Most boring/ exciting Tour de France in last decade?

[The Hitch]

Rank the last 10 Tour de France editions by excitement/boredom.

I know this one hasn't finished but I think from the nearly 2 weeks we've had so far, its proven to be more interesting than some full editions. Maybe it will rise up in the final week but I think its had enough to be middle of the pack.

My list

(most exciting)
1- 2006 Tour de France
2- 2008 Tour de France
3- 2011 Tour de France
4- 2007 Tour de France
5- 2010 Tour de France
------------------------------------
5- 2013 Tour de France
4- 2015 Tour de France
3- 2014 Tour de France
2- 2009 Tour de France
1- 2012 Tour de France
(most boring)

Clear difference between the 5 most boring and 5 most exciting is the former were all competitive. All of them the winner took the yellow in the last week and confirmed the race in the final days. Most went down to the final stage.

All the 5 most boring had the winner take the leaders jersey before the 2nd week. In fact all but Contador 09 took it in the first week. Last week was just a procession in all but 2015 which hasn't happened yet but possibly will go that way too.

 

[veji11]

most exciting 2011, most boring 2009 by far.

 

[Netserk]

2007
2006
2014
2008
2010
2011
2013
2009
2012

I'll probably change my mind and rearrange them later...

 

[Miburo]

How the hell was 2014 better than 2008 netserk?

We had saunier in 2008 (a few days at least), that alone crushed 2014

 

[T_S_A_R]

At least 2009 had great drama on stage 17 and an exciting battle for the green jersey between Cavendish and Hushovd.

Far better than 2012 or 2014 for me.

 

[phanatic]

2010
2013
2008
2011
2014
2009
2012
2007* -- voluntarily took bottom rank
2006 DQ

 

[Red Rick]

I like how this Tour isn't a thriller but rather a great comedy

 

[malakassis]

1. 2008 great and uber-deserved win for carlos!
2. 2011 great route(9HC), great heart andy!although they skipped Beille too
3. 2010 andy vs ac almost equal - remember madeleine stage and chaingate?
4. 2007 ac vs rasmussen epic + soler
5. 2006 ridicolously entertaining but a touch too much
6. 2009 ac too stronk + awful team problems
8. 2012 awful and injustified win
9. 2014 now we know why

 

[fungusbear]

Only been following cycling since 2008 so my list would be.

2011: Although there was far to much shadowboxing, the last week made up for it. Stage 18
2008: The one that started it for me. The battle on Alpe d'Huez was awesome.
2010: Lots of drama. Really close battle.

Big gap

2013: Fight for yellow was boring but the battle for the podium was good.
2009: Contador far too strong for everyone else to make this exciting.
2014: Cobbled stage was amazing. Contador gaining 3 seconds gave us hope. Then the rest was awful.

Really big gap

2012: Man this was boring. No Contador/Schlecks/Sanchez to make the mountain interesting. Terrible route. Just awful.

2015 had a great first week but worried it will be a procession for Froome for the rest of the race. Will reserve judgement.

 

[TMP402]

1. 2008 great and uber-deserved win for carlos!
2. 2011 great route(9HC), great heart andy!although they skipped Beille too
3. 2010 andy vs ac almost equal - remember madeleine stage and chaingate?
4. 2007 ac vs rasmussen epic + soler
5. 2006 ridicolously entertaining but a touch too much
6. 2009 ac too stronk + awful team problems
8. 2012 awful and injustified win
9. 2014 now we know why

Races from A to B aren't subjective.

 

[DBotero]

2007
2006
2008
2010
2013
2012
2014
2009
2011

 

[Pantani Attacks]

I think people are underrating 2009. The whole Lance/Contador thing was fascinating

 

[Gigs_98]

2006
2008
2007
2010
2011
2009
2014
2013
2012

 

[argyllflyer]

Rank the last 10 Tour de France editions by excitement/boredom.

I know this one hasn't finished but I think from the nearly 2 weeks we've had so far, its proven to be more interesting than some full editions. Maybe it will rise up in the final week but I think its had enough to be middle of the pack.

My list

(most exciting)
1- 2006 Tour de France
2- 2008 Tour de France
3- 2011 Tour de France
4- 2007 Tour de France
5- 2010 Tour de France
------------------------------------
5- 2013 Tour de France
4- 2015 Tour de France
3- 2014 Tour de France
2- 2009 Tour de France
1- 2012 Tour de France
(most boring)

Clear difference between the 5 most boring and 5 most exciting is the former were all competitive. All of them the winner took the yellow in the last week and confirmed the race in the final days. Most went down to the final stage.

All the 5 most boring had the winner take the leaders jersey before the 2nd week. In fact all but Contador 09 took it in the first week. Last week was just a procession in all but 2015 which hasn't happened yet but possibly will go that way too.

Massively ironic that you took the most enjoyment from the 00s ones considering how often you 'take it to the clinic'.

 

[Escarabajo]

2014 was worse than 2009 and 2008. It was actually one of the worst that I have seen. It was so bad that I have not gone back to watch any of my recordings.

 

[zlev11]

i've only watched the Tour live since 2010 but i've gone back and watched the DVD's of every Tour since '91 over the last few years. it's still hard to gauge how exciting/boring a GT is without watching it day-to-day, but...

ranked from best to worst:
1. 2011
2. 2010
3. 2008
4. 2007
5. 2006
6. 2014
7. 2015
8. 2013
9. 2012
10. 2009

2011 was the single greatest sporting even I have ever seen, even though some of the mountain stages were raced very conservatively, the final week was incredible with the win not decided until the TT.

2010 for the Schleck-Contador battle, without that I might not have kept following this wonderful sport, so I have to give it props for getting me interested

2007 and 2008 were very similar, although the level in 2007 was much higher and the Rasmussen-Contador duels were amazing. 2006 would probably be higher but I thought the route was lacking another good mountain stage, there was really only one stage in the Pyrenees.

2014 definitely had the best first week, right up until Contador crashed out (not really a Contador fan but if he had stayed in and dueled with Nibali it might have ended up as my #1)

2012 was the most empty feeling ever, it almost felt like the Tour didn't even happen. The route was incredibly bad and the race was over after Stage 8.

2009 was the worst route ever, although I was tempted to rank it higher than 2012 simply for the awesome Le Grand Bornand stage.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Glad to see some other people not sharing the love for the 2011 Tour, otherwise known as "a really good edition of the Dauphiné" preceded by two weeks of utter garbage. At least that final week salvaged it from the 2009 scrapheap, which I reserve for the absolute dirt worst Grand Tours of all times, with the other recent additions to the pantheon being the 2012 Giro and the 2007 Vuelta. From what I've heard the 2012 Tour belongs on it too, but I didn't watch that after the first week to judge other than skipping through what few brief highlights there were.

 

[ILovecycling]

Tough one but..

2008
2010
2007
2011
2006
2015 (maybe?)
2014
2009
2013
2012

(from the best to worst)

 

[mortand]

Re:

Glad to see some other people not sharing the love for the 2011 Tour, otherwise known as "a really good edition of the Dauphiné" preceded by two weeks of utter garbage. At least that final week salvaged it from the 2009 scrapheap, which I reserve for the absolute dirt worst Grand Tours of all times, with the other recent additions to the pantheon being the 2012 Giro and the 2007 Vuelta.

I might be easy to please, but I thoroughly enjoyed most of the 2011 version. Even some of the sprint finishes were entertaining; stage 5 to Cap Fréhel with a totally spend Cavendish only slightly beating Gilbert and Rojas in a bumpy and windy finish, Boasson Hagen overcoming a fading Matt Goss in the uphill sprint at Lisieux, and my favorite, stage 10 to Carmaux, where Gilbert and yellow jersey Voeckler attacked on a freaking category 4 climb 30 k out, destroying the High Road train, and resulting in Greipel beating an overcooked Cavendish in the sprint. The early mountain stages were ok, without being super entertaining (I missed out on the Plateau de Beille stage, though, probably my luck). And the final week were obviously phenomenal.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

2011 was the worst. Rider going backwards... unseen before. All else were more or less the same (ofc above the 2011 level).

 

[Netserk]

I'm truly surprised not more people have 2007 as the best or at least the second best. What more do you want? Epic raids from Rasmussen and Soler, awesome duel between Rasmussen and Contador on the climbs, Evans and Leipheimer so strong in the TTs that the two former had to attack, huge drama from Astana and Rabobank, Vino winning two stages, Cancellara actually winning something else than just a prologue in the Tour, crosswinds etc. It had everything! _O_

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

I'm truly surprised not more people have 2007 as the best or at least the second best. What more do you want? Epic raids from Rasmussen and Soler, awesome duel between Rasmussen and Contador on the climbs, Evans and Leipheimer so strong in the TTs that the two former had to attack, huge drama from Astana and Rabobank, Vino winning two stages, Cancellara actually winning something else than just a prologue in the Tour, crosswinds etc. It had everything! _O_

The cool guys left the Tour, that was the problem.
It was a fantastic race, but the Chicken and Astana left the Tour, it could have been an even better race.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

From most exciting to most boring:
2011
2007
2008
2006
....
....
2010
....
2009
....
2013
2014
....
....
....
2012

 

[Andro]

2007 would be number 1 if Rasmussen hadn't been thrown out. It was a bit of an empty feeling to see Contador with the yellow jersey in Paris after Rasmussen had beaten him in the mountains.

2010 is probably my pick for #1. Andy and Contador sprinting up Madeleine and doing trackstands on the climbs was great. The cobbled stage was good.

2008 right after. Very close GC battle all the way with Sastre getting a great win in the end.

2011 had the 2 most epic mountain stages of the last 10 years, but other than that it was a bit of a snooze.

2014 was decent. Really great cobbled stage but Contador abandoning made it a bit dull.

2013 and 2009 were pretty dull the whole way.

2012 was a complete abomination. It didn't even feel like the Tour. It is dead last by a very large margin.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

2007 would be number 1 if Rasmussen hadn't been thrown out. It was a bit of an empty feeling to see Contador with the yellow jersey in Paris after Rasmussen had beaten him in the mountains.

2010 is probably my pick for #1. Andy and Contador sprinting up Madeleine and doing trackstands on the climbs was great. The cobbled stage was good.

2008 right after. Very close GC battle all the way with Sastre getting a great win in the end.

2011 had the 2 most epic mountain stages of the last 10 years, but other than that it was a bit of a snooze.

2014 was decent. Really great cobbled stage but Contador abandoning made it a bit dull.

2013 and 2009 were pretty dull the whole way.

2012 was a complete abomination. It didn't even feel like the Tour. It is dead last by a very large margin.

I gues 2014 would be in the top 3 for most people if contador hadn't abandoned. The fight between him and nibali would have been epic