Best GT of 2015

[Red Rick]

With only the parade in Madrid to go to finish the last GT of this year, I think we can start discussing the GTs of this year and make up our minds about which was the best and which was the worst.

I have to say I felt obliged to put all the options in the poll, though I really didn't like doing it.

 

[Miburo]

Obviously giro. The first week of the giro stomps both the tour and the vuelta.

Then vuelta, at least it had a GC battle. Tour was boring, if only piti and quintana had balls then it prob would have been the best GT of the year.

 

[jsem94]

G>V>T without a shadow of a doubt. Route wise, it's G>T>V, but the Vuelta produced better racing because of the unpredictability. And Tom D. The Giro was standout though. Nearly everyday produced something, and many people attacking left and right it was fantastic. Contador's Mortirolo ride was a ride of epic proportions.

 

[DNP-Old]

Agree with Giro-Vuelta-Tour. However, all three grand tours were huge disappointments to me.

 

[Miburo]

And the giro had this hilarious moment. Never forget.

 

[Arredondo]

Giro and Vuelta were both really entertaining. Tour was just as boring as 2014 and 2013, ok slightly better.

But overall the GT's were good.

 

[Carols]

Giro>Vuelta>Tour No competition!

 

[Valv.Piti]

Giro obviously. I enjoyed watching Contador going up against the Astanas and Landa developement was great. I didnt like the Sestriere thingy, but overall, super good.

Tour second. I always believed that Quintana could win and he possibly could have if he went early on La Tousuirre which was the only thing that disappointed me with him. Valv had probably never climbed better either consistently, so that was great for me.

Vuelta was weird. The fight for the overall was the best, but some of the stages disappointed hugely, especially (!!) Alba. We had some nice surprised and a lot of young names broke through, but overall despite good stages and unpredictability, it ranks last with me.

 

["Jeff"]

You can say a lot of the dirty era of cycling but I do miss the entertainment of those years. The 80s were just too good to be true.

As example, The Tour of '93 was just horrible back than, because we were spoiled. Looking back at it now, it was still better than most we are seeing today.

Great mountain stages where the peloton was already broken before the final climb. That stage to Isola 2000 and the climb of the Bonette was epic.

 

[Arredondo]

Re:

Giro obviously. I enjoyed watching Contador going up against the Astanas and Landa developement was great. I didnt like the Sestriere thingy, but overall, super good.

Tour second. I always believed that Quintana could win and he possibly could have if he went early on La Tousuirre which was the only thing that disappointed me with him. Valv had probably never climbed better either consistently, so that was great for me.

Vuelta was weird. The fight for the overall was the best, but some of the stages disappointed hugely, especially (!!) Alba. We had some nice surprised and a lot of young names broke through, but overall despite good stages and unpredictability, it ranks last with me.

It's always difficult to rank GT's when you're favorite rider does well. I have that problem with the Tour 2013, which was great for me personal because Purito showed his best level in his career (imo) in the Alps and reaches the podium in the last mountain stage. In my imagination, it was a great spectaculair Tour. But was it really?

Overall, that Tour likely wasn't that great, even boring. The Tour was great for you because Bala finally got that elusive podium spot, and really rode great the entire three weeks. But was it better to watch then this Vuelta?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Giro obviously. I enjoyed watching Contador going up against the Astanas and Landa developement was great. I didnt like the Sestriere thingy, but overall, super good.

Tour second. I always believed that Quintana could win and he possibly could have if he went early on La Tousuirre which was the only thing that disappointed me with him. Valv had probably never climbed better either consistently, so that was great for me.

Vuelta was weird. The fight for the overall was the best, but some of the stages disappointed hugely, especially (!!) Alba. We had some nice surprised and a lot of young names broke through, but overall despite good stages and unpredictability, it ranks last with me.

It's always difficult to rank GT's when you're favorite rider does well. I have that problem with the Tour 2013, which was great for me personal because Purito showed his best level in his career (imo) in the Alps and reaches the podium in the last mountain stage. In my imagination, it was a great spectaculair Tour. But was it really?

Overall, that Tour likely wasn't that great, even boring. The Tour was great for you because Bala finally got that elusive podium spot, and really rode great the entire three weeks. But was it better to watch then this Vuelta?

I get where you are coming from and objectively, it probably wasnt better than the Vuelta (tho I still dont think the Vuelta was a good GT overall apart from the last stage), things such as your favorite rider(s) doing well obviously impacts how you rank a specific GT or how you feel about any other race. If I didnt have a favorite rider and team, I think cycling would become somewhat dull to me since neither the Tour or Vuelta lived up to my expectations racing-wise, but I still had great moments due to my heroes doing well etc.

 

[The Principal Sheep]

Vuelta-Giro-Tour for me only because whilst enjoying the Vuelta and not so the the Tour I sadly missed Giro due to a house move. I also have a soft spot for Vuelta due to usual lack of expectations, the following of a poor tour and being the final of the year, this year it certainly didn't disappoint.

 

[Vesica]

Vuelta > Giro > Tour for me

Vuelta: the most unpredictable, most entertaining GT of 2015 (like almost every year)

Giro: also very nice this year, but slightly less than Vuelta. Mortirolo stage was great (definitely in top 5 of best race days of 2015)

Tour: most known worldwide, but like every year the worst of the 3 GTs..

 

[Andy262]

Didn't see the Giro unfortunately but no doubt that Vuelta > Tour, although oddly the first week of the tour was the best part, before the mountains. The mountain stages in the tour seem a bit formulaic and to me badly need some shake up.

 

[SeriousSam]

The Vuelta had a good battle for GC, the Giro had a meh one and the Tour a poor one, but the importance level of the races mediates the entertainment and tension they can provide, and the Tour is a grand slam compared to the masters 1000 feel of the Vuelta and the Giro.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Giro was the best for me for obvious reasons, but I really enjoyed la Vuelta too. Tour was meh.

 

[arvc40]

Giro best but none if them stood out that much.

 

[arvc40]

Giro best. None of them stood out that much. Not at all keen on GC result in Spain.

 

[Fernandez]

Giro and tour were races which we knew the winner almost in the first week. In vuelta we havent known it until the last stage. Vuelta is an open race, meanwhile giro and tour are very controled races. I think vuelta provides more entertaining than the other two.

 

[Dog]

Hating on the Tour has become a fad, I enjoyed it the most. The Giro had some good stages but the GC fight was a bore.

 

[arvc40]

So, Giro, Tour, Vuelta

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah, the GC fight in the Tour was by far the most entertaining, when you see everyone getting clobbered in on the first MTF and then waiting for that other guy to attack until they're almost in Paris.

 

[May0maniac]

Giro (awesome racing from start to finish) - Vuelta (good first and 3rd week but rather boring 2nd week) - Tour (the first week was good, the rest was bad)

 

[Akuryo]

Like every year, Giro by far the best. Why is the Tour still such a big deal? The Giro has proven itself in recent history to be much more entertaining, harder and just all in all more fun to watch!

 

[lemon cheese cake]

The Giro was the best, then the Vuelta, followed by the Tour.