As preparations for 2014 begin and we approach the final month of the year, the 2013 season is beginning to seem like a distant memory.
Is it really four months since Chris Froome stood atop the Tour de France podium? Almost six months since Mark Cavendish sprinted to the red jersey at the Giro? Nearly eight since Fabian Cancellara out-thought and out-sprinted Sep Vanmarcke to earn that famous Paris-Roubaix victory?
But as this year’s WorldTour season slips into a collective, sepia-toned memory bank, we’ve taken the opportunity to relive some of the best moments of 2013.
We have already brought you the ten best climbers of the year, and the ten best sprinters. Now it’s the turn of the all-rounders – the rouleurs. Aggressive, versatile, and willing to attack at the drop of a hat, cycling’s hardmen are among the most admired in the sport.
We’ve rounded up the ten best rouleurs on the following pages. Who would you have selected? Have we missed anyone?