From the pages of Velo: The Hardmen Issue — Who is Your Favorite Hardman in the Pro Peloton?

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November question of the month: Who is your favorite hardman in the pro peloton?

My teammate, Jeremy Hunt. He just looks tough. He doesn’t mind racing in bad weather, and he loves the classics. He gets motivated by the hardest of conditions. He just loves racing, and always asks for lots of race days.

— Michael Barry (Sky)

Cadel Evans is a never-give-up type of rider. And I’m not just saying that because he won the Tour this year. Look at his history at the Tour de France, he’s fought for the positions he’s gotten. He always looks like he’s suffering in the mountains, and last year he finished with a broken bone in his arm. He’s had a run of such hard luck, and he’s fought on to finish every year. I still think the crash in 2008 cost him the Tour de France. I don’t know if people appreciate how much a crash like that takes it out of you; your body just wants to shut down and recover. It’s a mental and physical drain, especially if you’re still pushing on to try and win the Tour. And he finished second (to Carlos Sastre). That for me is a hardman result.

— Simon Gerrans (Sky)

Jens. It has to be Jens.

— Fränk Schleck (Leopard-Trek)

That Lithuanian kid on Garmin (Ramunas Navardauskas) is pretty hardcore. I’ve seen him ride teams into oblivion. He’s not afraid to throw down. I’m impressed by
guys who throw caution to the wind, and have that kind of ability to suffer.

— Svein Tuft (SpiderTech-C10)

Stuart O’Grady (Leopard-Trek) is pretty tough. I’ve seen him do so much work for his teammates over the years, and he’s come back from some pretty bad crashes. He’s won Paris-Roubaix, he’s there in classics, whether he is getting results for himself or helping Fabian Cancellara win. And he’s there in the Tour de France; this year he was amazing out on the front for the Schlecks. He’s never one to yell at anyone else, or push and shove his way through the peloton. He’s always well positioned, and he lets his legs do the talking. He’s never one to complain. He’s someone that every rider should look to in terms of how to conduct himself in the peloton.

— Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)

It would have to be Svein Tuft. Some of the stories you hear about him, riding his bike from Canada to a team camp in California with his dog in a trailer, training ultimate fighting in the off-season … the man is a legend. He’s able to do that and also ride to the world time trial championship podium. Plus he’s a North American, and that makes him a badass.

— Ted King (Liquigas-Cannondale)

In terms of workload, it would be the guys not recognized, guys like Jason McCartney (RadioShack) and Bert Grabsch (HTC - Highroad), guys who are always on the front, always there for the team. But in terms of being headstrong, I think you’d have to go with Jens Voigt (Leopard-Trek).

— Hayden Roulston (HTC-Highroad)

Karl Menzies (UnitedHealthcare.) He doesn’t let anything affect him: weather, crashes, even the terrain. He puts on the game face, so much so that it’s tough to talk to him in the bunch. He’ll just yell at you.

— Frank Pipp (Bissell)

Check out the Velo awards from the January 2012 edition of Velo

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