The best cyclist ever? Merckx? Armstrong? Wiggins? Or Nigel Sylvester?
 

“When I think about it now,” Sylvester said recently. “I really want to be one of the greatest to ever touch a bicycle.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/04/a...ester-bmx.html

Is that an outlandish aspiration? Realistically, probably not. Cycling is a sport, after all, and sports are entertainment. So, for the average person, who is more entertaining, Sylvester (or Danny Macaskill) or Jonas Vingegaard? Sylvester and McCaskill, by a long shot. In fact, Macaskill is my favorite rider, and it’s not even close.

In addition to being savvy about the marketing and entertainment aspects of cycling, he seems to be a great ambassador for the sport.

“I believe in the power of the bicycle,” Sylvester said. “I think it’s one of the most incredible vehicles in the world. It’s boundless. It goes beyond race and beyond religion, beyond social class, even beyond geography.”

Add to this list, Major Taylor.

Major Taylor gets my vote. Look up what he accomplished in cycling is truly astonishing. Then add overcoming being a man of color make it that more impressive.

Major Taylor was definitely a trailblazer and among the greatest ever. My larger point was that very little of pro cycling has caught the attention of the masses. It’s just not that entertaining for the average viewer. Sure, there were riders with great style and panache (Coppi, Anquetil, Fignon, etc) but in a world dominated by “viral moments” cyclists such as Sylvester and MacAskill should be in the pantheon too.

Nigel is not outspoken
But he likes to speak
And he likes to be spoken to
(in his world)
Nigel is happy in his work
(in his world)
Nigel is happy in his work
(in his world)

XTC

It's interesting to me to think about what the term sport means. While the Tour de France or whatever can certainly provide incredible sporting entertainment, I don't personally experience cycling (or jogging, or walking) as a sport but more as a lifestyle and practical activity. I don't race others and use my bike as a means of transportation.
In that context the best cyclist ever was that guy I saw all the time in hilly Seattle in the 90s in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and beyond, cycling around with only one leg. He was absolutely incredible, and used a clipless pedal, too.

This article is Paywalled locked up as tight as can be, even when I login they won't let me see it without going for a full subscription. And the usual places like the Internet Archive don't have it.

He can't be in the running if even one person on this board doesn't know who he is already.

I would not want to fall in the USA-centric mental trap of thinking Pro cyclists aren't/weren't huge just cause we live in the US. Some of these famous European cyclists were at a ridiculous level of fame in Europe.

I think all these guys like Mercx, Wiggins, Armstrong, whatever.. they have/had far more star power than we think in the countries that really value(d) cycling.

And if you want to say "In the US" I bet you can make a very strong case that no American cyclist has out-achieved Major Taylor if you are talking fame in the US from results that happened in the US. Armstrong would have been in the running until most of his results were negated. But even if his results hadn't been negated how on earth do you compare the two of them when they were 100 years apart and lived/raced in completely different worlds?

If you want to make an argument that a BMX rider could possibly be the biggest/most famous US cycling star I think you'd have to find someone with some sort of competition results as opposed to influencer status/fashion collaborations. Maybe not doing X-games, Olympics, National Championships, etc.. is in the true spirit of BMX but there are surely other BMXers who would be in the running. I think you'd want BMX riders and fans to pick.

Nigel has been doing the same 3 or 4 tricks for as long as I can remember. Only thing remarkable about him is his ability to market himself.

In my mind there is but one universal GOAT in cycling, and he isn't from the USA OR a BMX rider :banana:

Yah a quick search for him on any BMX-centric site/platform/group they think his promotional ability far exceeds his BMX stunt skills and that he's nowhere near the top of the stunt heap. Makes sense that "The Times is on it!".

Basically that his reputation is far better with people who know nothing about BMX than with people who are involved in BMX.

Still.. with how little attention is paid to BMX right now compared to say the 1980s.. it would be very hard to argue that his approach isn't the smart approach.

Monetarily he's doing very well, good example of the street based riders going above and beyond bmx adjacent sponsors.
Brad Simms is another,more recent rider who has branched out to other forms of cycling (bmx-esque mtb stuff) and is racking up some interesting sponsors (Canyon, Fiveten))

Actually, the greatest rider was Mike Hall (RIP), but I digress.

After watching him do his thing, you know that McCaskill doesn't need to be drug tested!

Nice article; and I missed it in my daily perusal so thanks for sharing. impressive success given he doesn’t compete. I’ll enjoy checking some of his videos later! Concur on McCaskill, he had me hooked ever since the first video I saw using Loch Lemond’s catchy song on way back home.

Read it as a gift article with this link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/04/a...smid=url-share

Yer welcome!:banana:

I don't need to read the article to know that it is Eddy Merckx.

Jeff