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2009 CN Reader Poll - Best Stage Race

Mar 18, 2009
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The TdF was voted the best stage race of 2009 in the CN Reader Poll. Really? Were we watching the same race? The 2009 edition of the TdF was the most boring and tedious TdF I have ever watched. The political infighting within the Astana camp was the only thing that injected some interest into the race.

How could the TdF be the best stage race of 2009 when compared to the excitement and tension in the Giro? I am at a loss ...
 
elapid said:
The TdF was voted the best stage race of 2009 in the CN Reader Poll. Really? Were we watching the same race? The 2009 edition of the TdF was the most boring and tedious TdF I have ever watched. The political infighting within the Astana camp was the only thing that injected some interest into the race.

How could the TdF be the best stage race of 2009 when compared to the excitement and tension in the Giro? I am at a loss ...

You are right of course, but the fact is, it's January 2010 and folks are STILL talking about the 2009 TdF--all because of the melodrama. Frankly everyone seems (obviously this is conjecture) to be focused on the showdown at La Grand Boucle--even though I think the Giro and Vuelta course are stronger, the field at the TdF will be superior.

In that light, it's not hard to conclude that the TdF was/is the best stage race. IMHO.
 
Mar 18, 2009
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Are you honestly surprised? The moment I saw the choices I knew it would win. There are a LOT of people that barely pay any attention to the sport. They just want to see the Tour.

Sure, it's been years since the Tour was anywhere near one of the best races of the year, but it's always voted the best in these kinds of polls.

Heck, most years the Tour de Suisse or Critérium International has the best racing. Ever seen it in a poll? Nyope.

There's a similar thing going on with Paris-Roubaix in the classics polls, but to a much smaller degree.
 
Mar 19, 2009
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I don't know the extent of this in the rest of the English speaking world but obviously the TdF gets much better TV in the UK. Pretty much all the big races are on Eurosport but of the stage races only the Tour can expect a reliable daily highlights package. The '06 Giro was on every night at 9.00 The '07 and '08 Giros both suffered from being moved to after the French Open tennis in the last week and way past my bedtime. The '09 race was all over the shop. Sad weak person that I am, it's hard to maintain an emotional connection if you can't watch it every night. Think that might explain the votes of the British jury.
 
It seems like 99% of the people who watch cycling, only watch the TDF. Sad, really. A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a guy who called himself a "cycling-fan", and he didn't even know what Paris-Roubaix was...

In Norway they will send almost all races this spring on TV2 though, so maybe people here will realize that there is much more to this sport than le tour.
 
Oct 29, 2009
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maltiv said:
It seems like 99% of the people who watch cycling, only watch the TDF. Sad, really. A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a guy who called himself a "cycling-fan", and he didn't even know what Paris-Roubaix was...

I think many "fans" in the US think the TdF is the only race. I'm sure much of that has to do with Lance.

To respond to the OP, the 09 Giro had more suspense, but the TdF has a certain mystique simply because it's the Tour, even if last year was 179 guys chasing one Spaniard up a mountain.

Next year, I love the Giro's route, but given the field entering the Tour, I expect it to be the best of the three GTs.
 
Jul 11, 2009
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This is the reason I gave up voting in CN polls (and bacause I never win that bloody bike). Often the choices are quite limited and in the end the one that 'wins' is by far from the best, just the one that most people are aware of.

Case in point is Cervelo being the 'pro bike of the year' again and again.

Le Tour this year was dull. If it wasnt for Kenny I probably would have turned off earlier. Both the giro and vuelta were better.
 
Casual fans are morons. What can you say.

The Tour as the best stage race? That is hilarious. It is idiots like the ones who voted in the poll who allow the ASO to keep sticking to their boring formula year after year. In fact, starting with last year they seem to have decided to water the course down even further.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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BroDeal said:
Casual fans are morons. What can you say.

The Tour as the best stage race? That is hilarious. It is idiots like the ones who voted in the poll who allow the ASO to keep sticking to their boring formula year after year. In fact, starting with last year they seem to have decided to water the course down even further.

best racing: giro
best drama: tour which is mainly due to conti and lance.
 
Mar 18, 2009
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BroDeal said:
Casual fans are morons. What can you say.

I know. I'm so glad I'm one of the know-all, history-steeped geniuses who post here, and not one of those worthless sheet-for-brained scum bags who only occasionally pay attention to our religion slash sport. Someone should just kill them all.

On the other hand, the "casual fans" might have been a little sickened by the guy who came in second at the Giro (and the Vienna contacts of the guy who won), and the fact that the guy who won the Vuelta has a certain problem with blood bags named after his dog. But of course the people who think that are just ignorant trash who have no business even glancing in the general direction of a bike race.
 
Wallace said:
On the other hand, the "casual fans" might have been a little sickened by the guy who came in second at the Giro (and the Vienna contacts of the guy who won), and the fact that the guy who won the Vuelta has a certain problem with blood bags named after his dog. But of course the people who think that are just ignorant trash who have no business even glancing in the general direction of a bike race.

I don't see why they would have a problem with the Giro or the Vuelta for doping when the guy who came third in the Tour is a proven doper, his blood values indicate he got a transfusion during the race, and the police found his team's illegal transfusion equipement with the DNA profiles of seven different people on the needles. So the doping argument does not hold any water.

This year's TdF was the most boring GT in at least the last twenty years. There is no way that anyone who even glanced at the Giro could choose the Tour.
 
Jun 19, 2009
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ImmaculateKadence said:
I think many "fans" in the US think the TdF is the only race. I'm sure much of that has to do with Lance.

To respond to the OP, the 09 Giro had more suspense, but the TdF has a certain mystique simply because it's the Tour, even if last year was 179 guys chasing one Spaniard up a mountain.

Next year, I love the Giro's route, but given the field entering the Tour, I expect it to be the best of the three GTs.

Hopefully Sister Twitter will be a deep also ran to younger contenders. From a rider's perspective it has to be the Giro. More beautiful courses and podium girls. Italian wine is much better, too. Not so much Franco bitterness on the tongue.
 
53 x 11 said:
This is the reason I gave up voting in CN polls (and bacause I never win that bloody bike). Often the choices are quite limited and in the end the one that 'wins' is by far from the best, just the one that most people are aware of.

Case in point is Cervelo being the 'pro bike of the year' again and again.

Unfortunately there is no option to abstain for some categories. You need to be a pretty hard-core fan to be able to make good choices for all questions. Pro bike of the year is a good example. I think that many fans have never ridden and will never ride a pro bike. How would I know whether a Cervélo S3 is marginally better than a Trek Madone 6 when I've only ridden old-school steel bikes. I never shop for EUR 1000+ wheelsets and groupsets. You pretty much need to be a high-level amateur racer to be able to make a good choice.

PS. The Giro was way better than the Tour.
 
Giro was the best race this year, pure and simple. I find the pi$$ing contest between Lance and Contador (which some consider to be drama) hardly entertaining. Drama is when Carlos Sastre attacks Menchov and Di Luca with 8 kms left on the final climb of 240 km mountain stage. Drama is when Franco Pellizotti goes for an epic 15km solo up a mountain and takes the stage and a podium spot. Drama is when Di Luca launches attack after attack and you see Menchov hang on for dear life because he has only 20 seconds to lose. Drama is when the pink jersey crashes with a kilometer left on the cobbles of Rome.

But because an over-the-hill Texan and a too c0cky for his own good Spaniard on the same team decide to have a war of words it deserves race of the year? Bull$hit.
 
Ozzie TV coverage

This comment probably only applies to the Tour coverage in Oz; but I kinda miss the 5 minute segments they used to put in, including extended interviews of some leading riders, latest bike tech developments and so forth. I even like Taste of the Tour: but I'm sure I'm in the minority on this forum. I also appreciate the scenery of France during the some of the long flat stages where the bunch "ambles" along behind a couple of breakaways flying their team colours. Phil & Pauls comments get very repetitive on these days. Perhaps the forum should suggest to the commentary team ways to make the coverage more interesting. For example older, more exiting segments of that stage in previous Tours. Any thoughts on this?
 
Apr 12, 2009
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The giro was incredible but the best stage race in my opinion was Paris-Nice. Contador winning the prologue then dominating on the first mountain stage then bonking the next day after chasing down attack after attack then coming back the next day attacking from mid-stage to fall short of the lead losing to his friend LLS in my opinion that was the best stage race this year.
 
Mar 18, 2009
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I forgot to mention Paris-Nice in my OP, but definitely agree. The 2009 TdF was an insipid, boring race. ASO did itself no favours by organizing two weeks of few challenging stages and then a few mountain stages when everything had been more or less decided because of the TTT. Every stage race in 2009 was better than the TdF. Paris-Nice and the Giro were the best, but the TdF was the worst. For the first time in many years, I did not buy the WCP TdF DVD to watch while on the trainer because I couldn't bring myself to watch that tedious race again. Blah.
 
I think some of the posters here have confused the word 'Poll' with the word 'test'!

There is no right or wrong answer, The Tour will always do well in these polls as it is the most widely televised and reported race.

I'm just glad that the Tour of California didn't win it :)
 
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53 x 11 said:
Case in point is Cervelo being the 'pro bike of the year' again and again.

I like that. It keeps the better bikes, like the Storck I'm about to order, nice and rare!
 
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Anonymous

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elapid said:
The TdF was voted the best stage race of 2009 in the CN Reader Poll. Really? Were we watching the same race? The 2009 edition of the TdF was the most boring and tedious TdF I have ever watched. The political infighting within the Astana camp was the only thing that injected some interest into the race.

How could the TdF be the best stage race of 2009 when compared to the excitement and tension in the Giro? I am at a loss ...

The TdF was deplorable this past year. It was a bad reality show and little more. Boring, boring stages. Need I remind everyone of stage 9? Possibly the most boring excuse for a stage ever devised.

The Giro was far superior on any level you want to look at with the exception of number of drama queen twitters posted.
 

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