How do you rate the 2024 la vuelta a España?

[Netserk]

I give it a 6, for effort. It was quite fun the first week when every DS was trying to out-dumb one another, but ultimately, it became a Vuelta as basically all other Vueltas. It was the best Grand Tour of the season, but that ultimately speaks volumes of how boring the other two were, because this one wasn't that spectacular either.

Something drastically needs to change about this race. Push it back to October, make it 18 days. The 2020 edition should be the standard. Having these guys ride in 48 degrees isn't doing the racing much good. Give me more altitude (Hello, Pico Veleta. Hello, Collado de Sahun), give me less Unipublic Unipuerto stages. _______/ is boring, it will always be boring.

La Vuelta, in the grand scheme of grand tours, no matter how good or bad the racing is, will always be a big nothing. It is time we treat it as such, by devaluating it a little. It is a place where riders come to salvage their season, but nobody is devastated if they do not win it. There is a reason the only two type of riders that make la Vuelta their major goal are Spaniards of PCT level and neopros.

Heat made the Vuelta better--as you noted, the first week was the most fun.

 

[Rackham]

La Vuelta, in the grand scheme of grand tours, no matter how good or bad the racing is, will always be a big nothing. It is time we treat it as such, by devaluating it a little. It is a place where riders come to salvage their season, but nobody is devastated if they do not win it. There is a reason the only two type of riders that make la Vuelta their major goal are Spaniards of PCT level and neopros.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Perfect 10.

 

[Bolder]

I gave it a 9. Every stage had a decent plotline, plus conséquences - the top 10 shifted almost daily. And multiple multiple stage winners like Dunbar, Wout and Castillo. Only negatives were Wout crashing out and Almeidas illness.

 

[KZD]

I gave it a 7, the first week was very good and O'Connor's time gain and subsequent fight to stay on the lead against a rampaging Roglic added a suspense that neither the Giro or the Tour had.

The drawback is that we had too many 'easy' stages finishing on MTF's and by the time of stage 16 it started to become clear Roglič would win. Stage 20 was just disappointing.

 

[proffate]

Heat made the Vuelta better--as you noted, the first week was the most fun.

IMO weather such as rain and wind can definitely make racing more entertaining, but extreme heat or cold is straight up dangerous and should be avoided when possible. We should not be treating our sportspeople like gladiators whose pain serves as our amusement.

 

[zlev11]

8, it was really good

 

[Valv.Piti]

The extremely obvious answer to the weather issues is swapping Vuelta and Giro, but the Vuelta would never go for it.

A much easier solution is just to start early Sep or late Aug. On top of that, you can try to avoid places like Andalucia early. I think that is the more realistic option. If you actually look at stuff like average temp, Tour is on par with the Vuelta even with medio Aug start, but obviously don't have the insanely hot days.

I think this GT gets overrated. I never rated Ben and his chances, so for me to get really engaged later in the race Mas either needed to be better or Rogla worse. Never felt in jeopardy after stage 13 to me. Few sprints stages is a huge plus, and so is the high verts making most stages watchable, but meh. I'll give it a low 7. Would have been a different race had stage 9 finished on top of Hazallanes, that would have been a good fix to put Roglic in a worse spot considering Carapaz and Mas gains. Also personally, Wout crashing out really made me a lot less interested in the proceedings in the last week.

I love the Vuelta and it was a pretty good race, but not that much more IMO. I rate the Tour higher still, I think.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

In 20 years time, teenagers on social media will be posting compilations set to Public Enemy tunes of Marc Soler's antics in the 2024 Vuelta breakaways. 9, best GT since Giro 2018 for me.

Soler was certainly a highlight for me

Although it was far from the best GT I have seen, it is the first that I have felt positive about in the aftermath since 2019 . I liked the fact that it had a narrative, something you will remember it for , beyond just one mutant destroying another mutant who destroys the rest of the field

We will remember o'conner desperately defending his jersey ( and his deluded media comments) long after we forgot the w/kg of pogacar in plateau de belle, for example.

I wish there was a sprinter field, I wish the week 3 GC race wasn't so predictable, I wish enric mas hd some confidence and some teammates. I wish the route was totally different.


But I liked it. For me a 7

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Gave it an 8. Great route and possibly the weakest GC field of all time. With no drama whatsoever, we were all able to enjoy race and all of the little it had to offer. Gotta think this is what it would have been like if they had the courage to invent TV during the days of Boa Montez and Oncle Tille.

 

[Netserk]

We should not be treating our sportspeople like gladiators whose pain serves as our amusement.

We do and we should.

 

[proffate]

We do and we should.

is this the royal we, or do you assume the rest of us are as depraved as you?

 

[Peyroteo94]

A solid 7 for me. Route was pretty underwhelming and field was weak.

 

[pmcg76]

Easily the best GT of the year for me, and backs up something I have long argued, sprint stages are a waste of time and should be kept to a maximum of 2-3 each GT. I skipped watching almost half the Tour this year as there was too many nothing stages, but felt obliged to watch most of the Vuelta stages as there was always some action/battle for the win each day, and often there was a dual stage/GC battle played out. Great to see countryman Eddie Dunbar win 2 stages and Equipo Pharma were fantastic, agree with whoever said scenery in Northern Spain is great even if that was obvious from previous editions.

 

[Red Rick]

is this the royal we, or do you assume the rest of us are as depraved as you?

I dunno, but it seems almost entirely the point of cycling.

There's a reason fans do a rain dance every Paris Robaix

 

[SHAD0W93]

+2 Roglic’s wins while overcoming sickness, Tour crash, and taking the race into his own hands despite Bora being iffy on multiple stages
+1 WVA getting back to shape and winning 3 stages, front running points and a battle for KoM
+1 UAE still being respectable despite losing their leader with 3 stage wins, 9th, KoM, team classification, and animating multiple stages with riders in the break
+1 O’Connor’s flier and fight for podium
+1 more breakaway wins
+2 Carapaz and Gaudu getting a good placement after setbacks
+1 Kuss returning to his baseline

-1 Almeida getting sick
-1 WVA crashing out
-1 Bora trying to lose the race for Roglic
-1 Landa and Adam faltering

5 overall and I feel like that follows with the amount I followed the race compared to Giro and Tour.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

It's probably a bit unfair to give a rating when I've only been able to watch 5 stages in all off this Vuelta 2024 edition.

In ranked order.

1. Stage 15 Cuito Negru - 10/10
This is especially a stage to my liking. Two races in one, several GC riders at stake, the break raced both wisely but then also explosively. And not least a star in the making unfolding his yet unseen extreme capabilities, ridden with personality, to experience it as it happens.

2. Stage 6 to Yunquera - 10/10
BOC's apprenticeship test. A bold expression of believing in your stamina capabilities all to the very end.
And not least that this outcome made the whole Vuelta much more interesting and observing while unfolding.

3. Stage 19 Alto de Moncalvillo- 10/10
Beauty of the route itself. The Verylong Roglstomp. A personal "Yes, he's back".
The struggles and fights of his competitors, especially Skjelmose's struggles and last minute jumping out of the blue, confirming himself as a GC rider, replacing the skepticism.

4. stage 20 Picón Blanco - 9/10
I love the pleasure of closely studying the fatigue of the riders after 3 weeks, it was quite clear that the fighting spirit was severely challenged on this lead final climb. Great enjoyment personally here as I could identify that the attempts were really made and the fatigue evens out. And the struggles and excitement before the final final climb.

5. Stage 21 - Télefonica ITT 6/10
Mostly points for finally a 'clean' fast ITT, nice weather, the crowds at the streets. Not much of a competition the race itself. But 1 extra point for Küng's first.

So in all, by what I've been able to watch, I ended up with a nice 9/10.

I had hoped that the vast majority had ended up somewhat lower than an 8 so that I could have told myself with peace of mind that I hadn't missed anything

 

[Tonton]

7 or 8 for me.

Let me help you ...

Roglic won (no surprise), and Ben spoiled the 1-2 final that all predicted. Mas was Mas. Carapaz was in ninja mode and maybe he ninja-ed himself...I still don't know who won the KOM, and props to Kaden, big props, but for me he's overshadowed by the Pinot of Belgium. I'm gutted for Wout and what could have been...

O'Connor, Castrillo, and Dunbar did honor to cycling. So did King Kung: he was there. But Pogacar wasn't...Jonas wasn't...Remco wasn't there. It rhymes with Rominger...

Ben O'Connor tips the scale: it's an 8 ...

 

[Andre]

I gave it a six. minus two when Van Eetvelt abandoned and minus two when Van Aert crashed out.

 

[movingtarget]

Gave it an 8 simply because the other two grand tours were so one sided. Plenty of successful breakaways without a dominant team in the race although Bora came good in the mountains in the third week. O'Connor was a pleasant surprise and made the GC battle more interesting. Good first time wins by Castrillo and co and two good wins by Dunbar. Good long range win by O'Connor. Roglic found his legs in the final week. he must be wondering what he has to do to find success in July like he does in September. Terrible luck for WVA but that's bike racing...........

 

[tobydawq]

I gave it a six. minus two when Van Eetvelt abandoned and minus two when Van Aert crashed out.

Seems like a very balanced scale you have there...

 

[SafeBet]

The extremely obvious answer to the weather issues is swapping Vuelta and Giro, but the Vuelta would never go for it.

And I suspect the Giro wouldn't either.

 

[Red Rick]

And I suspect the Giro wouldn't either.

Football season? Or are there other big reasons I miss

 

[SafeBet]

Football season? Or are there other big reasons I miss

August is a logistical nightmare compared to May, as most towns / locations willing to pay for a stage start / finish are touristic hubs, hence likely congested to the point a Giro stage wouldn't even be a benefit.
Furthermore, most of the Italian regions are getting hotter and hotter in August, even the seaside and hills. 35-38 degrees should always be expected unless you go above 1000mt. Don't know whether that's a big improvement over Spain honestly.

Giro also has a very distinct identity as a spring race. Days getting longer, school about to end, greener scenery, flowers, etc.
And RCS likes having a package of races with a clear brand identity (MSR, Tirreno, Giro).
A summer edition of the Giro would certainly require some fine tuning.
And if you move it further, you can't rule out weather issues (it was snowing on the Stelvio a couple of days ago).

Starting the Giro in the second half of (or even late) May is the most appealing solution to my eyes, although there are still chances of extremely bad weather in the Alps.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

August is a logistical nightmare compared to May, as most towns / locations willing to pay for a stage start / finish are touristic hubs, hence likely congested to the point a Giro stage wouldn't even be a benefit.
Furthermore, most of the Italian regions are getting hotter and hotter in August, even the seaside and hills. 35-38 degrees should always be expected unless you go above 1000mt. Don't know whether that's a big improvement over Spain honestly.

Giro also has a very distinct identity as a spring race. Days getting longer, school about to end, greener scenery, flowers, etc.
And RCS likes having a package of races with a clear brand identity (MSR, Tirreno, Giro).
A summer edition of the Giro would certainly require some fine tuning.
And if you move it further, you can't rule out weather issues (it was snowing on the Stelvio a couple of days ago).

For sure.

But this is also because the world of professional cycling changed up to a point. Especially after Greg Lemond returned from his shooting accident and was forced to a onesided focus on Le Tour. Because he was successful with it, or at least that's my observation during the years it was on, other riders started the same type of preparation in 'picking races'.

Where before you just raced the whole season without special breaks, far more race days and there was no problem in the fact that, for instanse in some calender years it was only 5 days between the Vuelta finale and the Giro start, followed by 12 days between the Giro's podium ceremonies and Le Tour's Grand Départ.

But with the new trend, I remember that there were complaints that the big 3 were too close to each other on the calendar. And the Vuelta moved from spring to autumn races.

I don't recall the exact circumstances that caused the Vuelta to move the race to a late summer/autumn event. It seems almost like Unipublic lost in a card game. Anyone?

Edit:

Starting the Giro in the second half of (or even late) May is the most appealing solution to my eyes, although there are still chances of extremely bad weather in the Alps.

Not to mention severe weather conditions if the race comes too close to the summer months.
Now, southern Italy and Sicily have been my second home since I met my wife +20 years ago, of whom has distant relatives here. And just during the past 5 years, the climate has taken a violent turn with large forest fires, extreme heat waves with temps up to 48°C/118°F and sudden violent weather, with both typhoon-like hurricanes and even tornadoes.

In this relation a snowy Gavia as a final climb is far preferable IMO....