Ranking this year's GTs

[Moondance]

So, another year of GT cycling is behind us, so now the real discussion begins, which one was this year's best? How do you even measure that?

Is it the race where your favorite cyclist did best? The one with the best parcours? The one which featured the most spectacular climbing? Or is it the one where the battle for for the GC was the most nail-biting?

Define your own criteria and let the discussing begin!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

giro (even if the race for first place was boring) > > > tour > vuelta

 

[Ferminal]

Can't really split them, all had their good and bad, but overall were well above par.

 

[Moondance]

For me, it's about excitement. And if I look back, i think I'll go with Tour > Vuelta > Giro.

Sacrilege to put the Giro last, but Bertie was just too dominant. There were certainly some very good stages, Nieve's win for instance. But it was telling that in the last week I was more interested in seeing whether Steven Kruijswijk made the Top-10 than the battle for the podium.

Tour was the best in years. Really good. Vuelta was also close, but lacked a bit of drama.

 

[spalco]

I liked all three this year, although all had their flaws
- Giro: So much Contador awesomeness that everything else was eclipsed a little bit. And of course Wouter Weylandt.
- Tour: Great edition, but too many crashes that took out contender which resulted in an unworthy winner (imo, don't crucify me).
- Vuelta: Also very exciting and with very unexpected contenders. Hopefully the results don't get changed retroactively.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

giro (even if the race for first place was boring) > > > tour > vuelta

reasoning;

most entertaining. without the need of crashes to create chaos. Unfortunately it also had it downs, for obvious heartbreaking reasons. Stage 4 of the giro, especially the final km is something i will never forget, one of, if not the most, special moment of the season for me.

 

[maltiv]

Gotta be TDF > Giro > Vuelta if I'm perfectly honest, although I know it's more popular to be a giro fan here but in reality nothing can compare to the TDF feeling for me. Particularly considering the battle for 1st place was sealed after 10 stages in the giro.

 

[goggalor]

Giro had some great racing, but the GC was never exciting. The Tour had good racing and an intense GC battle, even if the Pyrenees were boring. The Vuelta was OK, I loved the Angliru, but I never get to follow this race as closely as the others, and it's not spectacular enough to make up for its lack of prestige.

So Tour>Giro>Vuelta for me.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

It actually is a hard year this year.
Giro, great route. Shame Contador won that easily, taking away the excitement early. But he can't help that.

Tour, decent route for a Tour if you look at the stages one by one. But did they have to be put in that order? Became a battle of the last man standing until the first mountain finally showed up. Only for those first mountain to be completely useless. Shame Contador was riding, because without him people might have had more courage to attack. The Tour became a great one week race, probably the best of the year.

Vuelta, lots of interesting finishes. Tons of excitement in both the overall and the point classification until the end. The quality of the riders in the top of the ranking is questionable. But the racing was exciting, even with lesser names.

So when ranked for overall excitement in three weeks:
1) Vuelta
2) Giro
3) Tour

When ranked for peak excitement:
1) Tour
2) Giro
3) Vuelta

 

[jsem94]

Tour = Giro > Vuelta

Vuelta was ruined by windy hills, and the only gaps we saw was on Angliru.
Tour had only the final week being good.
Giro was too dominated by AC.

Overall a pretty weak GT year, sadly.

 

[Moondance]

Can't really split them, all had their good and bad, but overall were well above par.

Would certainly agree. Tour was the best in many, many years. Had so many things going for it. Vuelta was incredibly exciting as well, where every break had the chance to reshape the Top-10 if it stayed away, and the GC was tight until the final mountain stage. Giro was good, but the GC battle took the shine off the best parcours.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I agree they were all pretty close this year.

Giro for it's course I guess coud be conisdered dissapointing, but it still produced some amazing stages.

I guess they were also above par, maybe not by much. I don't think the tour was as great as some said it as. I was dissapointed in the mountains anyway.

 

[dlwssonic]

Its too great not to mention, though out of topic. 2009giro>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>all of this years GT combined

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I voted Giro > Tour > Vuelta.

I think the Giro was the best GT even though it lacked in excitement due to the dominance of Contador. However, there were some amazing stages and amazing performances by various riders.
The Tour also was very good but the route was crap compared to the Giro and it lacked excitement in quite a few stages.
I don't think the Vuelta was that good to be honest. Sure it was close between Cobo and Froome (wow this feels weird writing ) but there were only a few exciting stages.

Would have loved to see Contador not doing the Giro and being 100% focused on the Tour. Both races would have been really amazing in that case.

 

[Moondance]

Tour = Giro > Vuelta

Vuelta was ruined by windy hills, and the only gaps we saw was on Angliru.
Tour had only the final week being good.
Giro was too dominated by AC.

Overall a pretty weak GT year, sadly.

2007 was a weak year. Di Luca with a rather lacklustre Giro win, a reasonably exciting Tour marred by major controversy, and a Vuelta with the weakest GT parcours in my lifetime.

This year featured two very exciting GTs (Tour & Vuelta) and a Giro which was a slight disappointment compared to the previous years.

 

[Descender]

Can't split them, but they were certainly all below par.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Its too great not to mention, though out of topic. 2009giro>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>all of this years GT combined

i assume you mean 2010

 

[rzombie1988]

Giro>Tour>Vuelta

I got to watch all of the good stages of the Giro and loved it. Contador smashing people was art. If you are going to win, win big. He made everyone look second class. Had so many great stages including the epic where Nieve won. I loved Rujano's performances, as well as Steven K. getting in the top 10. Also enjoyed J-Rod. I did skip pretty much all the sprints though as there is no point in wasting my time on those. Screw anyone who was complaining about there being too many mountains. I watched so many more stages due to the mountains than I would have otherwise. Don't get rid of mountains, add more! If you really want to see hard racing for only the last 3 km in sprint stages, then enjoy, but that's not what I want to see.

I didn't get to watch the tour live for most stages and to be honest, watching it delayed is not the same. I did get to watch alot of it, but I already knew what happened by the time it did. Had I been watching live when Contador got dropped I would have gone crazy in excitement and would have also been really excited for Schleck's big solo run. I did really enjoy following it though and with alot of the small hill finishes, it was much more exciting than previous years. It was the first tour in a few years I didn't get to watch live, so I hope next year I can go back to my routine. I get more excited for the 3 weeks in July than anything else. If you didn't enjoy the TDF, then I don't know really what to tell you as it was much better than previous years.

I watched a decent chunk of the Vuelta. I didn't get super involved with it though. Too many big names skipped out and there weren't enough mountain stages for me. Didn't bother with the flat stages. I thought the Angliru was eh. I got bothered by someone while watching it so it didn't sink in, but they made that stage look so much easier than it did with Contador in 2008. It really didn't feel like it was that big of a deal. I was disappointed as I loved the previous Angliru climbs.

I'm sad that it's the end of the GT's for this year, but here's hope to another GT getting added in the future. The big break between them sucks! I don't think that next year can compare to this year though. You had two super competitive GT's with tons of guys coming out of nowhere, then the mountains buffet with the Giro which made for alot of great stages. With Contador going to be owning everyone like usual in the tour next year, it probably won't be that exciting. The Giro in particular will probably be not as good with GEOX not sending the big names to the Giro and everyone saving up for the Tour. I'll also be wishing for Rasmussen to somehow get his team in there. My hopes for the Vuelta next year are that more people enter it. No excuse for everyone except the TDF winner not to enter. Looking forward to seeing Valverde in there for sure.

 

[Ferminal]

i assume you mean 2010

Nah Menchov is joining BMC

 

[hfer07]

Tour-Vuelta-Giro
Everything comes down to the thrilling edge of uncertainty-Both Tour & Vuelta kept us guessing what was going to happen the next day-while the Giro was mostly a one Rider's domination-not expressing that wasn't exiting at all-but not as much as the other two GT's.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I voted Giro>Vuelta>Tour.
I understand a lot of people here say Contador ruined the Giro by being to dominant, but for me, as a fan, it was fantastic.

 

[dlwssonic]

Yeah I meant 2010 sorry.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

the giro was great. i actually love watching ac dominate.

the tour was diminished by crashes so the field was a bit weakened. great result for cadel though.

the vuelta had good tight racing. but the course was weird. and the lack of quality sprinters in the second and third week is always a problem. love watching sagan win.

 

[Kwibus]

Enjoyed all 3 of them.

 

[hrotha]

Tour>Giro=>Vuelta