ANALYSIS: CLASS OF 1990
The year 1990 produced a generation of talent like cycling had never seen before. As the riders turn 30, Procycling evaluates the success of the biggest stars
The evolution of the golden generation of riders as they turn 30, from Sagan to Pinot to Quintana
Did the year 1990 produce the best-ever generation of cyclists? It’s hard to think of another group of riders in the sport’s history all emerging at the same time and being more successful than those that came out of this one year. Among the accolades so far of the seven most prominent riders all to be born during that 12-month window - Peter Sagan, Tom Dumoulin, Nairo Quintana, Michał Kwiatkowski, Thibaut Pinot, Michael Matthews and Romain Bardet - are five rainbow jerseys, three grand tour wins, four monuments, 50 grand tour stage wins, 13 Tour de France jerseys, and multiple race wins. In 2017 alone, six of these riders all sat in the top 20 of the UCI’s end of year rider ranking.
Part of what has made the class of 1990 so golden is that these riders were all successful from the start. As under-23s and amateurs they were all winning races then as professionals they instantly performed at the highest level, too, a rare example of riders all living up to the high expectations.
History suggests that cyclists start to peak in their late 20s and early 30s. Young riders need to adapt, to develop, to grow into professional racing at the highest level, and gradually they improve each year. But generation 1990 all hit top form early on. Pinot was just 24 when he finished on the podium at the Tour for the first time. Kwiatkowski 24 when he won the Worlds. Sagan was 22 when he won his first green jersey. Dumoulin and Quintana are two of only six riders to win grand tours in the past 20 years aged 26 or under.
But can these riders keep improving? As they all turn 30 tradition dictates they will keep getting better. But then again, the riders of Generation 1990 have always forged their own paths. Having led the way in cycling since the beginning of their careers, the big question is: can they keep doing it in the years to come?