Best GT of the year (2014).

[Flamin]

Which category do the stages won by Hansen, Anacona, Hesjedal and De Marchi fit into?

It seems a pretty balanced race in terms of stages won by sprinters, breaks and climbers.

The stage Hansen won was maybe the best designed stage for aggressive racing, which speaks volumes about how bad the rest was.

Not sure what the other stages you mention have to do with balance. In every gt there will be breaks who make it regardless the balance of the route.

Yes a bit of pave (Vuelta had echelons), apart from that what more?.

Proper hilly and medium mountain stages, descent finishes. Stages where other aspects of cycling than power output matter.

 

[darwin553]

Definitely the Vuelta - although I didn't care too much for it until the final week.

 

[JRTK73]

So I guess the Vuelta has been the best GT for each of the last 3 years then? Not bad for a poor route and the less GT of the year.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Depending on your perspective, I feel it's either: 1.Vuelta 2.Giro 3.Tour, or from a different perspective it's 1.Tour 2.Giro 3.Vuelta.

I'm going with the second perspective. The Vuelta was super boring this year and I thought the TDF was pretty exciting.

 

[Arredondo]

Depending on your perspective, I feel it's either: 1.Vuelta 2.Giro 3.Tour, or from a different perspective it's 1.Tour 2.Giro 3.Vuelta.

I'm going with the second perspective. The Vuelta was super boring this year and I thought the TDF was pretty exciting.

How could the Tour be way more exciting then the Vuelta?

 

[hrotha]

How could the Tour be way more exciting then the Vuelta?

Easily.

You're welcome.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

How could the Tour be way more exciting then the Vuelta?

The Vuelta featured 1) hardly an exciting battle for the GC after Quintana crashed and Froome sucked in the TT; we all knew Contador was going to win it. 2) hardly any racing except for the final few KM's 3) a horrible parcours.

The TDF featured 1) no battle for the GC after Contador crashed 2) a decent amount of racing 3) a pretty good parcours.

The Vuelta might be a bit better in terms of an exciting battle ftw; but not that much. Contador was always going to win it, before any real mountains ever started, much the same way Nibali was always going to win the TDF before the real mountains even started.

In the cobbled stage alone, the TDF probably had more racing, exciting unexpected results and almost as much mountains as the entire Vuelta put together.

 

[Afrank]

The Vuelta featured 1) hardly an exciting battle for the GC after Quintana crashed and Froome sucked in the TT; we all knew Contador was going to win it. 2) hardly any racing except for the final few KM's 3) a horrible parcours.

The TDF featured 1) no battle for the GC after Contador crashed 2) a decent amount of racing 3) a pretty good parcours.

The Vuelta might be a bit better in terms of an exciting battle ftw; but not that much. Contador was always going to win it, before any real mountains ever started, much the same way Nibali was always going to win the TDF before the real mountains even started.

In the cobbled stage alone, the TDF probably had more racing, exciting unexpected results and almost as much mountains as the entire Vuelta put together.

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.

 

[cineteq]

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.

Le Tour it is.

 

[jaylew]

Vuelta, as usual.

Giro just ahead of the Tour.

 

[kingjr]

Vuelta, as it has been for the past 5 years. TdF 2011 being the only possible challenger.

 

[Futuroscope]

Dauphiné Libéré

 

[SergeDeM]

I enjoyed all three GTs and I felt good about all three winners.

I loved the Colombian 1-2, Uran's newfound TT prowess and Aru's coming of age at the Giro.
Everything Nibali did at the Tour was great. Not just the stage wins and the awesome stage 5 performance but also for figuring out how to stay upright for 20 days It was also great to see some frenchmen at the final podium for a change.
The Vuelta was perfect for TV. Turn it on at 5:15 and you were guaranteed to see all the action that was going to happen. OK, that might not be so great but it had Contador vs Froome an the other two didn't.

I voted Giro but it could've been any of them, there wasn't much to separate them.

Now, I echo the sentiment that the Tour 2015 is going to be one for the ages. It should have all three GT winners from this year at their peak plus a few more contenders. Just thinking about it is insane: Contador, Froome, Nibali, Quintana, Uran, Pinot... I wonder if we'll have the dynamic duo as well (Valverde, Rodriguez). Just throw in a fatty Betancur and we're set.

 

[May0maniac]

Vuelta, as it has been for the past 5 years. TdF 2011 being the only possible challenger.

5 years, wtf? Ok, the Vuelta was the best GT 2013, 2012, maybe even 2011. But lol at the Vuelta being the best GT in 2010...

 

[May0maniac]

I enjoyed all three GTs and I felt good about all three winners.

I loved the Colombian 1-2, Uran's newfound TT prowess and Aru's coming of age at the Giro.
Everything Nibali did at the Tour was great. Not just the stage wins and the awesome stage 5 performance but also for figuring out how to stay upright for 20 days It was also great to see some frenchmen at the final podium for a change.
The Vuelta was perfect for TV. Turn it on at 5:15 and you were guaranteed to see all the action that was going to happen. OK, that might not be so great but it had Contador vs Froome an the other two didn't.

I voted Giro but it could've been any of them, there wasn't much to separate them.

Now, I echo the sentiment that the Tour 2015 is going to be one for the ages. It should have all three GT winners from this year at their peak plus a few more contenders. Just thinking about it is insane: Contador, Froome, Nibali, Quintana, Uran, Pinot... I wonder if we'll have the dynamic duo as well (Valverde, Rodriguez). Just throw in a fatty Betancur and we're set.

For me it was a close call between Tour and Giro. For the 2015 Tour we don't need all those riders. A Giro with Purito, Valverde, Aru, Uran, Majka, Gesink or Kelderman, Pozzovivo and maybe even Betancur in decent shape would be one hell of a Race.

 

[pigoonse]

Le Tour 2014.

Never would have thought I would enjoy the first week of a grand tour so much. The parcours were great, start to finish. Stage 5 was truly epic and more memorable than anything offered in the Giro or Vuelta.

 

[Asturiano]

Le Tour 2014.

Never would have thought I would enjoy the first week of a grand tour so much. The parcours were great, start to finish. Stage 5 was truly epic and more memorable than anything offered in the Giro or Vuelta.

In fact, some of these stages were imitation of Vuelta stages.

 

[SKSemtex]

All the stages when Sagan was loosing as a main favourite to Nibali, Bloom, Trentin, Gallopin, Kristoff, Navardauskas where pretty entertaining.

I am sure I am not alone here for whom they alone were more exciting that the whole Vuelta.

Add Tony Martin, Purito /Majka fight, Pinot/Bardet fight and the winner is clear.

What a pity that at least Contador could not stay till end. This Tour would be just epic.



Edit: And add Cav not crashing in the first stage ......

 

[pigoonse]

In fact, some of these stages were imitation of Vuelta stages.

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.

 

[kingjr]

5 years, wtf? Ok, the Vuelta was the best GT 2013, 2012, maybe even 2011. But lol at the Vuelta being the best GT in 2010...

It was the one I enjoyed the most that year. Mostly of the Bola del Mundo stage. Tour was average, and the Giro being the Giro I almost never like it as much as I do the other two.

 

[zlev11]

yeah, but that particular Giro was literally one of the coolest things to ever happen in the history of Earth

anyway, the Tour was the best simply because the route was awesome. I enjoyed all three, though.

 

[murali]

Since the OP wanted to know which was the best among the lot, i voted for Vuelta.
i ranked Vuelta at 5/10, so you know how i really felt about this year's GTs.

the number of individual performances that really stood apart were very less this year.

I would have loved if the OP had added an option: "this year sucks"

 

[LittleJo]

The Tour for me. Probably because even though the overall was decided fairly early on, there were still so many interesting stages and I found myself getting sucked in to the battle for the podium places. There also seemed to be far more memorable stages (for me anyway) - Jack Bauer losing, Tony Martin winning, Navardauskas winning, the epic stage 5, Sagan's never-ending quest for a stage victory. I just seem to remember a lot more from the Tour than from either the Giro or the Vuelta.

 

[ILovecycling]

yep,this year gt sucked...otoh last year too lol
vuelta 6,giro and tour 5

 

[Mellow Velo]

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.

This, pretty much sums it up.
I can only assume a lot of folks here are more impressed by the results, rather than the racing.
Or else have short memories.

It was the one I enjoyed the most that year. Mostly of the Bola del Mundo stage. Tour was average, and the Giro being the Giro I almost never like it as much as I do the other two.

So, basically you are saying that, at best, the finest Grand Tour of the past ten years was mediocre?
No wonder the Vuelta has come out tops, here.