Is doing 1 GT a year enough?

[Magnus]

Armstrong popularised it. Most good riders for GC always rode the Tour and the Giro. Even the best sprinters rode both. Sprinters would not ride half a Giro and then the Tour like some do now.

Best sprinters rode both? Cipo never completed the TdF. According to cyclingarchives.com Zabel only rode the Giro in 2005 and 2008. Besides given the Giro route the last few years I don't think it's surprising if sprinter stay away. Or quit halfway through the race when there are is nothing more for them to do in the race.

Take a look at the pre-99 Giro and TdF top tens.
In '98 one rider was in top ten in both.
In '97 zero riders was in top ten in both.
In '96 two riders was in top ten in both.
In '95 one rider was in top ten in both.

So if most riders for GC always rode both Tour and Giro they certainly didn't rode both with great success.

 

[Finn84]

The teams have gotten bigger and at the same time there are more teams competing in every GT I believe, when comparing situation today and pre-2005.

On a quick look, I found 12 riders who actually competed Giro and Tour this year:

Scarponi
Casar
Vande Velde
Kuschynski
Basso
Szmyd
De Greef
Bak
Hansen
Cavendish
Eisel
Lund

Well, realistically there are only three who have GC aspirations in at least one race: Scarponi, VdV and Basso.

Since 2005 every year has had at least one rider with all three GTs completed, so waiting if someone from that list goes to Vuelta as well.

 

[RedheadDane]

Eh... just a thought. What about the guys who, in any given year, doesn't even do one GT?

Take Boonen this year; didn't do the Giro, didn't do the Tour, won't do the Vuelta. Would you still argue that he 'hasn't done enough'?

 

[42x16ss]

Eh... just a thought. What about the guys who, in any given year, doesn't even do one GT?

Take Boonen this year; didn't do the Giro, didn't do the Tour, won't do the Vuelta. Would you still argue that he 'hasn't done enough'?

I have no issue with this at all. Flecha, Hayman and Ballan are a few more top tier riders that haven't ridden a GT this year IIRC.

If you have no interest in the GT's, don't race them. I'd rather see riders give everything they have when they race, whether it's GC, stages, breaks or pacing a team leader instead of just delivering bottles and musettes then disappearing into the autobus.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'd rather see riders give everything they have when they race, whether it's GC, stages, breaks or pacing a team leader instead of just delivering bottles and musettes then disappearing into the autobus.

Someone gotta do it...

 

[will10]

Armstrong popularised it. Most good riders for GC always rode the Tour and the Giro. Even the best sprinters rode both. Sprinters would not ride half a Giro and then the Tour like some do now.

McEwen made that fashionable