Riders of the Year 2017 – From Ten to Six

Dec 14
cyclical

It’s entirely subjective, and just winning more races than anyone else is not quite enough to justify being the best rider of the year. However, the choice for the 2017 season is easier than it sometimes can be … in the style of all the best countdowns, here are riders ten to six.

 

10 Lotta Lepistö

The Finn had a relatively light racing program, just over 40 days, but her career progression has continued year-on-year which suggests that Cervèlo-Bigla are doing things properly.

While she will never win mountainous races, Lepistö can handle virtually any tough Classic, sweeping Dwars Door Vlaanderen and Gent-Wevelgem inside four days. The national title road and ITT double may not mean as much in comparison to countries with deeper talent pools, but she went on to record a stage win in the Giro, and then took the Crescent Vargarda road race. A good year’s work.

 

9 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig

Taking the step up to full-time elite racing appeared not to daunt the Dane, who cruised to the Young Rider’s classification of the World Tour. A rider who was strong from February to September, there seems to be little she can’t do. Road-racing smarts won her Semana Ciclista Valenciana, and her TT skills got her a national title.

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, stage 1 of the Women’s Tour, June 2017

2018 promises much, if she can avoid being marked too closely.

 

8 Ellen Van Dijk

An often unsung heroine, Van Dijk was targeted by Team Sunweb as a winner and as a mentor. With a decade of top-level experience behind her, the Dutch woman can still win big while imparting her knowledge to younger or less experienced riders.

Sunweb benefitted, as Van Dijk’s strength and technical skills saw them edge closer and closer to the Boels-Dolmans team time trial juggernaut before spectacularly unseating them at the Worlds in Norway.

 

7 Chantal Blaak

Blaak is so often another unsung heroine, playing a team supporting role, that her World title triumph in Bergen stunned many observers. But Blaak has strength and the bravery to take any chance that’s offered to her. In Norway, she recovered from an early fall, and from a lengthy breakaway as foil to van der Breggen and Van Vleuten, and then flew to the rainbow jersey with a perfectly executed attack inside the last eight kilometres.

Chantal Blaak psychs herself up for Stage 1 of the Women’s Tour 2017

Blaak also won the national road race title, and played a critical role in virtually all of Boels-Dolman’s wins.

 

6 Kasia Niewiadoma

Worth her place in the top ten for her solo stage victory on the opening day of the Women’s Tour, and for the infectiously joyful way she raced and conducted herself regarding the breast cancer care message linked to the event.

That was her only win this season, but she was so often so close, even on courses not necessarily suited to her, that there is surely more to come at Canyon-SRAM next year. The big targets will surely be the Ardennes Classics and the Giro d’Italia … and the hilly Worlds course in Austria.