The domestique is a key to any level of success in professional cycling but it is often one of the most undervalued and overlooked roles in the peloton.
In 2016 there were several major performances by domestiques which helped their team leaders win; be that spending 100km riding the front of the peloton, giving up a wheel at the crucial moment, sparking an echelon or sheltering them from the wind in a decisive attack.
Some of the riders included in our list of the 10 best domestiques of 2016 also enjoyed great personal success but it was their selflessness and commitment to the team across the season that secured their inclusion.
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Wout Poels (Team Sky)
Wout Poels broke Team Sky's monument duck at Liege-Bastogne-Liege but the Dutchman makes this list due to his Tour de France exploits where he assisted Chris Froome in the high mountains to seal a third title. Poels was also instrumental in 2015 as he and Richie Porte swapped the role of the last man standing for Froome. With the Australian an antagonist in 2016 with BMC, Poels rose to the occasion, even improving his own result from last year to 28th place.
The 29-year-old, who came close to losing a kidney at the 2012 Tour in a crash dubbed the 'metz massacre', has been a key buy for Team Sky with year-on-year improvement. His performances at the Tour over the last two years, and 2016 in particular, didn't go unnoticed by team management who handed Poels a three-year contract extension. A deal usually only for the likes of a Froome or Peter Sagan in the current market.
Poels' Tour ride had many, including himself, suggesting he is ready to lead a Grand Tour team at the Giro or Vuelta and challenge for personal glory. In the meantime, he is key man for Froome when the roads go upwards and Team Sky will again need him firing for July as it gears for a third straight win.
Sébastien Reichenbach (FDJ)
Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo)
Damien Howson (Orica-BikeExchange)
Maciej Bodnar (Tinkoff)
Adam Hansen (Lotto Soudal)
Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-QuickStep)
Diego Rosa (Astana)
Michael Schar (BMC)
Tanel Kangert (Astana)
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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