Rate La Doyenne 2016

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Problem with reducing team size is it's easy to say as a spectator, but it just makes it even more difficult to win if you're a marked man, and is it really fair to have the odds stacked against you like that if you're the top cyclist on certain terrain?

Yes the Olympics road race is like that, and is a great spectacle pretty much every time, but I think one race like that is more than enough. If you are the strongest, you deserve a reasonably high chance of winning.

There are other solutions such as moving the toughest climbs further from the finish and making the finish easier

I never really thought about that but yeah you are probably right. If teams suddenly get too small the favorites might have such a bad chance of winning that it just becomes a lottery and classics get less important for the riders who are the strongest.
Nevertheless if you only reduce the size by one or two riders I don't see a problem. We should try to get back the times where racing was at its best because back then the favorites also often won but it was just more difficult for them. The mistake would be to try to make it even more chaotic than that.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Problem with reducing team size is it's easy to say as a spectator, but it just makes it even more difficult to win if you're a marked man, and is it really fair to have the odds stacked against you like that if you're the top cyclist on certain terrain?

Lol

 

[barmaher]

It wasn't a very good race, agreed.

But I have seen way, way worse races.

I enjoyed the last 15km or so. Betancur, Zakarin, Rosa all put in interesting digs. Then it was nice to see a different set of four riders make the selection.

5/10 from me.

 

[jaylew]

Gave it a 4. Would have been a Gerrans if that racist jerk Albasini had won, though

 

[42x16ss]

Gave it 4/10, mostly because of the weather, Betancur showing some form and some new protagonists for a change.

 

[BrentonOfTheNorth]

2/10 with 2 points thanks to Betancur attack. Seeing him attack reminds me of his crazy attack on the mur de huy years ago, which gives good memories while watching a boring race.