Alphabet Game, Part Two

To continue from last week's blog subject, here are letters N to Z:

Marty Nothstein (photo right)  The lone representative of track racing on this list, Marty was a dominant presence during my regular attendance of summer Friday Night Racing at the Lehigh County Velodrome. He won multiple World Championship medals in the sprint and keirin events, including 1994 gold in both races while nursing a broken heel. In 1995 he won a bronze medal in the team sprint with a broken kneecap! The real highlights of his career were the Olympic sprint silver medal in 1996 and, ultimately, the gold in 2000. Upon his retirement from cycling in 2006, Nothstein proved himself a true speed demon by competing in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series for a couple years. These days Marty can still be found looming around the banked turns as executive director of (what is now known as) the Valley Preferred Cycling Center.

Abraham Olano   Spanish cycling fans hoped the winner of the 1995 Road Race World Championship would become the heir to Miguel Indurain’s Tour de France throne, but his highest finish ever was fourth in 1997. Olano did finish twice each on the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España podiums, including a win in his home tour in 1998. He also took the Time Trial World Championship that year.

Davis Phinney (awesome '80s photo left)  A sprinting star on the first U.S.-based professional team, Phinney was the first American to win a road stage at the Tour de France (LeMond won a time trial a year earlier) in 1986, and won another the following season. He claimed the sprinter’s points jersey seven times at the former Coors Classic stage race, before winning the overall title in 1988. In 2004 he established the Davis Phinney Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of people with Parkinson's disease, an affliction from which he suffers. Davis is married to Connie Carpenter, gold medal winner in the 1984 Olympic road race. With bloodlines like this, it’s no wonder the future seems so bright for son Taylor, who rides for pro team BMC.

Nairo Quintana (photo right)   The young Colombian burst onto the pro scene with a second place finish in last year’s Tour de France. Although his role was to support team leader Alejandro Valverde, plans changed as he finished second overall, claiming the Best Young Rider and mountains classifications in the process. Unlike some other recent “hopefuls” who’ve tasted success then cracked under pressure, Quintana came back focused this season and prepared to take on a leadership role. On Sunday he took the top step of the podium as winner of the Giro d’Italia.

Stephen Roche   Much was expected from Roche when he won Paris-Nice and back-to-back Tour of Romandie titles early in his career, and the Irishman did not disappoint. He won a stage and finished on the podium behind Hinault and LeMond at the 1985 Tour de France, before suffering a setback with a chronic knee problem. However, Roche came back with an absolutely magical 1987 season, becoming only the second rider ever to win the “Triple Crown” of the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and World Championship Road Race. Unfortunately, his knee issue caused a steep decline in his performance in the following years.

Peter Sagan   Many experts compare the Slovakian’s overall talents to that of the legendary Sean Kelly, and the 24-year-old has already compiled an impressive number of wins in World Tour events. Although he may not be a pure sprinter, “Peter the Great” can certainly hang with the peloton’s top speed men and has the power and endurance to beat them in races that have covered more difficult terrain. His consistent finishes near the front have earned him the Tour de France green jersey the last two years, including four stage wins. With the ability to accelerate up short, steep climbs, it appears Sagan is destined to be a great Classics rider, but he has yet to win one of cycling’s five Monuments. He has finished on the podium at Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, but to this point has only won some of the minor classics such as Gent-Wevelgem and E3 Harelbeke.

Andrea Tafi (photo left)   Another member of the powerful Mapei team of the 1990s (Franco Ballerini and Johann Museeuw were mentioned in Part One), Tafi gained success relatively late in his career, winning the Giro di Lombardia in 1996, at the age of thirty. During the 1999 Paris-Roubaix, he emulated his hero Francesco Moser by crossing the finish line while wearing the Tricolore jersey of Italian national champion. Three years later, Tafi capped his career by winning the Tour of Flanders.

Diego Ulissi   The rising star has won a couple of stages at this year’s Giro d’Italia. His back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007 made Ulissi only the second cyclists ever to win the World Junior Road Race twice. The Italian shows the ability to win one day races with punchy, steep finishes. In his young career, Diego has won some minor stage races, and many see him eventually developing into a Grand Tour threat, in the mold of…

Alejandro Valverde (photo right)  Displaying a unique blend of powerful acceleration and climbing endurance, the Spaniard has won a variety of races on all types of terrain, from rolling time trials to Pyrenean mountain ascents. Valverde has multiple victories in Spring Classics such as La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, has won four stages of the Tour de France, and has finished on the final podium of the Vuelta a España three times, including the top spot in 2009. In my favorite race finish of all time, Valverde roars out of the field to win stage one of the 2008 Tour de France. Check it out here, but don’t watch the whole 1½  hours of coverage – just start about the 1:08 mark to watch the climb up the final hill. As camera angles change, spot the cyclist in the black with red trim, riding the bright yellow Pinarello (sweet bike!).

Pieter Weening   Tell me his name doesn’t make you giggle! Weening won stage nine at this year’s Giro d’Italia and one in 2011, when he wore the pink jersey for four days. Incredibly, his 2005 Tour de France stage win was the most recent by a Dutch cyclist at that event!

Amets Txarruka    I know it’s not quite right, but the Spanish domestique is as close as you’re gonna get to an “X” in cycling history!

Sean Yates   The Brit served mainly as a domestique on teams like Peugeot, 7-Eleven and Motorola, but won stages of Paris-Nice, the Vuelta a España and Tour de France during his career. After retiring as a rider in 1996, Sean had very successful stints as manager for the Discovery, Astana and Sky pro cycling teams.

Alex Zülle (photo left)   The classy Swiss rider won Vuelta a España titles back-to-back in 1996 and 1997, and finished in second place at the Tour de France in 1995 and 1999. Zülle was also world time-trial champion in 1996.