Favourite 'small' race

[Zama_Olyas]

GP Industria and Artigianato

 

[Irondan]

Tour of California.

I know it's a World Tour race now but it's still small when compared to the European races in general. TOC is the best race NA has to offer.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

So apart from Grand Tours, Monuments and the other big classics, every other WT race is small? My favourites are clearly Giro del Trentino and all one day races before Il Lombardia (Tre Valli Varesine, Giro dell'Emilia, Milano Torino).

I also like the one day races before Lombardia.

Add the Route du Sud.

 

[tobydawq]

RHD mode on: Aren't almost all one-day races before Lombardia?

 

[rghysens]

Re:

Paris-Camembert

You like your weight in cheese?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

RHD mode on: Aren't almost all one-day races before Lombardia?

Thats actually some great imitation skills there, our Danish friend must be proud.

 

[Zama_Olyas]

Re:

Tour of California.

I know it's a World Tour race now but it's still small when compared to the European races in general. TOC is the best race NA has to offer.

And the tarmac is wonderful as bavarian used to tell us every other minutes

 

[Carols]

Re: Re:

Paris-Camembert

You like your weight in cheese?

It's a grand little race and yes I love cheese

 

[staubsauger]

Certainly 3 days of De Panne until this year!

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Tour de l'Avenir
Ronde de l'Isard

 

[El Pistolero]

From small stage races I like former Eneco. Such a great concept. Flat stage. Cobbles. Mini Ardennes. ITT. Quite good place in calendar. Unfortunately the stage design is not as good as concept. This could be like stage world championship. Pity that there is no big montain +2000 m around.

I hope one day somebody will prepare one day race where we could have it all.
First part some HC climb, than some echelons part, some cobbles and miniamstel on the end.

That would ruin the race and turn it into another stage race for climbers (of which there are too many already).

One stage in the Ardennes, one cobbled stage, one stage on the hills of the Amstel Gold Race, a short time trial and two flat stages is ideal (preferably one stage in windy areas).

WT stage races for climbers: Tirreno-Adriatico, Paris-Nice, Volta a Catalunya, Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Tour de Romandie, Tour of California (unimportant event), Criterium du Dauphiné and Tour de Suisse.

WT stage races that can be won by non-climbers: Tour Down Under (unimportant event), Tour of Abu Dhabi (unimportant event) Tour de Pologne (unimportant event), Eneco Tour, Tour of Turkey (unimportant event), Tour of Guangxi (unimportant event).

I say toss out all those unimportant events and make some interesting WT stage races that aren't tailor-made for climbers.

 

[Red Rick]

Eneco is mostly a balance between the Ardennes stage and the cobbled hill stage. That's perfectly fine. The terrain is there in the Ardennes to make a stage very suited to climbers, but then the cobbled stage would also need to be much harder

And the Eneco has a spot on the calendar where no GT level climber wants to peak for anyway. Dumoulin is was a very rare exception

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

RHD mode on: Aren't almost all one-day races before Lombardia?

I was totally considering making that joke, but figured it was too silly.
I have trained you well!

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Tro-Bro Léon, a classic with a wonderful parcours:

Eneco and Panne (old format) are very good stage races indeed.

 

[OlavEH]

Good version of Tro Bro Leon yesterday. We need more sterrato races. There are at least 7 one day cobblestone classics of some stature on the race calendar (Omloop, KBK, E3, GW, Dwars, RVV, PR), but only two sterrato races (Strade Bianche, Tro Bro Leon. I definitely believe there should be room on the calendar for at least two more.

 

[tobydawq]

Aren't Dwars door het Hageland and Schaal Sels fitting into this category?

 

[Pantani_lives]

I've heard the Tour de France is good. It's in July.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Tro-Bro Léon, a classic with a wonderful parcours:

Eneco and Panne (old format) are very good stage races indeed.

Can a race won by the #1 cyclist in the world be described as a small race though?

 

[OlavEH]

Re:

Aren't Dwars door het Hageland and Schaal Sels fitting into this category?

I must admit that I hadn't even heard of the Hageland race until you mentioned it. Are any of these races ever televised on Eurosport? If they are on par with Strade Bianche and Tro Bro Leon in terms of entertaining course and racing, they deserve more attention.

 

[RedheadDane]

Let me see if I get this straight.
People want more "gravel races", and - some - people think it might be a good idea with a Danish WT race?
GP Herning? Obviously it would have to gradually graduate through the ranks, can't just take a local organised by the local cycling governing body race and turn it into a WT race, and you'd need to add about 100 K to make it a prober WT one day race.

And then just hope for rain!

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Aren't Dwars door het Hageland and Schaal Sels fitting into this category?

I must admit that I hadn't even heard of the Hageland race until you mentioned it. Are any of these races ever televised on Eurosport? If they are on par with Strade Bianche and Tro Bro Leon in terms of entertaining course and racing, they deserve more attention.

I think they were both televised last year.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Re: Re:

Aren't Dwars door het Hageland and Schaal Sels fitting into this category?

I must admit that I hadn't even heard of the Hageland race until you mentioned it. Are any of these races ever televised on Eurosport? If they are on par with Strade Bianche and Tro Bro Leon in terms of entertaining course and racing, they deserve more attention.

I think they were both televised last year.

The first is part of The napoleon games cycling cup so it was broadcasted by VTM (a commercial player in Belgium) Schaal Sels was also televised but I'm unsure if it was part of the napoleon games cycling cup.

 

[Bardamu]

Re:

Eneco is mostly a balance between the Ardennes stage and the cobbled hill stage. That's perfectly fine. The terrain is there in the Ardennes to make a stage very suited to climbers, but then the cobbled stage would also need to be much harder

And the Eneco has a spot on the calendar where no GT level climber wants to peak for anyway. Dumoulin is was a very rare exception

The race has had interesting and diverse winners the last years: Hagen, Boom, Stybar, Wellens, Terpstra, Dumoulin. Some cobbled riders, an Ardennes specialist and a GT-rider. The parcours doesn't need more Ardennes stages, it just needs to have one of each sort, as Pistolero and many others already stated.

 

[yaco]

Brian Smith during the telecast made a good argument to have a series of seven or eight races for the season - The idea has merit.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Re: Re:

Aren't Dwars door het Hageland and Schaal Sels fitting into this category?

I must admit that I hadn't even heard of the Hageland race until you mentioned it. Are any of these races ever televised on Eurosport? If they are on par with Strade Bianche and Tro Bro Leon in terms of entertaining course and racing, they deserve more attention.

I think they were both televised last year.

Yes, I've watched them.
Terpstra won Hageland in 2016 with Van Aert 2nd, and that was on Eurosport, it was a Friday from memory. Last year, it was on a Saturday and was on Eurosport player, and was won by Van der Poel, with Van Aert 3rd.
I’m not sure about Schaal Sels, though Sporza have covered it, as I’ve watched it on YouTube with their commentary.