Sometimes my brain doesn't work.A pretty grammatically poor fix.
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Sometimes my brain doesn't work.A pretty grammatically poor fix.
The 2019 Tour was similar to the 2014 Tour, where at one point you thought some guys might gonna do it and then it was over in a flash that was very disappointing to many, which then sticks out.Heal 2019 Tour
Hurt 2019 Giro
Really, the fact that last year's Tour has fewer points than last year's Giro is testimony to the hipster "Giro above Tour just because" mentality of this forum. It has very much been the case throughout the last decade but certainly not last year.
I know we disagree often, but absolutely this. 2019's Tour was a lot better than the 2019 Giro and I say that as somebody who likes both Carapaz and Roglič, and who thinks the best rider in the 2019 Tour was Pinot and his abandon really hurt the race.Heal 2019 Tour
Hurt 2019 Giro
Really, the fact that last year's Tour has fewer points than last year's Giro is testimony to the hipster "Giro above Tour just because" mentality of this forum. It has very much been the case throughout the last decade but certainly not last year.
The 2019 Tour was similar to the 2014 Tour, where at one point you thought some guys might gonna do it and then it was over in a flash that was very disappointing to many, which then sticks out.
Yes, but at the same time we've seen stages annulled like in the 2013 Giro, and Nibali's victory was seen as a bit hollow and nothing which was why he went out and did that ride on Tre Cime when already in the maglia rosa to underscore his triumph, whereas we've had a few underwhelming stages to iconic climbs on final mountain stages when the best climber already has the jersey and isn't inclined to put an exclamation point on, such as 2009 Ventoux or 2014 Zoncolan. Again the last impressions biggest impressions issue, because it was the end of the 2019 Tour and it felt like a really good race was petering out, whereas the 2013 Giro (which was a much weaker race overall) had the chance to redeem itself after the annulment of the intended queen stage.Maybe not so much the Pinot thing I think (though devastating for his fans), but the sudden ending of stage 19 (?) when it was shaping up as a possible classic was terribly frustrating and left a number of other "what if's". And wasn't stage 20 then shortened to be just a single mountain stage?
Anyway, for me it felt rather incomplete.
The stage to Tourmalet (much lauded) for example was imo a decent stage, but no better than stage 13 this year, which the forum just seemed to consider okay at best. But there weren't attacks from far out! Well, neither were there on the Tourmalet from memory. But perhaps because a lot of people's favourite rider won (and Thomas was dropped), it was elevated to a higher plateau, whereas stage 13 was just two Slovenians.
Wait.Maybe not so much the Pinot thing I think (though devastating for his fans), but the sudden ending of stage 19 (?) when it was shaping up as a possible classic was terribly frustrating and left a number of other "what if's". And wasn't stage 20 then shortened to be just a single mountain stage?
Anyway, for me it felt rather incomplete.
The stage to Tourmalet (much lauded) for example was imo a decent stage, but no better than stage 13 this year, which the forum just seemed to consider okay at best. But there weren't attacks from far out! Well, neither were there on the Tourmalet from memory. But perhaps because a lot of people's favourite rider won (and Thomas was dropped), it was elevated to a higher plateau, whereas stage 13 was just two Slovenians.
Wait.
People lauded the Tourmalet stage last year?
Yes, but at the same time we've seen stages annulled like in the 2013 Giro, and Nibali's victory was seen as a bit hollow and nothing which was why he went out and did that ride on Tre Cime when already in the maglia rosa to underscore his triumph, whereas we've had a few underwhelming stages to iconic climbs on final mountain stages when the best climber already has the jersey and isn't inclined to put an exclamation point on, such as 2009 Ventoux or 2014 Zoncolan. Again the last impressions biggest impressions issue, because it was the end of the 2019 Tour and it felt like a really good race was petering out, whereas the 2013 Giro (which was a much weaker race overall) had the chance to redeem itself after the annulment of the intended queen stage.
The other disappointment about the end of the 2019 Tour was that the changes to the final contested stage also robbed us of an intriguing battle for the GPM. Bardet is a quality rider but he had had a terrible Tour. Realistically the most worthy wearer of the polka dots for the 2019 Tour would have been Simon Yates, and I'm sure had the original stage been possible as planned, he, Bardet and Quintana would have made that battle worthwhile.
Wait.
People lauded the Tourmalet stage last year?
Lol. Sorry, but Tourmalet was as exciting as Plateau de Beille in 2011.I liked it. But I understand if lots of people didn't. We of course got no big attacks before the final 2 kilometres but to me, the ride up Tourmalet was just one of the most electrically exciting MTF's of recent times because I just didn't know who would go on to win the Tour. It could be anyone. Alaphilippe kept surviving, and nobody looked to be much better than the others, nobody had a team that looked capable of strangling the race. It was just something completely new after the train era of the past many years.
And when Thomas dropped with a kilometre to go, the whole race just became wide open. I don't think I have ever felt as hyped about a Tour in recent times as I did after Pinot had won that stage with Alaphilippe coming in second.
Anything could happen.
And then everything did happen. But not quite as most would have liked.