Final 2012 Route Showdown! Which is the best GT route?

[Eshnar]

As the title says...
Now that we can compare all the routes together, which is the best?

 

[auscyclefan94]

I hope a poll is coming. Anyway, the Tour's route is the best.

 

[Eshnar]

I hope a poll is coming. Anyway, the Tour's route is the best.

Just a few seconds to make the poll, plz

 

[Ferminal]

I can't really decide, the Giro looks better to me now than it did in October, the Tour I change my mind about each time I look at it, and the Vuelta is too fresh, although it will probably improve with time. Giro > Tour > Vuelta, with not a great deal of confidence.

 

[User Guide]

Tour, although am biased as its best route for british podium hopes

 

[Eshnar]

Tour, although am biased as its best route for british podium hopes

Everyone is biased after all. It's impossible to be completely objective.

 

[Kvinto]

I have my hopes on the Tour route, as the one that will either be a huge fail or break stereotypes. Of course the annoyance of a tt on penultimate stage is still there, but i hope that climbers being 'backed to the wall' will take their chances.

 

[AussieGoddess]

Giro.

The Tour route would be better if they had one more MTF ... but with the lack of serious mountains I think the Giro is better.

 

[will10]

Giro route for me. Tour is very close to being a good route, but they wasted too many good climbs on nothing stages.

 

[Zoncolan]

Giro by a country mile.
I'll be there for the Stelvio stage

 

[craig1985]

Giro but because I've seen all the profiles whereas ASO is too lazy to bother posting all the stage profiles so that way I can fully digest each stage and have a proper opinion about it.

 

[Kvinto]

Giro but because I've seen all the profiles whereas ASO is too lazy to bother posting all the stage profiles so that way I can fully digest each stage and have a proper opinion about it.

there is a video preview, that TSF posted before:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBZwt7G0jBI

 

[Kvinto]

of course i like the Giro's route too but i'd prefer that super-awesome stage to Stelvio in the middle of the race, not on its very end...

 

[luckyboy]

Giro > Vuelta > Tour for me.


Pity we don't get to see all of the Tour stage profiles yet, but here are the whole profiles for Giro + Vuelta that I made this morning because I was going to do this thread (click for bigger pictures)






And some basic stage descriptions to compare..

 

[Eshnar]

Giro > Vuelta > Tour for me.


Pity we don't get to see all of the Tour stage profiles yet, but here are the whole profiles for Giro + Vuelta that I made this morning because I was going to do this thread

Anyway excellent work!

 

[guncha]

Giro has almost perfect route. They could only have a longer ITT and it should have been put in the middle of the race. It makes no sense to have only ITT on final day. Mountain stages and their sequence are perfect.

The route of the Tour looks like anomaly - too less stages for GC in high mountains. They should have made finish at Grand Colombier or Peregue but they decided to collect money from villages in valley and to drop s*** into the faces of cycling fans.

Vuelta looks like anomaly as well. Too many MTFs doesn't guarantee exciting racing as some of them will be wheel-sucked. I don't understand the necessity to have MTFs so early. 4 or 5 MTFs and 1 or 2 GC stages with decent is enough for GT. The only good thing about Vuelta's route is that they have more multiple climb GC stages.

It is not an easy task to figure which is the worst GT route in 2012. However, Vuelta 2007 is still the worst of the worst.

 

[taiwan]

here are the whole profiles for Giro + Vuelta that I made this morning because I was going to do this thread

AWESOME.

etc.

 

[the asian]

Definitely the Giro.

 

[Ferminal]

Giro > Vuelta > Tour for me.


Pity we don't get to see all of the Tour stage profiles yet, but here are the whole profiles for Giro + Vuelta that I made this morning because I was going to do this thread (click for bigger pictures)

Nice, love all the profiles in one image, luckily someone isn't as lazy as me!

Tour Stage 1 is hilltop, as is Stage 3 I think (or perhaps just an uphill sprint), the medium mountains label they gave it is misleading when I'm not sure there are any roads in the area above 200m. They could use a few small hills though.

 

[the asian]

Giro > Vuelta > Tour for me.


Pity we don't get to see all of the Tour stage profiles yet, but here are the whole profiles for Giro + Vuelta that I made this morning because I was going to do this thread (click for bigger pictures)

Great Work !

 

[theyoungest]

Giro. Close one with the Tour, which could provide more interesting race dynamics.

The Vuelta is getting formulaic and boring. If the ASO are trying to keep it the Tour's little brother, they're doing a pretty good job at it.

 

[luckyboy]

The Tour and the Giro both have mostly flat and boring-looking first weeks. The Vuelta have tried to go in the other direction with the Arrate and Jaca, which are good, but that stage to Valdezcarray is going to be a useless one. The Giro could've done with a hilly stage as soon as they get to Italy. Also, the TTT would've been better as an ITT looking at the rest of the route.

The Vuelta has an interesting looking second week too, with a MTF at each end, an ITT in the middle, and a few uphill sprints in Barcelona and Dumbria. Giro looks alright too with hilly stages and then the Cervinia stage which looks quite a tough finish. Stage 7 and 8 of the Tour look interesting, but not GC-wise, and aside from La Toussire, the Alps don't look great.

With the Vuelta and Giro both heavily backloaded, the final week is obviously what we'll be looking forward to. The Vuelta could really do without that stage to Fuente De, and it would've been better to have a transition day between Covadonga and Cuitu Negru. An 30km ITT instead of either stage 18 or 19 would've been an improvement too. Last two stages, no complaints. Bola Del Mundo should be great.
No real complaints about the Giro's final week, apart from maybe the final three days look too draining without a sprint stage between Stelvio and the ITT. Before that, the mountains are broken up pretty well with some flatter days inbetween.
Again with the Tour, you can't help but feel the mountains are disappointing. The 'queen' stage with the descent off the Peyresourde should be exciting, and somebody will have to attack on the Peyregaudes stage, but the mountains really do look anaemic this year. The route will be a failure if someone has more or less won before the TT anyway.

Giro - 8.5/10
Tour - 4/10
Vuelta - 7/10

 

[The Hitch]

I think Giro because there are 3 great stages though obviously it lacks in tt and has too many flat stages.

I dont find neither the Tour nor Vuelta that bad and welcome attempts at trying different things.

Everyone is biased after all. It's impossible to be completely objective.

No I definately do not agree with it. Not everyone is biased.

Why would being objective be impossible?

 

[Eshnar]

I think Giro because there are 3 great stages though obviously it lacks in tt and has too many flat stages.

I dont find neither the Tour nor Vuelta that bad and welcome attempts at trying different things.



No I definately do not agree with it. Not everyone is biased.

Why would being objective be impossible?

It is impossible because the "perfect" route is something that doesn't exist but in our own ideas. The same "Rate the Vuelta" thread shows that fans have deeply different visions.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Tour, easily