Is this the worst season for stage racing in modern history?

[Nick2413]

It’s been a fine year of stage racing, too many neutralizations and modifications though which are starting to snowball into a bigger problem for the sport.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

2017 was worse by a long-shot. Horrible Tour, below-average Giro, below-average Vuelta.
For other World Tour stage races, 2017 Catalunya was very good even if the key action in the best stage was pre-TV coverage. None of the other stage races were particularly good. Dauphine was probably better but only because of the last stage. IIRC Basque Country was OK but nothing really happened before the last climb of any stage. Suisse was probably better. Of course, BinckBank was better. But none were good enough to cover for the even worser GTs.

 

[Oldermanish]

isn't stage racing always 99% boredom?

If you watch a complete 6 hours, no doubt.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Beautiful stage racing season so far.

 

[proffate]

If you watch a complete 6 hours, no doubt.

You mean ~80 hours. Of course the problem is that the 15 minutes of excitement are needles in a haystack.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

2017 was worse by a long-shot. Horrible Tour, below-average Giro, below-average Vuelta.
For other World Tour stage races, 2017 Catalunya was very good even if the key action in the best stage was pre-TV coverage. None of the other stage races were particularly good. Dauphine was probably better but only because of the last stage. IIRC Basque Country was OK but nothing really happened before the last climb of any stage. Suisse was probably better. Of course, BinckBank was better. But none were good enough to cover for the even worser GTs.

I also thougt of 2017, but IMO this year is worst. Giro was below average, mainly because the stage design was abismal, but at least there were some action, this year the first two weeks where nothing but GC contender getting seek and crashing. Vuelta, while also not beeing super close, actually had Nibali putting on a believeable challenge to Froome, while this year it's a Jumbo parade. On the other hand 2017 Tour was ***, while these year was actually entertaining gor 16 stages. Still 2/3 advantage for 2017

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I also thougt of 2017, but IMO this year is worst. Giro was below average, mainly because the stage design was abismal, but atlist there were some action, this year the first two weeks where nothing but GC contender getting seek and crashing. Vuelta, while also not beeing super close, actually had Nibali putting on a believeable challenge to Froome, while this year it's a Jumbo parade. On the other hand 2017 Tour was ***, while these year was actually entertaining gor 16 stages. Still 2/3 advantage for 2017

2017 had a very very good Paris Nice

 

[Pippo_San]

Arguably so since we lost poor Gino.
RIP. 🙏

 

[Tim Cahill]

First couple of weeks of the Tour were decent I suppose, and Suisse would've been really good if not for Mader's death. Tour of Portugal was legit exceptional but coverage limited.

But yeah very below par, pretty sure the favourite has won every WT stage race this year apart from the cr*pshoot ones (Poland/Bingobongo), similar theme in the classics too although Flanders was class. A few shockers here and there are nice but nothing gets away nowadays.

Early season was so promising man, there was so much optimism about. Ruben Guerreiro and Gaviria cleaning up and doing stupid celebrations, Ganna vs Miguel Angel on ****ing mount everest, Quintana will be signed and he's going to win it all, damn Jonathan Milan looks cracked on that Arabian hilltop he's making it over the Poggio with the big guys, Giro will be Ciccone vs Tao for the Pink and Juliian looks back to his best in some French carpark race, MVDP beware. Then all the goons started showing up, it went downhill when Pogacar beat everyone by miles with a flat tire and Vingegaard got that Gran Camino stage shortened because it was a bit cold.

Some of us make the same mistake every season though, I'll be back here in February to tell everyone that Ivan Sosa is going to win big races after an impressive victory in Oman.

 

[Cookster15]

2012 was worse. Like clearly worse.

With 2012 agree with Tour (Wiggins) and Giro (Hesjedal) but not the Vuelta that year won by Nibali. I think that was a good grand tour? But certainly the 2012 TdF was the most boring I can recall.

 

[pastronef]

With 2012 agree with Tour (Wiggins) and Giro (Hesjedal) but not the Vuelta that year won by Nibali. I think that was a good grand tour? But certainly the 2012 TdF was the most boring I can recall.

Contador won that Vuelta, Nibali won in 2010

 

[staubsauger]

How can a year where Tourmalet delivered 3 times be considered bad in terms of stage racing?

Independent of Jumbo being comical.

 

[Cookster15]

Contador won that Vuelta, Nibali won in 2010

Ah yes you are right. But I think that was an exciting race? Purito looked like he would win until the last mountain stage. It was Contador’s first grand tour after his ban - and he won with a long range attack. So I am not sure we can say 2012 was the worst year for stage racing?

Note I can’t recall the minor stage races that year so I am only basing my comment on the grand tours.

 

[Netserk]

With 2012 agree with Tour (Wiggins) and Giro (Hesjedal) but not the Vuelta that year won by Nibali. I think that was a good grand tour? But certainly the 2012 TdF was the most boring I can recall.

One good stage cannot lift a whole year.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ah yes you are right. But I think was an exciting race? Purito looked like he would win until the last mountain stage. It was Contador’s first grand tour after his ban - and he won with a long range attack. So I am not sure we can say 2012 was the worst year for stage racing.

Note I can’t recall the minor stage races that year so I am only basing my comment on the grand tours.

A lot of the bigger ones were major letdowns if I remember rightly. ASO delivered some very heavily TT-biased routes that year around the Tour, and Sky got into practice for the Tour by riding as dominantly as they did at the Tour for six months beforehand (everybody always waving it away with 'everybody else is preparing for the Tour', and then at the Tour it was 'everybody else messed up their preparation for the Tour'). Paris-Nice had a miserable route with the only climb of significance until the last weekend being Montée Laurent Jalabert, a penultimate stage with about 60km from the last climb to the line which nobody was ever going to do anything on with a Col d'Èze ITT the last day, this is the one where de Gendt won by minutes and Movistar attacked the descent, only for Sky to give them an earful for not waiting for Leipheimer after he crashed trying to come back from another crash despite Leipheimer not being in the GC lead.

The Dauphiné was very much a petit Tour that year, with a 53km ITT and only one real mountain stage (that finished on a descent); Sky went 1-2-4. Michael Albasini got the race lead in a break in Catalunya before the weather annulled the queen stage and left us with almost no decisive stages - resulting in limited time gaps and GC men sprinting for placements. The Tour of California somehow thought bringing the Big Bear Lake climb back was a good idea (and climbing it from the same side as 2010) with it being even less interesting this time around. País Vasco had a very disappointing route, with two sprint stages, two uphill sprints fought between Samu and Purito and Tony Martin was even in the GC mix until the last day - ironically enough the ITT, but this was an absurdly technical course in the rain with hills and camber that may as well have been a cyclocross course that had been tarmacked. The Tour of Beijing had not introduced Miaofengshan yet.

 

[RedheadDane]

Arguably so since we lost poor Gino.
RIP. 🙏

Harsh as it might sound, I don't think you can quite put it down like that. Because if you could, several years would be "the worst year ever" for stage racing.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

A lot of the bigger ones were major letdowns if I remember rightly. ASO delivered some very heavily TT-biased routes that year around the Tour, and Sky got into practice for the Tour by riding as dominantly as they did at the Tour for six months beforehand (everybody always waving it away with 'everybody else is preparing for the Tour', and then at the Tour it was 'everybody else messed up their preparation for the Tour'). Paris-Nice had a miserable route with the only climb of significance until the last weekend being Montée Laurent Jalabert, a penultimate stage with about 60km from the last climb to the line which nobody was ever going to do anything on with a Col d'Èze ITT the last day, this is the one where de Gendt won by minutes and Movistar attacked the descent, only for Sky to give them an earful for not waiting for Leipheimer after he crashed trying to come back from another crash despite Leipheimer not being in the GC lead.

The Dauphiné was very much a petit Tour that year, with a 53km ITT and only one real mountain stage (that finished on a descent); Sky went 1-2-4. Michael Albasini got the race lead in a break in Catalunya before the weather annulled the queen stage and left us with almost no decisive stages - resulting in limited time gaps and GC men sprinting for placements. The Tour of California somehow thought bringing the Big Bear Lake climb back was a good idea (and climbing it from the same side as 2010) with it being even less interesting this time around. País Vasco had a very disappointing route, with two sprint stages, two uphill sprints fought between Samu and Purito and Tony Martin was even in the GC mix until the last day - ironically enough the ITT, but this was an absurdly technical course in the rain with hills and camber that may as well have been a cyclocross course that had been tarmacked. The Tour of Beijing had not introduced Miaofengshan yet.

For some reason i remeber the 2012 Itzulia very fondly. But in general i agree that 2012 was a pretty bad year as well.

 

[tobydawq]

For some reason i remeber the 2012 Itzulia very fondly. But in general i agree that 2012 was a pretty bad year as well.

I do think the hate for the 2012 Giro is exaggerated on this forum.

 

[Netserk]

I do think the hate for the 2012 Giro is exaggerated on this forum.

Unlike this year, we weren't used to shite giri at that point.

 

[Pippo_San]

Harsh as it might sound, I don't think you can quite put it down like that. Because if you could, several years would be "the worst year ever" for stage racing.

Well I guess this is also connected with the personal feelings towards the rider.
Really bad year overall anyways.

 

[Jagartrott]

Since I suppressed the really bad years, this one must be top-3.
But as things are going now, I'm sure I'll have successfully erased the memory of 2023 GT racing by 2025 at the latest, remembering only the contours, and no details (such as today's stage). Which then makes 2023 not being top-3 bad GT takes anymore. Very convenient.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

For some reason i remeber the 2012 Itzulia very fondly. But in general i agree that 2012 was a pretty bad year as well.

The Oñati stage was really good. The rest wasn't great. The Samu/Purito battle on Ibardin was pretty good, but the climb was one of those "tempo until the steep final kilometre" ones so all the action was compressed into the final 3-4 minutes.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The 2012 Itzulia is probably one of the 5 best races of all time.

 

[RedheadDane]

Well I guess this is also connected with the personal feelings towards the rider.

I don't have any personal feelings towards either of the riders sadly no longer with us.
To me, all their losses were equally terrible.

 

[Squire]

I do think the hate for the 2012 Giro is exaggerated on this forum.

I agree, although it wasn't good, either. Everybody waiting for Basso to do something, then Basso never did anything. But it did have some cool stages, especially the Stelvio one.

It just looks extremely bad coming right after 2010 and 2011.