I always like coming up with this list every year, even if it's a year like 2021 which wasn't too full of GT GC drama. No rules, list top five, top ten, just your favorite, or rank every stage in order for all I care. This is about your favorite GT stage memories of the year.
5. Vuelta a Espana - 20. Sanxenxo - Mos
Just classic "what the hell is going on" Vuelta action in a Vuelta which was a bit weak and formless overall. Docked points for Lopez illegally quitting despite full well knowing that the Movistar Netflix show had not been renewed, thus robbing us of the greatest cycling film ever made. Big points for Champoussin winning in the most French manner possible.
4. Tour de France - 7. Vierzon - Le Creusot
This is why you broadcast the whole stage. A long day promised a slow burning, highly tactical showdown in the last climbs. Instead, we got the Break of the Year causing a mad dash across the middle of France right when the race needed to shake up. It didn't shake up as much as it felt like it might have at the time, but outside of the one day races, this was about the best seven hours of viewing you could spend last year.
3. Vuelta a Espana - 17. Unquera - Lagos de Covadonga
After 16 fairly tedious stages, the Vuelta suddenly resolves the exact way people want every Grand Tour to resolve - two strong riders go on the attack and fight it out man against man. If it was more of a fight, it'd be a classic - Bernal simply didn't have it, but thank him for trying so hard that day.
2. Giro d'Italia - 20. Verbania - Valle Spluga
2021 was weak on last week GC drama but this was as close as it came to delivering. The results sheet will show this didn't change too much - what it won't show is that with Bernal showing weakness a few days ago at Sega di Ala, and his best mountain domestique nearly getting unhitched on descents, and with Caruso potentially being able to take serious time out of him in the TT- it all really did feel up in the air for a moment there. If it ended mostly status quo, that's just cycling - and Caruso got the crowning moment of his career out of it. A perfect final road stage.
1. Tour de France - 8. Oyonnax - Le Grand-Bornand
Cycling chaos at its purest. UAE, the leaders in waiting, make seemingly every tactical mistake imaginable, fail to control the race, threaten to leave their GC leader Pogacar isolated for no good reason - and then it doesn't matter one bit because Pogacar does what everyone wishes every dominant rider in living memory like Froome, Armstrong or Indurain would have done: decide that enough was enough and go on the warpath at about 30k out and crush every single rival by minutes. Sure, the GC race was over after that, but would you really rather have seen a bunch of controlled MTFs with everyone coming in within 45 seconds after the last KM of attacks?
5. Vuelta a Espana - 20. Sanxenxo - Mos
Just classic "what the hell is going on" Vuelta action in a Vuelta which was a bit weak and formless overall. Docked points for Lopez illegally quitting despite full well knowing that the Movistar Netflix show had not been renewed, thus robbing us of the greatest cycling film ever made. Big points for Champoussin winning in the most French manner possible.
4. Tour de France - 7. Vierzon - Le Creusot
This is why you broadcast the whole stage. A long day promised a slow burning, highly tactical showdown in the last climbs. Instead, we got the Break of the Year causing a mad dash across the middle of France right when the race needed to shake up. It didn't shake up as much as it felt like it might have at the time, but outside of the one day races, this was about the best seven hours of viewing you could spend last year.
3. Vuelta a Espana - 17. Unquera - Lagos de Covadonga
After 16 fairly tedious stages, the Vuelta suddenly resolves the exact way people want every Grand Tour to resolve - two strong riders go on the attack and fight it out man against man. If it was more of a fight, it'd be a classic - Bernal simply didn't have it, but thank him for trying so hard that day.
2. Giro d'Italia - 20. Verbania - Valle Spluga
2021 was weak on last week GC drama but this was as close as it came to delivering. The results sheet will show this didn't change too much - what it won't show is that with Bernal showing weakness a few days ago at Sega di Ala, and his best mountain domestique nearly getting unhitched on descents, and with Caruso potentially being able to take serious time out of him in the TT- it all really did feel up in the air for a moment there. If it ended mostly status quo, that's just cycling - and Caruso got the crowning moment of his career out of it. A perfect final road stage.
1. Tour de France - 8. Oyonnax - Le Grand-Bornand
Cycling chaos at its purest. UAE, the leaders in waiting, make seemingly every tactical mistake imaginable, fail to control the race, threaten to leave their GC leader Pogacar isolated for no good reason - and then it doesn't matter one bit because Pogacar does what everyone wishes every dominant rider in living memory like Froome, Armstrong or Indurain would have done: decide that enough was enough and go on the warpath at about 30k out and crush every single rival by minutes. Sure, the GC race was over after that, but would you really rather have seen a bunch of controlled MTFs with everyone coming in within 45 seconds after the last KM of attacks?