Biggest stage race outside of the Grand Tours.

[Michielveedeebee]

Most exciting one is TA imo, hilly parcours really favors attacks- late or early in the race

but biggest imo is Dauphine Libere

 

[El Pistolero]

Dauphiné in terms of parcours, but it's become a warmup race.
Right now Basque is perhaps the best because of parcours and quality of field.
P-N is nice, but if Tony Martin was the winner this year, which means it wasn't tough enough.

You seriously going to base a race on one year alone?

2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 were all pretty great. This year's route sucked, but you can find an edition that sucked in every great race.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

You seriously going to base a race on one year alone?

2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 were all pretty great. This year's route sucked, but you can find an edition that sucked in every great race.

indeed.

PN for the most part is a very good race with some stage races peaking.

This year was a terrible route, but I hope for redemption next year

 

[Simply The Best]

For me T-A is the best in terms of excitement and anticipation because it has alot of punchy climbs which IMO are the best. But of we are talking biggest stage race it would have to be P-N, but T-A it deffinately the best stage race imo because of the excitement of the racing

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

most dissapointing race is eneco.
It isn't bad,but it could be so much better.

 

[blaxland]

I choose the other option cause clearly the Tour Down Under should be on top of that list....

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

What, no Amgen ToC
PN, Dauphine

 

[Midnightfright]

I had to vote dauphine, it has become a bit of a warm up and is a taster for the tour which is Ofcourse exciting.

most dissapointing race is eneco.
It isn't bad,but it could be so much better.

Completely agree with this, has the potential to be a lot more.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Very little difference in stature between 5 of those races.
Currently, P-N may have a slight edge.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Tirreno-Adriatico for me, followed by Paris-Nice and Pais Vasco.

 

[buster1]

If we are just talking about this year clearly it was the tirreno-adriatico.

But for year in year out good quality racing and it being the major lead in event to TDF would have to be Dauphine, however would usually have been a flip of coin with Paris Nice but this years yawn fest sways it towards Dauphine.

 

[Jan the Man]

Tour de Suisse is the 4th biggest for me.

Followed by-

Paris-Nice
Volta Pais Vasco
Criterium du Dauphine
Tirreno-Adriatico
Tour de Romandie

 

[slartiblartfast]

Paris Nice in terms of race significance and quality of the field, although TOC probably gets more commercial/media exposure.

 

[just some guy]

Criterium du Dauphine Just like it always have, probably not the Biggest but I like the weekish of the Dauphine

 

[ultimobici]

I find it hard to choose between three. P-N, T-A & the Dauphine. All are important races, all are raced to win rather than being reduced to mere training events.

If push came to shove I'd have to choose the Dauphine as it is once the season is in full cry and generally the result is less influenced by appalling weather as has happened at P-N.

 

[Hammerhed]

I voted for the Dauphine, but I agree that Paris-Nice is the better race: The entrants want to win the darn thing and aren't there for the "training"! I remember when Contador first won the race: What a fantastic race that was. I have the images burned into my brain. I also remember last year when the teams isolated him and worked him over...truly great stuff.

 

[greenedge]

I'm surprised that ToC has so little. Dauphine for me, P-N had Martin win it this yr.

 

[Swabian Lass]

I voted Tirreno Adriatico, but it's a close call with Paris Nice. Parcours in the Dauphine is great, but it's turned into a training ride for the TdF as has Suisse.

Vuelta a Columbia sounds great, but it's impossible to get coverage, so I'm not that familiar with it. Would love to get to Columbia sometime (dream on).

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

in terms of hardest to win then colombia. it comes right after the grand tours, it's 16 days and the hardest course you will wind with very high level of competition.

 

[TeoSheva]

in terms of hardest to win then colombia. it comes right after the grand tours, it's 16 days and the hardest course you will wind with very high level of competition.

You mean that

1. RODAS RAMIREZ Julian Andres 08:07:46
2. SEVILLA RIBERA Oscar 00:00:02
3. GUTIERREZ CATALUNA José Enrique 00:00:11
4. ALVAREZ Oscar 00:00:18
5. HENAO MONTOYA Sergio 00:00:26
6. RAMIREZ CALDERON Alejandro 00:00:27
7. CARDENAS RAVALO Félix Rafael 00:01:10
8. PEREZ ARANGO Marlon Alirio 00:01:13
9. PARRA BUSTAMENTE Edwin Arnulfo 00:01:14
10. OBANDO BRENES Gregory

is better than

1. EVANS Cadel BMC 27:37:37
2. GESINK Robert RAB 00:00:11
3. SCARPONI Michele LAM 00:00:15
4. BASSO Ivan LIQ 00:00:24
5. NIBALI Vincenzo LIQ 00:00:30
6. PINOTTI Marco THR 00:00:39
7. MACHADO Tiago RSH 00:00:42
8. CUNEGO Damiano LAM 00:00:50
9. GILBERT Philippe OLO 00:00:57
10. LÖVKVIST Thomas SKY 00:00:58

??

 

[TeoSheva]

I voted Tirreno Adriatico, but it's a close call with Paris Nice. Parcours in the Dauphine is great, but it's turned into a training ride for the TdF as has Suisse.

Vuelta a Columbia sounds great, but it's impossible to get coverage, so I'm not that familiar with it. Would love to get to Columbia sometime (dream on).

I agree...

T-A and P-N are raced to be win and not for training (except that for the sprinters that prepare Milano-Sanremo)

 

[Kwibus]

Since this is my first season of being a true cycling addict it was an hard vote to make. I could only base my vote on this year and the last 6 months of previous year.

So I decided to vote for the Tour de l'Avenir which obviously isn't the biggest stage race behind the 3 GT's. I love it though as I like to keep an eye on the new big talents and winning the Tour de l'Avenir is a real big thing for the U23.

If I would've voted seriously I'd probably voted for T-A, but that was only based on the high amount of entertainment this years T-A gave us.

TdS and Dauphine are great stage races, but indeed too much riders using it as a preparation for the TdF.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

You mean that

1. RODAS RAMIREZ Julian Andres 08:07:46
2. SEVILLA RIBERA Oscar 00:00:02
3. GUTIERREZ CATALUNA José Enrique 00:00:11
4. ALVAREZ Oscar 00:00:18
5. HENAO MONTOYA Sergio 00:00:26
6. RAMIREZ CALDERON Alejandro 00:00:27
7. CARDENAS RAVALO Félix Rafael 00:01:10
8. PEREZ ARANGO Marlon Alirio 00:01:13
9. PARRA BUSTAMENTE Edwin Arnulfo 00:01:14
10. OBANDO BRENES Gregory

is better than

1. EVANS Cadel BMC 27:37:37
2. GESINK Robert RAB 00:00:11
3. SCARPONI Michele LAM 00:00:15
4. BASSO Ivan LIQ 00:00:24
5. NIBALI Vincenzo LIQ 00:00:30
6. PINOTTI Marco THR 00:00:39
7. MACHADO Tiago RSH 00:00:42
8. CUNEGO Damiano LAM 00:00:50
9. GILBERT Philippe OLO 00:00:57
10. LÖVKVIST Thomas SKY 00:00:58

??

you can't read?? I'm not saying it's better

 

[TeoSheva]

you can't read?? I'm not saying it's better

not really, but if we are discussing on the "biggest" race outside the GC, and you talk about Tour of Colombia underlining the high level of competitions...than T-A (and most of the others) comes before.

 

[boomcie]

you can't read?? I'm not saying it's better

Newsflash: Ryo is not saying the Vuelta a Colombia is better than a European stage race.