Dave Stallard wrote:

Jim Edgar wrote:

Eddy also won 35 Tour Stages.

and as Lou Reed sang, "..those were different times.."

I'm sorry, but even though they are great athletes, I just can't compare
Indurain and Armstrong to Eddy. They are TdF specialists only. They
don't take chances on the other events. The Cannibal, by contrast, went
for EVERYTHING. He's the greatest of all time - for all time. That's
just what I think.

It's still apples and oranges - much like the home run records of
today vs. Babe Ruth's time. Would the Babe have hit as many HRs had
he been facing Randy Johnson or Curt Shilling (my AZ bias showing)
regularly? Who knows - but they throw a lot harder than the pitchers
of a century ago.

Compare the speeds of the TdF today to those in Eddy's day - much,
much faster - and very little of that speed is due to technology. The
sport of cycling has evolved into a more competitive and specialized
sport - and sadly I don't think we'll ever see anyone dominate in all
aspects again (including winning the green, yellow and polka dot
jersey in the same tour).

That said, I agree - he was the best.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame