The peloton's highlights of 2009 Part Three

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The peloton on stage two, getting a bit smaller on the hills.(Image credit: Vuelta al Ecuador)

In the third installment of 2009 highlights, Cyclingnews asks more industry insiders how they saw things this past year.

However, fast forward to Mendrisio and Cadel put on a show that transformed not just his season but his entire career. It also threw up one of the most memorable images of the entire season as his wife let out her emotions when she saw Evans take the biggest win of his career. The image encapsulated all the passion within cycling in one unique instant. And of course, every time Evans is now questioned over his lack of aggression in races he need only point to his jersey and smile. Class.

Rider to watch in 2010: 2009 was a breakthrough year for Ryder Hesjedal. The Canadian finished in the top ten in Tirreno - Adriatico and tenth Liege before working his socks off at the Tour de France – where he also managed to finish second on the stage to Montpellier. His Vuelta stage win came as a surprise to many but if he continues to progress he could have an ever better 2010. A strong climber and solid against the clock, Vaughters has already singled him out as the team’s joker card for the season ahead. Anyone who laughed when Vaughters claimed Wiggins could compete in Grand Tours should pay attention this time.

Most memorable race: Milan Sanremo for the precision and dedication exercised by Columbia-HTC but for pure surprise it has to be Paris-Nice. On the sixth stage to La Montagne de Lure Contador crushed the opposition with a devastating attack that had us all purring over his ability – the race seemingly wrapped up. However Luis Leon Sanchez had different ideas and his explosive efforts not only blew the race apart but ended being the only time in 2009 where Contador was seriously put on the back foot.

Best performance: Alberto Contador, he is a phenomenal athlete. The way he handled the exterior factors at the Tour de France this year showed that he isn't just a nice, talented, gentle boy who is in the right place at the right time. If anything, Lance [Armstrong]'s comeback and [Johan] Bruyneel’s disrespect made him better. That insolently precocious attack on the Andorra stage of the Tour was pure passion and a slap in the face to the people at Astana who forgot that he was the Number One. His kamikaze Paris-Nice final day attack was my personal favourite, a reminder of old times when riders would risk it all on the throw of a dice.

Best team: Team Garmin-Transitions. Our performance at the Tour was phenomenal, and I'm hugely proud of it. We are stronger as a team than any individual and that showed massively at the Tour. Proved by finishing second in the team classification. Add to that Brad [Wiggins] and Christian [Vande Velde] riding how they were, Tyler [Farrar] battling Mark [Cavendish] in the sprints and our special performance in the TTT and we can say with pride that we are almost unprecedented in our performance as a second-year pro cycling team. Obviously, I spent my year looking out from the inside of my team, so I'm going to be a little biased!

Most memorable race: Doug Ellis (the owner of our team) and I took a trip up to Paris-Roubaix this year to watch it as fans and spectators. We got the full VIP treatment, starting in the team bus, then hopping between sections of pave before finishing in the velodrome. It was breathtaking, I couldn't believe the spectacle of it all, from the CRAZY Flemish fans to the battered riders coming in to the velodrome as if stumbling back from the battlefield. It is the other reason I am doing Paris-Roubaix in 2010.

Biggest disappointment: The general lack of support and press for women's racing. Its slowly changing. In particular, the women's racing and development of riders in the US is progressing at high speed. If you look at the accomplishments of female riders for Olympics, road, track, cross and mountain bike World Championships over the last three years, you can count on the US women being on the podium. It’s an exciting time for women. Races like the Amgen Tour of California should continue to support women, its an important part of our process to ensure growth of women's teams. The exposure we gain from participating in such races is invaluable.