It takes a special kind of person to stand out in the world's toughest sport.  Procycling chooses the 50 riders who have made their mark during 2009. 

1.  Mark Cavendish - Columbia-HTC

We thought long and hard about how to measure Alberto Contador's stage race brilliance against the best seaso for a sprinter since Mario Cipollini won Milan-San Remo, Ghent-Wevelgem, and the Worlds in 2002.  In the end, it was Rabobank directeur sportif Erik Dekker who brought some clarity to our deliberations.  "Both Cavendish and Contador are unbeatable in their department," he reasoned.  "If I have to choose, though, I'd say Cavendish because it's easier to win a three-week stage race when you're the strongest rider than win twenty-something sprints.  That's also why Cavendish's whole team deserves to share the rider of the year."