GT's 2016 event analysis

[Netserk]

Re:

No, without Fuente De it would have been much worse than the Giro. No contest. As disappointing as the Stelvio stage was, it was still miles ahead of anything else the Vuelta had to offer. The other turd stages of the Giro were perfectly comparable to any of those uneventfull uphill sprints at the Vuelta.

The Vuelta did have the star factor and a better story with Contador's comeback (partly Valverde's as well) and Froome being unleashed.

 

[Carols]

Re: Re:

that's because Giro is a GT with the weakest field of them all 3 , and that's the norm for the past 5+ years. In Giro there are more people that think they can win/place on podium compared to Vuelta, not to speak about TdF.

In the last 5 editions, the Giro has been won by an already GT winner 3 out of 5 times (only outlier being Hesjedal 2012.)
In the last 5 editions, the Vuelta has been won only twice by an already GT winner (featuring winners the likes of Cobo and Horner, who never won anything again), despite having lots of big names, on paper. However the fact that all those big names come from the Tdf makes it a much weaker field and much easier to be won by a second tier.

The Giro is the only GT with 1 single multi GT winner at start, and this is the norm rather than exception. The average weight of GC quality is very low at the Giro.

I don't say that's a bad thing because it makes for more exciting racing.

There are only 3 multiple GTs winners riding currently and the Tour is only one month out so this isn't at all surprising. The only guy who has tried the double is Contador in 2015. Nibali made it clear beforehand in 2016 he was riding the Tour for Rio and in support pf Aru.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Meh. Hesjedal winning the Giro should automatically make it a worse race than La Vuelta.

 

[TromleTromle]

Now this is a great MTF on Covadonga!

 

[Valv.Piti]

So far, 4 GC-riders have won MTFs in GTs while 2 GC-riders have won mountain stages ending downhill:

Stage 16 Giro d Italia, Valverde
Stage 19 Giro d' Italia, Nibali
Stage 19 Tour de France, Bardet
Stage 10 Vuelta a España, Quintana

Stage 8 Tour de France, Froome
Stage 14 Giro d' Italia, Chaves

Thats 6 proper mountain stages. It would be an interesting comparison to other years - I can only think of 2009 where fewer GC-riders won mountain stages. A somewhat decent indicator of a good race, IMO.

 

[barmaher]

I don't really get the frustration others have when there is a breakaway up the road. In some ways, I love when there are two races happening in one.

In fact, Monday's race was great at the start of the climb. Moto 1 showing Fraile, Rolland and Gesink trading punches. Moto 2 showed the GC group, with Froome dropping off the back.

It wouldn't have really mattered to me if Gesink had managed to stay clear of Quintana.

 

[veji11]

Re:

I don't really get the frustration others have when there is a breakaway up the road. In some ways, I love when there are two races happening in one.

In fact, Monday's race was great at the start of the climb. Moto 1 showing Fraile, Rolland and Gesink trading punches. Moto 2 showed the GC group, with Froome dropping off the back.

It wouldn't have really mattered to me if Gesink had managed to stay clear of Quintana.

same, it's one of the nice aspects of mountain stages that you have several races in one.

 

[hrotha]

The problem is not that the breaks stick but that so many stages are gifted to them. If the break holds off against a peloton that contends the stage, that's awesome. If the peloton just lets them go and doesn't care about the stage at all, that's a letdown.

 

[TromleTromle]

The vuelta still lacking sorely behind i GC km action - alhough we had some epic battles (yo-yo)
But seems like the important breakaway action is fairly split on all three GT's

That being said I am a bit worried that all three GT's are trying to out-epic each other next year with tough routes (Stelvio / Izoard / Veleta)

 

[ice&fire]

110kms today of GC action

 

[DFA123]

Re:

110kms today of GC action

Gone a bit quiet this thread. Almost like it was written with something of an agenda.

 

[TromleTromle]

Re: Re:

110kms today of GC action

Gone a bit quiet this thread. Almost like it was written with something of an agenda.

No agenda here - just neutral love to cycling...

That being said - that was great action today.
Formigal is great after a hard mountain state. Le tour tends to stick them before a tough MTF and should learn from this.

 

[Scarponi]

The amusing thing for me was there were three guys with a chance to make the podium in the last MTF in the tour but guys like Richie lack the balls to attack. Here we have had this move and Yates one yesterday. TDF is really the worst stage race of the year

 

[TromleTromle]

So where did we end up from a pure mathematical analysis with the three GT's in 2016

Pure GT action (viable chance to win it):
GIRO 14,1 km pr. stage (but with 2x60+km action and 3x20+km opn the great Agnello/Mendola stages)
VUELTA: 8,6 km pr. stage (hugely driven by Formigal - as other action was limited unless you count in the ORICA podium attacks, Covadonga did though deliver)
TOUR: 3,8 km pr. stage (Montpellier & Bonaigua was only real out-of-the-box action

There was a fair balance between the key breakaway action for all three GT's around 10/11 km from finish pr average, as well as fairly comparative sprint action (whether any of the vuelta "sprinters" would win in any of the other GT's is doubtable.

Both Vuelta & Giro more action that their 2015 namesake.
For the Giro the Contador racing of 2015 was probably better than Nibali of the 2016, even though he bagged his win earlier.
For the Vuelta the excitement carried on until the last week for both
For the Tour - this year really did not leave doubt about the winner from the beginning.

The big question is whether we can achieve more than 10% of pure GC racing in a race compared to total distance as more long range attacks are needed to create more suspension and thrill until the final stage.

/a