il giro 2011 vs le tour 2011

[McLovin]

I'm talking about the race overall. Not the route, not the competitors. Which one was more entertaining?

 

[Anonymous]

I actually voted them the same, The giro was a better parcours but the death of Wouter Weylandt had a massive impact and contador dominated.

Tour, closer, pretty exciting first week and final couple of days, but was still somewhat predicatable.

The best tour in recent years, on a par with a giro that was dissapointing in comparison with the 2010 edition.

 

[jsem94]

Same. Giro had better parcours but less interesting racing, because of the dominance of Contador.

Tour was closer, but only exciting the final few days in the GC. The rest was stale, with crashes and well.. the first two weeks was basically Thor de France.

 

[kurtinsc]

Tour.

There was suspense about all classifications up until the very end. The only downside was the lack of impactful stages until the very end... but those stages were very good. I don't think we'll see GT stages again for some time where leaders are attacking from 50km or more out... and we had two of them in the Tour this year.

The race could have been designed better, but despite that, it was superb. Much better then the Giro which had a great course but the only real question was if Scarponi or Nibali would take second. The Tour had 7 riders within the same gap as was between 1st and 2nd in the Giro.

 

[MartinGT]

I'm talking about the race overall. Not the route, not the competitors. Which one was more entertaining?

What are you talking about then

I voted the Giro because the route was great, Bertie was quality mixed with people like José Rujano thrown in and attacking it was great.

Its a tough call really, maybe I am biased as for me il Giro is my fave GT.

 

[kurtinsc]

What are you talking about then

I voted the Giro because the route was great, Bertie was quality mixed with people like José Rujano thrown in and attacking it was great.

Its a tough call really, maybe I am biased as for me il Giro is my fave GT.

In almost every year I've watched pieces of both, I would have picked the Giro. It generally is a better race and always has a more exciting route.

But this year, with Contador as strong as he was, there was a feeling by stage 10 or 11 when Contador had a minute an a half on Nibali that it was already over. Once stage 13 hit and Contador had 3 minutes... we just got a victory parade (over a lot of tough climbs... but still no real fear that Contador might lose the race).

It had very emotional aspects, but the racing simply wasn't up to what the Giro normally is. No GC drama, no sprinter battle (the course resulted in virtually all sprinters leaving early)... just not a great race. Great COURSE, but lacking in dramatc racing compared to prior years.

 

[El Pistolero]

I found the Giro course to be crap. The last week was sooo boring. Should have had some hilly stages and sprinter stages in the final week(like the stage Contador took second in)

 

[Mellow Velo]

Sorry to say, but the Tour wins this time.
Now, the 2010 Giro v the 2011 Tour would be a different story.

 

[Marcus135]

Have to say the Tour this year. The route for the Giro was way better, no denying it but the fact that Contador just took it away from everyone on Etna meant it just wasn't exciting like the tour was, u already knew the result from there. The Tour on the other hand left u waiting to the very end and an Australian winning made it just that much better for me

 

[Ferminal]

Same, but I'm someone who doesn't hate the lack of "suspense" if there is actually racing going on.

I give both 7.5-8/10

 

[egtalbot]

I'm with Ferminal - I rated them the same, and the lack of GC suspense wasn't a problem for me in the Giro given all the other stuff going on.

One thing I would say is that for me this has been the best combination Giro/Tour for a year in quite a while. But I've enjoyed every grand tour for a long time - there are always things going on, even in the ones that seem relatively boring on the surface.

 

[SiAp1984]

I would have liked to see the Tour-lineup on the Giro-route

 

[lostincosmos]

Giro for me. Even though the win wasn't up for contention, watching Nibali and Scarponi grind it out was fun to see.

To me the Tour actually had little suspense. As long as Cuddles was within a minute of Andy, I knew he'd win. And Andy wasn't racing smart at all, so it just didn't appear to be a problem.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The Tour had the better climax and tension, but the Giro still has my 3 top GT stages of the year.

The Rifugio Gardeccia stage is still the best racing we've seen all year; Kiryienka's win on Sestrières was a wonderful moment that we can all put our sporting hats aside for and appreciate, only bettered by the stage 4 Weylandt memorial parade.

 

[theyoungest]

The Tour had the better climax and tension, but the Giro still has my 3 top GT stages of the year.

The Rifugio Gardeccia stage is still the best racing we've seen all year; Kiryienka's win on Sestrières was a wonderful moment that we can all put our sporting hats aside for and appreciate, only bettered by the stage 4 Weylandt memorial parade.

Those first two stages you mention were indeed great, and better than anything I've seen in the Tour. The Weylandt memorial I don't consider to be part of the Giro, but rather of the cycling world in general.

 

[Tank Engine]

Although the first two weeks of the tour weren't very important in terms of the GC (apart from crashes), there were a couple of great stages (Vino's attack on the stage to Super-Besse and Roy vs Hushovd in Lourdes). The last week was about the craziest racing in the Tour since Roche vs Delgado and LeMond vs Fignon in the late 80s.

 

[Parrulo]

i voted for the giro stage 15 is still miles ahead of the best the tour had to offer as were many other moments.

2 days of good racing won't make up for 17 days of non GC relevant stages.

and 9 days of selection by crashes because the peloton is too nervous is just pathetic.

 

[Look381]

Equal for a change

Agree, this is the one year for many years that the tour measured up to the Giro. I would put them about equal. Nibali was magnificent in the Giro as Contador was in the Tour. Both were struggling to keep up with the leader, but neither gave an inch. I hate watching people ride to defend 4th or 5th place as so often happens in the tour. I like watch crazy Italians attacking from 50km out.
Kudos to the tour for changing up the first week this year and making it way more interesting. Until HTC is willing to take control of sprint stages from teh start and keep them safe, less pancake flat stages please. Seeing the tactics of HTC at intermediate sprints is just depressing.
Mind you I am Australian and the Tour still just made it to equal with the Giro.

 

[guncha]

I'm talking about the race overall. Not the route, not the competitors. Which one was more entertaining?

The Tour had better racing, much stronger riders, better route and more excitement. Riders made this tour great.

If Giro wants stronger field they should stop making insane routes. They should give chance for Giro-Tour double or at least decent Giro-Tour. GT is not about insane climbing only, Giro should make more balanced routes with more flat ITT and less insane mountain stages. They should make first week flatter, give more opportunities for sprinters in early stages.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The Giro is not the Tour. The Giro isn't trying to be the Tour. Early GC shakeups, insane climbing stages, these are part of the Giro. A week of flat stages at the start of the race, this is not part of the Giro. Even the year Petacchi won 9 stages, featured Cunego winning an uphill sprint and an MTF, and Gilberto Simoni winning a MTF, in the first week.

 

[The Hitch]

The Tour had more interesting stages, while the Giro had more, interesting stages.

 

[Barracuda]

I actually voted them the same, The giro was a better parcours but the death of Wouter Weylandt had a massive impact and contador dominated.

Tour, closer, pretty exciting first week and final couple of days, but was still somewhat predicatable.

The best tour in recent years, on a par with a giro that was dissapointing in comparison with the 2010 edition.

Somewhat of a contradiction ..

Either it was better or not .... Boring it was not !! Definately Chess at 50kms/hour this year !!

 

[AmateurSpirit]

Il Giro!!!

Far away more entertainment!!

 

[LukeSchmid]

It is hard to be totally objective when your favourite rider wins his first GT but I think both were quite entertaining. Not as good as last years Giro. I like the MTF and mountain stages and it was a bit disappointing not to see earlier mountain stages in the Tour. The domination of Contador at the Giro took abit away from it but it still was good. Voted Tour because of Evans but maybe that is a bit unfair on the Giro.

 

[macnir]

Vote the same.

Giro 2011 and Tour 2011 are GOOD

But they cannot reach the same level as Giro 2010

Vuelta 2010 is someway better than the duo I think