The Laurens World Sports Awards, which recognizes the greatest sportsmen and women of the year, released the nominees for their standout performances over the past year, with a list including five cyclists in five different categories…
Alberto Contador (World Sportsman of the Year), Mark Cavendish (World Breakthrough of the Year), Lance Armstrong (World Comeback of the Year), Michael Teuber (World Sportsperson of the Year With a Disability), and Danny MacAskill (World Action Sportsperson of the Year) all received nominations, sharing the honor with big names like Usain Bolt, Roger Federer, and Brett Favre.
Tour riders like Armstrong, Contador, and Cavendish were obvious choices, but some were suprised by Macaskill’s nomination. MacAskill, a UK based trials rider, is perhaps best known for his spectacular video edit released back in April of 2009, which has garnered over 15 million views on YouTube. He joined a skateboarder, three surfers, and a windsurfer in the World Action Sportsperson of the Year category.
Teuber, who is semi-parapalegic, took home three golds and one silver medal at the UCI World Track Championships in November.
Laurens selects six athletes in each of their five different categories, and the winners are determined by Laurens’ carefully selected 46-person panel consisting of the best writers, editors, and broadcasters from around the sporting world, who will submit secret ballots and vote in each category. Winners will be revealed at the Laurens World Sports Awards in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, March 10. You can see the complete list of nominees here. Stay tuned to BikeRumor for coverage of the awards presentation.