I mean I appreciate that jumping the fences takes a bit of skill and all, but alot of the jockey'less riders in the Grand National seem to hump them quite happily on their own so is it really 'that' tough?
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- Thread starter SuitsBlue-PeterAAllen
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Rook
Player Valuation: £80m
Granted I'm from the states but I haven't heard of any of these people. Khan should have at least been in the group. Hope he fights Midana again, that was the best fight I saw all year. Given that Mosley-Pacman is going be a joke I'd love to see that on the under card.
tony hibberts right foot
Player Valuation: £750k
Sorry mate but you obviously dont know that much about Horse Racing, A.P is one of the greatest sportsmen about and deserves this award more than anyone on that list.
15 times champion jump jockey and over 3300 winners, not to mention hes fell/been thrown from horses at least 700 times in his career suffering numerous injuries including a broken leg, broken vertabrae, broken ankle, both shoulder blades, collarbones, a cheekbone, eye socket, wrists, ribs and lost five teeth!
He travels on average 75000 miles a year competing up to 26 days a month takin on anything from one to ten or more rides a day, if hes lucky yeah he can win big money in races like the Grand National (around £150,000) yet day after day plys his trade in even the most modest of races where he'll earn measly amounts such as £200 for putting yer neck on the line for the sport he and millions of others love.
Nuff said, rant over, he gets my vote all day fkin long anyways.
Well yes, I don't know an awful lot about horse racing, and he puts in a good amount of work, that can't be disputed. He still relies heavily on the horse underneath him though surely? I'm not sure anything else on your list qualifies him for greatness. Falling off and injuring yourself wouldn't seem to suggest greatness to me.
It's also worth remembering that a pro cyclist rides around 25,000 miles per year, and that's all under their own steam. That's twice what the average person drives each year. They typically train every day of the year, spending between 2 and 6 hours per day in the saddle. Then in the Grand Tours they will ride 100+ miles every day for 3 weeks at average speeds of around 25mph. They do all this and Mark Cavendish kicks booty more regularly than any other rider in the sport. Check out this vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA
Going downhill at around 50mph with next to no protection and a mountain to fall off if it goes wrong. Now that's balls.
It's also worth remembering that a pro cyclist rides around 25,000 miles per year, and that's all under their own steam. That's twice what the average person drives each year. They typically train every day of the year, spending between 2 and 6 hours per day in the saddle. Then in the Grand Tours they will ride 100+ miles every day for 3 weeks at average speeds of around 25mph. They do all this and Mark Cavendish kicks booty more regularly than any other rider in the sport. Check out this vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA
Going downhill at around 50mph with next to no protection and a mountain to fall off if it goes wrong. Now that's balls.
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tony hibberts right foot
Player Valuation: £750k
Of course your not goin to win the top races on poor horses but the same as you wont win the Tour de France on a bmx.
You would be suprised how much goes into winning a race mate, the need to consistently keep your weight at a certain level to get the rides, the tactics involved in the race and how to treat the horse, to know when to let it go, where to position it etc etc, the concentration needed to steer at most times an unpredictable beast like a Racehorse around 3/4 miles of Racecourse over fences measuring on occasions 5ft odd in size numerous times is massive. I could go on.
As for the falls not suggesting greatness, to fall of a bike say 700 times and sustain the injuries he has and get back on to do it again and again and perform and win at the highest level, would that not surmount to greatness in your eyes?
You would be suprised how much goes into winning a race mate, the need to consistently keep your weight at a certain level to get the rides, the tactics involved in the race and how to treat the horse, to know when to let it go, where to position it etc etc, the concentration needed to steer at most times an unpredictable beast like a Racehorse around 3/4 miles of Racecourse over fences measuring on occasions 5ft odd in size numerous times is massive. I could go on.
As for the falls not suggesting greatness, to fall of a bike say 700 times and sustain the injuries he has and get back on to do it again and again and perform and win at the highest level, would that not surmount to greatness in your eyes?
tony hibberts right foot
Player Valuation: £750k
Most pro bikes are much the same though to be honest, certainly not enough to make any difference to the outcome. One thing I will give you is that the strength of your team does play a part in the outcome, especially for a sprinter like Cavendish, so he does benefit from being in a strong team. It's not a hugely strong year though really.
The two golfers will probably split the golf fraternity so won't win. Haye has boxed against two relative no hopers this year so doesn't qualify. Ennis is very talented but outside of an Olympic year I can't see her winning. Ditto Tom Daley. I'd be surprised if Phil Taylor won, although he is exceptional at what he does. The skeleton girl is impressive but it's a minority sport so I'd be surprised. Swann has done well but I don't think he's done enough to win. McCoy shouldn't win for the reasons above, so my vote goes to Cav, although I'd be surprised if he wins, despite being very good at his sport and having a personality.
Speaking of crashes though, have a look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RNAYR3KPIg bare in mind they're blooming flying at this point and lycra offers very little protection.
tony hibberts right foot
Player Valuation: £750k
Guess we'll agree to disagree then mate, on about personality tho if you ever hear or see an interview with A.P he is one the most unassuming and down to earth charachters you'll ever come across, not affected one iota by the many great things he has acheived in his career. Also i dont think jockey silks offer much protection either when tumbling off at great speeds and trying to avoid being trampled on by a stampede of horses!!
bluebloodinmyveins
Player Valuation: £60m
2 Northern Ireland men on the list, I'm torn between them.
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