How would you rate the first week of TDF 2017

[SKSemtex]

I do not think the pool with 10 digits is important here, as I am afraid nobody can rate it higher than 2. Instead I will ask the question. Do you remember any worse week in any GT?
(If sombedy wants the pool please advise me good option that could discribe this week and I will add it to the thread)

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

A solid 6/10 for me. Four great tight sprint finishes and a nailbiting Green Jersey contest. Love both Kittel and Démare so this was a great sprinting week. Longwy was short and nice. Didn't care much for PdBF, but it was a nice finale. I'd preferred a longer loop through the Vosges. The ITT should have been shorter and some echelon action during the stages would have been nice.

 

[Wigry3]

Re: RATE FIRST WEEK OF TDF 2017

Very boring. If you have a route like this one, don't expect fireworks. But let's speak frankly... Riders make a show. Not routes. I'm afraid the stages ahead won't be much different. These guys are reluctant to take any risk. maybe apart from Conti and Aru

 

[cellardoor]

4/10 for me. The lack of trains has made the sprints interesting. The opening TT was let down by very poor TV coverage whereby some of the most important riders were hardly picked up at all. Would have been good to have had one interesting non-GC type stage such as if they'd made the Liege stage one for classics riders.

 

[lenric]

Amazingly exciting.

 

[DFA123]

It's obviously been poor. But at least we've seen incidents and battling between some of the big names (Kittel, Demare Aru, Sagan, Froome). Which puts it significantly ahead of the first week of this year's Giro. 3/10.

 

[frisenfruitig]

The stage Sagan won and the mountain finish were pretty cool. Other than that it was a snoozefest which is to be expected when you look at the race profiles. 4/10

 

[The Hegelian]

I was just thinking about this. It was a depressing sequence of thoughts - first: 'my god, that was such a boring first week, at least we're through it.' Then: 'the mountains are coming, the race will finally begin.' Then: 'and Sky will dominate, put a noose around the race, lock down GC, have everyone else ride for their position in the top 10, and that's it.' Leading to the conclusion: 'I think it's time I accept that the tour is just not for me.'

It has become a serious waste of time. There's much great about the season - none of it happens in July.

Rant over, hope to be proven wrong. But I was out during the US Postal reign, and I'm just about out now.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: RATE FIRST WEEK OF TDF 2017

RATE FIRST WEEK OF TDF 2017

No.

 

[miguelindurain111]

10/10. I mean it is always exciting to see when Team Evil have the yellow. You can read how their magical pellet wet skinsuit gave them unfair advavantage together with the corruption of UCI and how Froome actually didn't win last year 'cause he preferred running over cycling :lol:

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Boring McBoredom would be a suitable name if this week was a person

 

[LaFlorecita]

2/10

+1 for Demare
+1 for Aru

I won't bother with negative points as I'd end up with a negative double digit mark

 

[Ramon Koran]

It was bad although, the finish where Sagan won, PDBF and the sprint that Demarre won were entertaining. I've seen worst first weeks especially in the Tour. Actually thinking about it the first week in the Giro this year wasn't any better if I remember well, and like the Giro the best is still to come hopefully. I'd give it a 5/10 it basically was an average first week, didn't expect much more no need to be too harsh because it's the Tour.

 

[Gigs_98]

I don't think it makes sense to have a thread like this. If you want to rate the first week then do it after stage 9. after 7 stages of which one had a mtf, one was an ITT and the remaining stages were basically all flat (one had an uphill finish but for me that was a flat stage anyway) the conclusion would always be that the week was boring. and tbh I think the first 7 stages of the giro this year were worse

 

[frisenfruitig]

I don't think it makes sense to have a thread like this. If you want to rate the first week then do it after stage 9. after 7 stages of which one had a mtf, one was an ITT and the remaining stages were basically all flat (one had an uphill finish but for me that was a flat stage anyway) the conclusion would always be that the week was boring. and tbh I think the first 7 stages of the giro this year were worse

How does that make any sense? A week consists of 7 days last time I checked.

 

[Eagle]

Better than the first week of the Giro

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Depends on what basis you want us to rate it.

As a series of sprint races, it had the explosive finishes, the occasional unexpected contestant, crashes and passage through impossible gaps, partially successful trains and a bit of controversy, but no late catches or escape attempts, and one dominant rider so more predictable than you might hope for, so all in all, middling. It would be odd to want to rate a series of sprints by anything other than the standards for rating sprint stages.

But if you want to, then it did exactly what it was expected and intended to do: bring a number of top name sprinters to the event, force teams to make a decision as to how to configure and balance their teams, test the composure and concentration of the GC contenders and their teams, move the race from Germany to the Jura without long transfers, and build up a bit of accumulated tiredness in the legs to make it an endurance event. Exactly what first weeks have done for years, and successful on its own terms.

And in terms of entertainment, only good for a few minutes a day, but we live in a world of many diversions and stimulations, so it doesn't bother me.

 

[bassano]

I enjoyed much more first 7 stages of Giro, even if between GC guys nothing happened, there was at least something to watch, some action, some fun
OK Aru attack was nice but that was only 2km where anything happened, rest is just like it never happened, besides incident between Sagan and Cavendish which is not really part of cycling I am looking for

 

[hammerthaim]

Sagan getting DQ'ed was massively exciting and so was Aru stomping everyone on beautiful girl, not to mention the other sprints and everyone crashing in the TT. Could have used echelons yesterday but oh well.
8/10 exciting
2/10 for the UCI
2/10 stage design

 

[Jspear]

Not so good. I've only been able to watch one stage live so far (stage 5). Of the others, I've only had to watch stage 3 for more than 5K. All the other stages require just watching the finale kilometer. Isn't too good.

 

[Carols]

Mostly a Yawn (4/10) except for Bala dramatics, Aru showing some legs and DQ of Saga/injury withdrawal of Cav polemic.

 

[Chomsky]

4/10

I like that there were 4 sprint stages I just don't like the sprinters. Kittel is a very flawed rider and harder to root for. I would like the Tour much better if a more skilled sprinter like Cavendish, Ewan or Gaveria was in the mix. Kittel, Greipel and Demare do not excite me.

The GC race is underwhelming mainly because of the lack of stages that can make a difference.

What makes this Tourpoor are two things the riders that are not there like Valverde, Izgairre, Cavendish, Gaviria, Ewan and Sagan along with poor GC route.

 

[Gigs_98]

I don't think it makes sense to have a thread like this. If you want to rate the first week then do it after stage 9. after 7 stages of which one had a mtf, one was an ITT and the remaining stages were basically all flat (one had an uphill finish but for me that was a flat stage anyway) the conclusion would always be that the week was boring. and tbh I think the first 7 stages of the giro this year were worse

How does that make any sense? A week consists of 7 days last time I checked.

Yeah a week is 7 days long but when people are talking about the first week of a gt they usually talk about the period between the start of the race and the first rest day, or said differently the first 9 stages. Anyway, this doesn't change my point. I don't see why you should rate the racing before the mountains even started after mostly flat stages

 

[the delgados]

It's been great. Tons of drama and race action if you tune in 10 km's from the finish.
I have no sympathy for those who tune in with 80 km to go and expect something exciting to happen. Unless you're looking to buy property in the region, there is no reason to watch until the end.

 

[ihosama]

It's been great. Tons of drama and race action if you tune in 10 km's from the finish.
I have no sympathy for those who tune in with 80 km to go and expect something exciting to happen. Unless you're looking to buy property in the region, there is no reason to watch until the end.

Stage 7 of the 2013 Tour.

But that stage, and others, had a course which allowed for competitive racing. This year ASO wanted to make a 6th green difficult and they made all the non-mountain stages into a borefest in the process. A stupid trade-off I sure hope they do not repeat next year.