Blazin' Saddles: Surprise packages, unsung heroes and breakthroughs of 2016

After previous blogs on the biggest shocks of 2016 and the unluckiest riders of the past season, our focus now moves to the surprise packages, unsung heroes and breakthrough riders of the past 12 months.

So before you can say "what's in the mystery package, Dave?" let's get started.

Arnaud Demare (FDJ): Who'd have thought the Frenchman had even a motor-assisted (as alleged by his rivals) Monument in him? After he crashed ahead of the Poggio, Demare's chances of Classicissima glory looked about as likely as what then actually happened: the 25-year-old channelled his inner Vincenzo Nibali, grabbed hold of the side of his team car (a Strava-fuelled allegedly, we hasten to add) and rejoined the peloton before outsprinting the favourites – and Ben Swift – for Milan-Sanremo glory. There's no denying it, Demare's first top ten finish in 11 Monuments was a You've Been Tango'ed moment.

Mathew Hayman (Orica-BikeExchange): If Demare's win was unexpected, then the surprises continued on the cobbles when, one week after Peter Sagan had finally broken his own monumental duck, Aussie veteran Hayman – just five weeks after breaking his arm – pulled off a huge coup in Paris-Roubaix. Riding in his 15th Hell of the North, the 37-year-old was part of the day's main break before soloing clear; he was later caught by the big favourites, was dropped, regained contact, then out-sprinted Tom Boonen to deny the Belgian a record-breaking fifth win.

Steven Kruijwijk (LottoNL-Jumbo): If no-one really expected the flame-haired Dutchman to win the Giro d'Italia before the race then it goes to show how impressive Kruijswijk was when you consider that, with three stages remaining, no-one actually expected him to lose. A moment of madness after Nibali attacked over the summit of the snow-capped Colle dell'Agnello in stage 18 changed everything and resulted in the maglia rosa shoulder-barging a wall of ice. Nibali still had everything to do, but it was certainly the moment surprise package Kruijswijk lost the Giro.

Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo): Perhaps inspired by his countryman, Mollema proved to be the dark horse of the Tour de France until his own calamitous stage 19 saw him tumble off the podium just two days from Paris. For someone who proved to be Chris Froome's biggest threat for most of the race, it seems cruel that, ultimately, Mollema – in second place since stage 13 – dropped out of the top ten entirely and had to settle for his lowest finish in the past four Tours in what was arguably the strongest, best race of his career. With Tom Dumoulin having contrived to lose the 2015 Vuelta on the penultimate day, Mollema's demise made it three-in-three for the Dutch.

Greg van Avermaet (BMC): No-one ever doubted the Belgian's class or ability – even when he was stuck in a rut of perpetually finishing the bridesmaid. But, equally, no-one expected van Avermaet's season not only to include a stint in the yellow jersey (after a mountain-top stage win in the Massif Central, no less) but also a series of races on a golden bike after the 31-year-old unexpectedly won the Olympic road race in Rio on a course so hilly even Peter Sagan decided to give it a miss.

Did you hear the joke about the Spaniard who posted top tens in both the cobbled classics? Well, it's not a joke – it actually happened. Imanol Erviti (Movistar) finished seventh in the Ronde van Vlaanderen and then ninth in Paris-Roubaix – and then rode tirelessly for team-mate Nairo Quintana in both the Tour and Vuelta. Whisper it gently, but could Erviti be the man to end Spain's age-long wait for a victory in either of the two cobblestone Monuments?

Sticking with Movistar, Andre Amador became the first rider from Costa Rica – or even Central America – to wear the maglia rosa in May, while also in the Corsa Rosa we saw Italian veteran Michele Scarponi (Astana) all-but deliver compatriot and team-mate Vincenzo Nibali to glory in Turin. That Scarponi's main super-domestique of his own was a parrot named Frankie made his achievements all the greater.

Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-QuickStep) put his Strade Bianche disappointment behind him by winning stage 8 of the Giro over similar dirt roads and also snaring the pink jersey in Arezzo. Brambilla wore the pink with pride before giving it his all to ensure team-mate Bob Jungels took over the baton for as long as possible. The unfashionable Brambilla's superb season continued into the Vuelta with the Italian winning in Formigal on the day Chris Froome's blunder cost him dear.

He may no longer be a major contender, but Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) deserves mention for riding all three Grand Tours competitively and aggressively, picking up a stage win and podium finish in Italy not so long after notching a fourth victory in the Fleche-Wallonne. He gets bad press, but we'll miss the Spanish veteran when he's no longer around.

Wout Poels (Team Sky) worked tirelessly for Froome during the Tour – to the extent that people questioned whether or not he himself could win the yellow jersey one day. Showing his class, Poels also ended Sky's long wait for a Monument with victory in Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Special mention, too, for the consistent ebullience of Steve Cummings (Dimension Data), Jarlinson Pantano (IAM Cycling) and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal). The latter yo-yoed his way through the season but added a Ventoux victory to his Stelvio success from four years previously – not that many people will remember that feat on a day De Gendt was upstaged by Froome running to the finish line.

Finally, a hat-tip to forgotten man Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo) who put dark days behind him and really excelled in the high mountains in the Vuelta, finishing behind Quintana at Lagos de Covadonga before winning the queen stage on the famous Col d'Aubisque.

Nobody doubted that Adam and Simon Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) were classy riders with a big future, but the way they imposed themselves in the major races this year was mighty impressive.

Adam rode with maturity beyond his years to finish fourth in the Tour and take the white jersey in Paris – trailing Quintana and a place on the podium by just 21 seconds. Simon, back after his ban for so-called "administrative doping" following a team doctor's hiccup with a TUE, became the first of the Yates’s to win a Grand Tour stage with a solo scalp in the Vuelta en-route to a sixth place finish in Madrid.

Still just 24, both brothers have proved they have what it takes to be part of Orica-BikeExchange's exciting roster of Grand Tour hopefuls, which has Colombia's Esteban Chaves at its apex.

Victory in the Tour of California followed by the white jersey in the Dauphine showed that Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep) was shaping up nicely for his debut Tour. And while he may not have won a stage on his maiden three-week race, Alaphilippe showed just why the French are getting very excited about his supreme talent by forcing himself into multiple breaks and flirting with victory on numerous occasions. Sure, he didn't make quite the same ripples as Peter Sagan did on his debut outing in France, but it bodes well for the combative Frenchman.

The same can be said for Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) who, two years Alaphilippe's junior, made his own Grand Tour debut this season – although to less acclaim: the 22-year-old Colombian crashed badly in stage 3 of the race and was forced out two days later. Still, Lopez showed promise earlier in the year by winning the Tour de Suisse and taking wins in both San Luis and Langkawi. Astana clearly have another gem on their hands.

Trek will be regretting that they let Bob Jungels (Etixx-QuickStep) slip through the net after the 24-year-old Luxembourger came of age in a strong season which underlined his stage racing credentials. Right from winning the opening stage of the Tour of Oman, Jungels bustled with ambition and intent – culminating with a run in pink in the Giro and his highest ever Grand Tour finish in sixth place. The double national champion will look to build on this next year.

In the sprinting stakes, Britain's Dan McLay (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) showed that there could be life after Mark Cavendish with a trio of wins in his first full season – including this mind-boggling effort in the GP de Denain.

McLay, 24, went on to race his debut Tour in July where he mixed it with the best with four top-ten finishes in the wake of the outstanding Cavendish.