How do you rate the 2024 la vuelta a España?

[Andre]

Shouldn't it have been 12 then?

No it's 10 minus 4 = 6

 

[Wyndbrook]

I would mark it down at least two points for having both a start in another country and a flight transfer part way through.
I guess all this will either have to go when the mayor Imposes his green charter, or all the riders will get roped in to plants trees on rest days.

 

[tobydawq]

No it's 10 minus 4 = 6

Then the 6 is not things you have enjoyed but the things you didn't dislike enough for them to warrant a deduction.

What if four other great Belgians had abandoned, would it then have been -2?

 

[Skalman]

I gave it a 6, Ben made the race fun due to his time gain, but otherwise it was nothing special.
And where were the public? first week was almost desolate, like during Corona. That took away a lot.
It did get better but nothing like the Giro or the Tour. I might have ranked it higher if not for the Tour and Olympics spoiled me for great races

 

[Andre]

Then the 6 is not things you have enjoyed but the things you didn't dislike enough for them to warrant a deduction.

What if four other great Belgians had abandoned, would it then have been -2?

The ten was there from the start just cause it's cycling and I love it, in other words (ten in anticipation and excitement of what's coming)...then reduction and disappointment by two takeaways of riders. But I don't think the "6" would have gone much lower if at all, had any more Belgians DNF. Only because I do like some other riders who are not Belgian; the love of the sport would have still upheld that final "6". But you do make a great point "didn't dislike enough for them to warrant a deduction"...maybe my mind or way of operating is not quite normal.

 

[stekelegel]

a solid six.
Roglic won as expected without doing anything noticable. When on song, nobody is his level of that field.
Van Aert easily dominated almost all non MT finishes until sadly crashing. Good for him, but says a lot about the rest of the field.
A lot of ordinary races, adding nothing to their career or prospects: Mas, Yates, Kuss, Landa, Gaudu, Carapaz.
O’Connor got lucky and did okay. Soler entertained and got his reward.
bad luck for Almeida, Ciccone and some others.
van eetveld shone brightly and shortly.
Some real disappointments like Uytebroeks, Rodriguez, Arensmann, Del Toro.
Without this years tour, it would have been a 7, but I could not shed the feeling that I was watching an average race between the best of the rest.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

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?

OK think my memory vaguely comes back to surface. When I recall it, it was not that much the 3 GT's in a row, more that the Vuelta clashed with the Ardenner Classics, especially L-B-L and I reckon it as the Vuelta organizers themselves deciding to have better focus as late summer GT with broader focus.

Try to imagine Vuelta '95 without JaJa.

Moreover I think the decision was easy due to often very bad weather in the Basque Country, Galicia and Pyrenees during spring, ending up in "very exciting" sprint stages on 8 lane straight highways in open dystopian highland landscapes.

 

[Psycat]

Better than most but at the same time not really allt that special, zero really memorable GC action in the mountains+predictable outcome takes it down a notch or two.

Excellent breakway action and O'Connor made it more interesting in terms of GC, although it was pretty obvious early on he would never claim ¤1, without him it would have been a dull affair in regards to that.

Solid 7/10, a clear improvement upon last years debacle, was a fun time and sad it's over.

 

[Tonton]

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?

La Vuelta had become by far the lesser GT. This was the cycling version of what tennis had done with great success with the Australian. The change came at no surprise, it would have been an awesome thread on this forum, about two-three years worth of Hein wanting to make his mark and watching kangaroos put cash in their pocket...not many plots. It was obvious early on.

 

[Tonton]

well, here's my operation: I start out at 10 before La Vuelta starts and then add or subtract from there on; the four points I subtracted were for events that displeased me, and the six remaining points are for the events that I enjoyed.

So you don't think that 11 is possible?

 

[Andre]

So you don't think that 11 is possible?

correct

 

[Andre]

So you don't think that 11 is possible?

the ratings were from one to ten only

 

[Eagle_Alps]

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.

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.

Sad but true. My thoughts exactly.
And frankly, who cares about Roglic winning another one?
But it was fun to watch. Especially Marc Soler madness !

 

[tobydawq]

Sad but true. My thoughts exactly.
And frankly, who cares about Roglic winning another one?
But it was fun to watch. Especially Marc Soler madness !

Huh?

 

[stekelegel]

I often wonder if shortening the vuelta to a race that goes 16 days (friday to sunday, 1 restday) might benefit the race. The same goes for Giro. It would be easier for top riders to do 2 GT in a year.

 

[Gargamel35]

It was a great GT. Giro was far the worst this year, because it was Pog and no one else. Tour was interesting until Rog crashed and Vinge couldn't compete with Pog. Then it was a snooze fest. Vuelta had it all. Yes Rog was the strongest but not by that much and it's Roglič, you never know how will he manage to take himself out of the race anyway.
8/10.

 

[Netserk]

I often wonder if extending the GTs to four weeks and do away with rest days might benefit them. It'd give us a lot more GT-racing.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Maybe just cancel tour and Vuelta so that everyone does the giro and it's really exciting

 

[proffate]

Hmm how about 3 weeks but every other day is a rest day and each team has 4 riders. Well this would have been the cure back in the Sky days but somehow I think this format would only benefit Pog.

 

[impact]

Hmm watching video from Vuelta 2021... one corner seems familiar. It was the same corner that Wout crashed this year and also there was crash in the same corner in 2021. And back then it was marked with a sign... but in 2024 there was no warning... so I'll have to give it 1

2021:

View: https://youtu.be/qDYY4do754I?si=1nP1DKs5MhXZty1Y&t=203


2024:

View: https://youtu.be/-2-Chylawx8?si=pfoVlMz9hDayG35_&t=180

 

[tobydawq]

I often wonder if extending the GTs to four weeks and do away with rest days might benefit them. It'd give us a lot more GT-racing.

And ban stages below 240kms and less than 3500 altitude metres, right?

Except for ITTs of which there should be at least 5, amounting to at least 250kms.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

And ban stages below 240kms and less than 3500 altitude metres, right?

Except for ITTs of which there should be at least 5, amounting to at least 250kms.

They also need to track calories burned and add bonus finishing loops if the stage was too easy.

 

[stekelegel]

The winner of the most calories burned competition gets a special jersey sponsored by weight watchers.

 

[Netserk]

And ban stages below 240kms and less than 3500 altitude metres, right?

Except for ITTs of which there should be at least 5, amounting to at least 250kms.

No, that'd be impractical.

 

[randtor]

For me it is 4,5. The sprint stages wеre slow and without competision. ITT stages flat and without best cyclists . GC was only fake good. No competision for Roglic after Almeida got ill. No teem chased the breakaway and the most interesting stages wеre won from a grupe of random cyclists becouse Roglic was injured and not in good form. No good teams = no control = slow stages= week GC battle. Roglic won , he was my favorite ,but after this year he will be further back from Pogacar and Vingegaard and even Remco . May be for someone random cyclists wining becouse of tactiks and no competision is entertainig but I like to watch best of the best not 5-20 cyclists 10 min in front of the peloton and nobody chasing becouse it is no risk stratege for GC. Pogacar is wining by 10 min becouse every stage is like one day race and 90% of GC cant do that mentally or physically. They cant calculated that 6min to O'Connor is too much for them and play games whith BORA. The teams judge La vuelta as 3rd by importance GT and it was evident every day by tha way thay raced it.