monuments: Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and Il Lombardia
9. Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP) - 6671pts
Anno 2022, 42-year-old Alejandro Valverde is the only active rider to figure in the top-10 of greatest cyclists ever. "El Imbatido" achieved this thanks to his dominance in some of the most important races, versatility, and consistency throughout his 20-year career.
Despite winning the Tour of Spain and some of the top-tier one-week stage races, the Tour and Giro were out of his reach. Something Alejandro Valverde compensated by a large number of victories in the biggest one-day races on the calendar.
Some stellar numbers:
7 podiums at the Vuelta & España (of which 1 victory),
7 podiums at the World Championship (of which 1 victory),
7 podiums at Liège-Bastogne-Liège (of which 4! victories),
6 podiums at Clasica San Sebastian (of which 2 victories),
9 podiums at Flèche Wallonne (holds the record with 5! victories).
8. Francesco MOSER (ITA) - 6916pts
The Italian powerhouse was one of the most feared riders of his generation. Giro d'Italia winner, classics king, world champion, 23-times Giro stage winner, 273 professional victories: Francesco Moser in a nutshell.
Tripple Paris-Roubaix (7 podiums!) winner Moser was the main competitor of Monsieur Paris-Roubaix Roger De Vlaeminck, beating him on 2 occasions (1978 & 1979). Despite being more limited in the high mountains, the Italian still won his homeland Grand Tour thanks to his exquisite time trialing skills.
That talent allowed Francesco Moser to break the 12-year-old World Hour Record of Eddy Merckx by 1.4 kilometer, becoming the first rider to cross the 50km mark (50.808km)
7. Sean KELLY (IRL) - 7021pts
Sean "King" Kelly is very much the Alejandro Valverde of the 1980's. Winning the Vuelta a España, multiple top-tier stage races (7 times Paris-Nice winner!) and numerous Monuments and classics made the Irishman one of the last riders that mastered almost all types of races.