Most Boring WorldTour Race (In General, Not This Year)?

[bicing]

The WorldTour race calendar is the official calendar of preference for CN forumites, beating out the traditional Gregorian (i.e. Jan-Dec) calendar, the Hirji, Hebrew and the one with Chinese New Year.

Its most festive times of year are the classics, the Giro and (arguably) the Tour de France.

However, all years have their dark times. Those moments that sent bears and Russians into hibernation, those that show little-no light, days that thunder with anger and cry with sadness. We are currently witnessing one of those dark times. The Tour of Beijing, a pan flat stage race that started with a TT, the 2nd last race on the calendar. No crowds, smog, rider care factor zero, it is a depressing moment of the year.

Certainly it is a top contender for Most Boring WorldTour Race (In General, Not This Year). But taking a step back, considering the full WorldTour calendar, is it the most boring race of the year? And if not, what is? This thread discusses these very ExtraOrdinary questions.

Chinese government officials are kindly requested not to respond in the forum, so as to remove any bias.

 

[will10]

TDU obviously

 

[Midnightfright]

I voted Eneco tour because Beijing hasn't been around enough for me to comment on and the TDU is the 1st race if the season and the 1st chance to see any new teams and also a riders on new teams and the rest of the races I enjoy.

 

[roundabout]

Shame I can't vote 2.

Eneco it is then.

Edit: doh I could vote 2. too late for that.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Eneco sucks, especially when it could be so much more.

TDU is the most boring tho.

china ill wait.

 

[Arnout]

Eneco Tour. With TDU at least you can fuel your cycling addiction again, Eneco Tour is just meh in all respects, just after Tour, just before Vuelta, not interesting.

 

[Anonymous]

Eneco and Tdu are both pretty dire, but ask again once beijing is finished. I think that could well beat all records.

 

[Kvinto]

I don't like Eneco but as for this year - Paris-Nice and Catalunya.

@bicing
if you want to define the "Most Boring WorldTour Race (In General, Not This Year)" then why do you include the Tour of Beijing to the poll, just curious.

 

[Escarabajo]

I vote for four of those. Except for TdF and Milan San Remo. Really.

Me, being from Colombia I am already pi$$ed off enough for not having a UCI sanctioned race just because they are too hard. I guess we are going backwards in progression.

 

[William H]

I'll go for Poland. Mostly because of it having so many circuits.

I'm not going to pick Beijing when we've only seen two stages of it.

 

[bicing]

I don't like Eneco but as for this year - Paris-Nice and Catalunya.

@bicing
if you want to define the "Most Boring WorldTour Race (In General, Not This Year)" then why do you include the Tour of Beijing to the poll, just curious.

That question just blew my mind!!

 

[Lupetto]

Eneco and Vattenfall. The twins of boringness in August.

 

[boomcie]

I've just picked Beijing because of it's horrible place on the calendar.

After the worlds my interest in cycling usually drops temporarily.

 

[The Hitch]

Nice OP there.

I'll go for Poland. Mostly because of it having so many circuits.

So does the World Championships, FW and so will RVV

I would agree that circuits can be boring and dont neccesarily do the best job of making the race a "Tour" of Poland, but on the other hand, its good for the fans, offers something different, can make a stage very hard if 1 very hard climb is repeated many times.

Also it does bring the race around the country unlike the Tour de Melbourne Suburbs.

But none of these things neccearily make it boring.

While it has arguably had the worst field of all WT races in the last 2 years, I think most would agree that it has been a pretty exciting race.

TDU for me, followed closely by Beijing and Eneco.

 

[jens_attacks]

tdu but it's not that boring though because it comes after a long wait,a period of time when you would watch even those jayco bay criteriums so willunga hill here we come.
still from that list i voted tdu and tour of beijing

 

[Cult Classics]

Down Under. At least give Beijing til the end of the week before I crown it most boring. Down Under is also not cycling season for me. I'm in cycling hibernation between Lombardy and the Omloop more or less, waking up only occasionally to check grand tour race routes and who's signed where.

August is a dire month too.

 

[Kvinto]

I would agree that circuits can be boring and dont neccesarily do the best job of making the race a "Tour" of Poland, but on the other hand, its good for the fans, offers something different, can make a stage very hard if 1 very hard climb is repeated many times.

The most boring thing in the Tour de Pologne ain't the circuits but that silly air balloons (with the commercials placed on them) all along the road and thanks to the circuits you have the great pleasure to observe it about 10 times a stage

 

[Cult Classics]

The most boring thing in the Tour de Pologne ain't the circuits but that silly air balloons (with the commercials placed on them) all along the road and thanks to the circuits you have the great pleasure to observe it about 10 times a stage

I had a letter published in the cyclingnews letters column circa 2003 where I slated the inclusion of Tour of Poland in the proTour and was then shot down by numerous replies saying it would be a boost to Polish cycling. Well several years on there aren't really any good Polish riders, Polish teams etc and there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm for the sport there either. I suggested if a new race had to be shoved in there I'd rather see the Tour of Britain be included, and was also shot down for that. ToB is rather amateurish, granted, but from the days of no British riders in the Giro and 1 or 2 in the Tour the sport in the UK has come a long long way since then.

 

[Ruudz0r]

I've just picked Beijing because of it's horrible place on the calendar.

After the worlds my interest in cycling usually drops temporarily.

Im actually glad that there are some (televised) races after the worlds, at the start of november im already really looking forward to the start of the next season. I am also starting to look through results of the past years (I guess out of boredom) and watch some cyclocross, but really missing the real racing.

 

[barmaher]

Long-time lurker, first time poster. Tour Down Under for me. It has lots of the hallmarks of a boring race. Bad time of year. Sub-standard field not at their peak. Poor parcours. Too much bearing on the world rankings

The Beijing race will have to be terrible to match the TDU.

 

[royalpig180]

I voted tour of Beijing, but to be fair, this is a race that could redeem itself in the future. It's almost not fair to have it be an option yet, with the first edition not even completed. But right now, it's terrible. A 5 day race likely decided by a time trial on the first day.

I'm surprised so many people voted for the TdU. Yes, it's traditionally been a sprinter's snoozefest, but it is the first race of the year and always means that our winter hiatus is finally over. The course is only getting better each year and it could be a genuinely exciting race at some brief moments next year!

But let's face it, all of the above mentioned races are usually rather mediocre.

 

[Kvinto]

I had a letter published in the cyclingnews letters column circa 2003 where I slated the inclusion of Tour of Poland in the proTour and was then shot down by numerous replies saying it would be a boost to Polish cycling. Well several years on there aren't really any good Polish riders, Polish teams etc and there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm for the sport there either. I suggested if a new race had to be shoved in there I'd rather see the Tour of Britain be included, and was also shot down for that. ToB is rather amateurish, granted, but from the days of no British riders in the Giro and 1 or 2 in the Tour the sport in the UK has come a long long way since then.

You know... i don't think Tour de Pologne is a bad race at all, the non-sprinters stages are pretty entertaining, i must admit i like them (the small gaps on the finish make the impression of a classic race with different types of riders competing, which makes the event even more good) but those stages designed for sprinters are the total fail (the most boring sprinters stages i've ever seen, it's all the same: wide roads with the barriers, air ballons and the numerous circuits).
As for the Tour of Britain I honestly don't think it would be the better race than ToP.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Not sure how, in it's inaugural year and after one road stage, Beijing manages to rival the TDU as the crappiest WT race.
Tomorrow might be........average!
The TDU has a long, established history of being shite.
It's like voting for California over the Giro.

 

[Echoes]

Bore de France, obviously ...

With TDU at least you can fuel your cycling addiction again,

Why?

 

[Kvinto]

maybe because it's the first race of the year (after a 3 month break)?