Best GT of the year (2014).

[Ferminal]

Giro I think even though the lol first two weeks?

Obviously Tour would have been best if it wasn't ruined

 

[The GCW]

Veulta

GT as a whole, the Vuelta.

 

[trevim]

Giro was pretty good with Quintana starting on the back foot. After Val Martello yeah it was basically a procession without anyone trying a long attack. Zoncolan was a f**** disgrace, even that one was a sprint, no wonder every hilly classic has been so bad.
The Tour was set to be the best one with the cobbled stage and everything but with Froome and Contador crashing out, it was just a matter of Nibali trying to prove he would the best anyway by taking stages like he would take candies from kids; it was like beating death people in every MTF.
As for the Vuelta, my opinion is probably too biased because I am a Contador fanboy but I'll try. The positive was having two big mountain stages in Somiedo and Ancares that is a keeper in terms of new MTF's showing up. Then I think there were just to many stupid wall finishes that coupled with bonus seconds just encourage negative racing. It had amazing scenery though which is not too common in the Vuelta. The race was close enough to be thrilling until the 20th stage so that's good.

1. Giro
2. Vuelta
3. Tour

 

[veji11]

Too early for such a poll, as usual, because the last race always gets overrepresented. But anyway. To me the tour wins because it had a good balance with some more memorable stages (The sheffield stage won by Nibali with some crazy public, the cobbles stage of course), MTFs but also spectacular downhill finishes (Oyonnax, Bagnères de Luchon), the best sprinters on show. Of course Contador and Froome's exit are a shame, but still a very good vintage.

Giro comes second for 2 reasons : 1/ is the Val Martello stage. A real game changer. GTs should have big game changers like this, a stage that breaks the dynamic, changes everything. 2/ Rolland/Hesjedal/Aru/Pozzo making it a race for that 3rd place finish, with attacks, movement from afar (mainly from Rolland and Hesjedal), etc. if even if we had lots of MTFs, they had real variety in how they were ridden.

Vuelta comes last because we always had sort of the same finish, 2012 style with the same 4 guys and slightly modified roles. Sure Aru won 2 stages, but it came from the 4 guys just watching each other. Contador was the strongest, well done, but it was a GT without big dramatic showdown, without that epic moment when you can see the riders's face crushed with fatigue, when survival was the order of the day. The tour had that with the Cobbles stage (just look at Nibali's and Contador's face !) and the Giro too with Val Martello. The Vuelta didn't. It was entertaining in its way, but this does not a great GT make.

Give it 2 years. Who will remember a single stage from this Vuelta ? While Val Martello and Arenberg will be remembered for a good while AND the end winners of the GT were the ones who toppled the table and won big on that day. On Arenberg Nibali put Contador 2mins30 behind him and effectively won the tour (I am one of those who believe Contador was never going to be able to take all this time back). At Val Martello Quintana broke Uran and won his Giro.

These are stuff of lore, stages that stay in the memories, with their part of debate/passion/trickery. Nothing of the sort on this Vuelta.

 

[veji11]

This is the crux of it IMO. The TDF had fantastic parcours and gave us some very good racing as a result even with the other GC contenders crashing out. The Vuelta has been the opposite, it has the GC contenders but with terrible parcours. And it's shown.

yep. You nailed it. The tour gave us a glimpse this year of what a balanced GT route can be.

 

[kingjr]

So, basically you are saying that, at best, the finest Grand Tour of the past ten years was mediocre?

You mean the TdF 2010?

 

[Mellow Velo]

You mean the TdF 2010?

Errr, no.
The race you like less than the other two.
The 2010 Giro was universally acclaimed as the outstanding GT of this millennium.

Of course, if you didn't see it, or follow it, you will have no idea why it rates so highly.

 

[FignonLeGrand]

The 2010 Giro was universally acclaimed as the outstanding GT of this millennium.

Universally? Who by? It was a load of has beens and druggies, cant remember it being that good.

All 3 this year had excitement created by crashes, weather and drop outs, however from a racing perspective poor year.

Poor year overall classics were not classic, tours were all a bit hit and miss. Single best day Nibs on the cobbles by far.

 

[Asturiano]

Respectfully sir, not sure what you mean.

There was no stage in the Vuelta this year that even remotely resembled the rainy cobbled stage of TdF 2014.

Some stages at the beginning with very steep climbs.

 

[kingjr]

Errr, no.
The race you like less than the other two.
The 2010 Giro was universally acclaimed as the outstanding GT of this millennium.

Of course, if you didn't see it, or follow it, you will have no idea why it rates so highly.

I saw every stage of it. I just didn't care about who wins (as long as it's not Vino ofc). That's probably why it didn't come to mind.

 

[Jspear]

Vuelta comes last because we always had sort of the same finish, 2012 style with the same 4 guys and slightly modified roles. Sure Aru won 2 stages, but it came from the 4 guys just watching each other. Contador was the strongest, well done, but it was a GT without big dramatic showdown,

I think "the same 4 guys" dishing things out in the Vuelta is better than that 1 guy in the Tour dishing things out.

What is your definition of a dramatic showdown?? The GC battle at the Vuelta was WAY more dramatic than the Tour (just look at the time splits...you really didn't know who was going to win until stage 20.) At the Tour, once AC and CF crashed out, it became the most anticlimactic drama-free gt of this year. You are correct stage 5 of the Tour was epic and will be remembered. But, more than anything people will remember the Tour as the race were CF and AC (the 2 biggest fav's) crashed out. They will remember it as a race where the leader was never challenged....that's not very dramatic.

Of course you can vote that the Tour was better than the Vuelta, but I don't think drama can be given as one of the reasons. The Tour was lacking greatly in the area of drama.

without that epic moment when you can see the riders's face crushed with fatigue, when survival was the order of the day. The tour had that with the Cobbles stage (just look at Nibali's and Contador's face !) and the Giro too with Val Martello. The Vuelta didn't. It was entertaining in its way, but this does not a great GT make.

Wow wait a minute. Did you watch any of the Vuelta...did you see the pain in the face's of the riders (especially CF and AC on stage 20) ? Did you see the interview that GCN did with some of the riders from the Tour? They were asking, "what are the harshest conditions you have ever ridden in?" Some riders said the Giro 13, others said Stelvio of this year, others said stage 5 of this Tour, and others said THIS Vuelta with the insane heat. There was PLENTY of fatigue, not only because of the heat, but because there was a harder GC battle going on.

Give it 2 years. Who will remember a single stage from this Vuelta ? While Val Martello and Arenberg will be remembered for a good while AND the end winners of the GT were the ones who toppled the table and won big on that day. On Arenberg Nibali put Contador 2mins30 behind him and effectively won the tour (I am one of those who believe Contador was never going to be able to take all this time back). At Val Martello Quintana broke Uran and won his Giro.

Plenty of people. AC is the greatest rider of his generation. People will remember that he was having one of the best seasons ever, that he crashed out of the Tour and fractured his tibia, and that he came back and won the Vuelta.

These are stuff of lore, stages that stay in the memories, with their part of debate/passion/trickery. Nothing of the sort on this Vuelta.

Plenty of debate/passion/trickery in the Vuelta. You just have to watch it.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Universally? Who by? It was a load of has beens and druggies, cant remember it being that good.

All 3 this year had excitement created by crashes, weather and drop outs, however from a racing perspective poor year.

Poor year overall classics were not classic, tours were all a bit hit and miss. Single best day Nibs on the cobbles by far.

Without wish to sound pedantic or delve into Clinic issues, isn't that a bit rich, given yesterday's podium?

OK, so the Dutch echelons, the two great early breakaway stages, wet strade bianche, the huge breakaway, the Cadel chase and aggro stage, the Zoncolan and Motorolo-Aprica stages clearly didn't strike a chord with you.

Oky doky.

 

[Carols]

OK, so the Dutch echelons, the two great early breakaway stages, wet strade bianche, the huge breakaway, the Cadel chase and aggro stage, the Zoncolan and Motorolo-Aprica stages clearly didn't strike a chord with you.

I remember it mostly for the emergence of Nibali at the top level. Working his **** off for RoboBasso and still making the podium. That is when I knew he was going to be a Star .

Strade bianche stage was totally awesome, like cobbles in this years Tour .

 

[Afrank]

I remember it mostly for the emergence of Nibali at the top level. Working his **** off for RoboBasso and still making the podium. That is when I knew he was going to be a Star .

Strade bianche stage was totally awesome, like cobbles in this years Tour .

Just goes to show, if you want to add some real excitement to a GT, put in some rough terrain. I hope the GT route designers have taken note, even more so after stage 5 gave us some of the best racing of the year.

 

[cineteq]

Just goes to show, if you want to add some real excitement to a GT, put in some rough terrain. I hope the GT route designers have taken note, even more so after stage 5 gave us some of the best racing of the year.

Route design will work best => remove controlling elements: team radios, power metters, big teams. Add earlier time bonuses. There are many ways to make the race more unpredictable and competitive.

 

[Afrank]

Route design will work best => remove controlling elements: team radios, power metters, big teams. Add earlier time bonuses. There are many ways to make the race more unpredictable and competitive.

I agree, the current atmosphere of pro cycling is one where the racing can be controlled by one or multiple teams far too easily. The more that can be done to remove that element of control from a race the better.