Freire: tour is the most boring race of the year

[Nastyy]

There are plenty of races which no one uses for training. Who uses LBL, Giro, Worlds, GDL for training?

I remember certain Jan Ullrich using Giro as training for the Tour and still destroying everyone in the TT. Also Wiggins rode the Giro last year as training. Sure there are plenty of others, those just pop to mind.

And I bet Freire wasn't calling the Tour boring when he was still good enough to actually win stages.

 

[Astana1]

Armstrong used the Giro for training and appearance money.

 

[aahmadhu]

a certain roche used tdf to do well in vuelta. or so i was understood.

 

[Mambo95]

true indeed. it's just that in these classics men's view, the stages in the tour are not selective enough for them. cancellara can always get the win in TT, but in open road stages? certainly hard even for him, let alone the guys of boonen, freire and hushovd, who couldn't compete in the modern sprinting environment of the HTC freight train. and also look at the guys of kolobnev, cunego, gilbert, ballan or breschel, for them the tour's ascents are either too easy or too hard for them.

i'm just saying that the classics men have nothing to go for in the tour.

But why the obsession with the classics riders in the Tour. What do you want? 21 stages of cobbles?

The Tour offers a little something for everyone, they just have to be willing to take their opportunity. If Chavanel can win two stages and wear yellow, then others like him can too.

By contrast who many of the entire startlists for RVV and PR have come in the top ten on GC at the Tour. One? I can't think of a second.

 

[Angliru]

What a bitter old man ...

The Tour is as boring/exciting as you make it, and the only noteworthy thing Freire did last year was to put red and yellow tape on his handlebars ...

....since you didn't specify "the only noteworthy thing Freire did at the Tour", let's not forget that he did win 2 classics last year.

Oddly you certainly rise to the defense of Cancellara when he minimizes the win of Nuyens and whines about his competitors negative racing and yet a rider gives his opinion of the Tour and he's suddenly a "bitter old man" who contributed nothing to his team in last years team other than the color of the tape on his handlebars.

 

[roundabout]

A sprinter complaining that flat stages end in a sprint? Really?

Or since he lacks the outiright speed he wants them to be more selective?

 

[sublimit]

Freire should count himself lucky he doesn't watch the race.

All i can remember from last year were the annoying Shack tactics and dull face-offs between Andy and Alberto Contador.

 

[movingtarget]

Freire is near the end of his career and I don't think the Tour means much to him now. I'm sure he would prefer another World Title or classic win over a Tour stage. After watching the last two TDF's, I think he has a point. Sometimes it's hard to stay awake. Still, I could do without another Chaingate or neutralised stage. That was really boring...........

 

[Roland Rat]

"Formulaic" describes it best.

Can I use this moment to again state my support for reducing squad sizes please.

 

[aahmadhu]

But why the obsession with the classics riders in the Tour. What do you want? 21 stages of cobbles?

The Tour offers a little something for everyone, they just have to be willing to take their opportunity. If Chavanel can win two stages and wear yellow, then others like him can too.

By contrast who many of the entire startlists for RVV and PR have come in the top ten on GC at the Tour. One? I can't think of a second.

it's not obsesion nor down-grading the tour. it's more of a supporting argument of freire's standpoint. he said that because he sees little chance for him, to achieve something in the tour. and i believe he speaks for all the classics men in the peloton, in his own way. i don't totally agree with him regarding the tour is boring, but i agree with his hidden point that there is nothing for him or the other classics specialists to achieve in the tour. plus, for him especially, this is not the age of zabel/mcewen/boonen/hushovd rivalries is it? this is the age of super lead-out trains

 

[El Pistolero]

Yes, and Milan-San Remo is the most boring classic out there.

Point being?

 

[Escarabajo]

probably a little annoyed that he isn't gonna be in the sqaud, but he is totally right. Go friere :d

+1. Lol

................

 

[Nastyy]

it's not obsesion nor down-grading the tour. it's more of a supporting argument of freire's standpoint. he said that because he sees little chance for him, to achieve something in the tour. and i believe he speaks for all the classics men in the peloton, in his own way. i don't totally agree with him regarding the tour is boring, but i agree with his hidden point that there is nothing for him or the other classics specialists to achieve in the tour. plus, for him especially, this is not the age of zabel/mcewen/boonen/hushovd rivalries is it? this is the age of super lead-out trains

Freire is a sprinter who's slow nowadays and can't beat the best sprinters. But really the fact that there's nothing to win for Freire in the Tour has nothing to do with this. He said that Ronde is a "real race" and he has even less to win there. And classic specialists will win stages if they're good enough to win, if not then they don't deserve any. Like Mambo pointed out, Chavanel is a classics man and he has 3 Tour stages under his belt, Flecha is a classics man yet his biggest win is a Tour stage.

a certain roche used tdf to do well in vuelta. or so i was understood.

I suppose your talking 'bout Nicolas Roche. When did he use the Tour as a prep for Vuelta? Last year certainly not.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Freire has no point in going to the Tour because:

a) He is too slow nowadays to win mass sprints
b) He has already won stages and the Green jersey in the Tour, thus has already achieved the maximum he can there
c) The team is built around Gesink

So yeah. I do understand his opinion though. The Tour is most of the time the dullest of the stage-races. But last year was pretty exciting in the mountains. Even if it were 'the same guys'.

Not even close compared to the Giro though

 

[Ryaguas]

Oh, another "True cycling fans hate the tour" thread...

IMO, the difference between the tour and (almost) any other race is, that no matter how it unfolds it is exciting to see how, simply because it's the tour. And the fact that every one is there for the race and not as training. It's the true showdown of the season.

@ rhetorical wiz's: I know I'm basically using a circular argument saying the tour is the best because it's the best (but it's true).

Fail post... try again...

let alone the guys of boonen, freire and hushovd, who couldn't compete in the modern sprinting environment of the HTC freight train. and also look at the guys of kolobnev, cunego, gilbert, ballan or breschel, for them the tour's ascents are either too easy or too hard for them.

LOL? Maybe a guy called Alejet sounds to you??? He won la maillot vert last year you know? He was 36yo last year


What was exciting from last year's TDF? besides:
1. Vino hammering 1min against the c0cky c0ck going at 100%
2. Mende
3. Vino winning in Revel...
4. See HWHHWJHKG failing again and again...
5. Alejet sprinting style and winning
6. Samu hammering 40secs in a descent
7. Dani Navarro pwning the peloton when He was on the front...
8. The last ITT
What else?

That in 21 stages of the most prestigious cycling race in the world? that sounds like a big fail to me...

 

[Mambo95]

Yes, and Milan-San Remo is the most boring classic out there.

No, Paris-Tours is more boring. I'm struggling to remember who won that last year....

 

[El Pistolero]

No, Paris-Tours is more boring. I'm struggling to remember who won that last year....

Oscar Freire.

Paris-Tours can be more exciting sometimes, but probably not this year.

 

[Mambo95]

Oscar Freire.

I did really know.

 

[El Pistolero]

This Tour will be pretty exciting in the action going on behind the GC.

Boonen has said he'll hunt for Tour stages and he won't do it in bunch sprints, but will attac attack and attack.

And Gilbert will also attack attack attack. Vino, once he realized he can't win the Tour, will also attack attack and attack.

 

[Ryaguas]

No, Paris-Tours is more boring. I'm struggling to remember who won that last year....

mmmm Freire took it last year, Didn't he?

ye... after checking was he

 

[Angliru]

Freire has no point in going to the Tour because:

a) He is too slow nowadays to win mass sprints
b) He has already won stages and the Green jersey in the Tour, thus has already achieved the maximum he can there
c) The team is built around Gesink

So yeah. I do understand his opinion though. The Tour is most of the time the dullest of the stage-races. But last year was pretty exciting in the mountains. Even if it were 'the same guys'.

Not even close compared to the Giro though

Didn't he win MSR out of a mass sprint??????

 

[Ryaguas]

Didn't he win MSR out of a mass sprint??????

Yeah but for DT that doesnt count... over 220km everybody is running to survive

 

[aahmadhu]

This Tour will be pretty exciting in the action going on behind the GC.

Boonen has said he'll hunt for Tour stages and he won't do it in bunch sprints, but will attac attack and attack.

And Gilbert will also attack attack attack. Vino, once he realized he can't win the Tour, will also attack attack and attack.

that should be an interesting sight. really love to see riders put everything in attacks even when the odds are stacked against them.

 

[hrotha]

I don't really buy the "we're focusing on Gesink" = "no sprinters!" excuse. It's only one spot for one guy who can save your Tour single-handedly if anything goes wrong with your leader, especially considering Freire is not the kind who needs dedicated helpers. But it's true Freire and Bos are unlikely to get good results in mass sprints at the Tour.

 

[Parrulo]

Didn't he win MSR out of a mass sprint??????

it was group of 25 iirc with no trains.

freire was in third postion behind a liquigas that launched bennati who failed and got passed by freire and boonen who looked a bit stronger but was in freire's wheel when he should be in bennati's wheel