Rate the 2022 Tour de France

[Red Rick]

Final 2 GC stages made me go from thinking I was watching the best Tour since I started watching cycling to not being sure wtf I was watching.

 

[Netserk]

9
Sure, not the closest race, but incredibly entertaining. The real question is what Netserk will rate it. Best Tour I‘ve seen.
Accidentally voted 10

10

Clearly the best edition of the past decade.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm biased and cannot possibly give a neutral rating.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

9 - more entertaining stages than any GT I can remember watching. Pogi and Wout made the race, no doubt about that. Would be a 10 if Roglic hadn’t crashed and/or Pogi had made it closer in the end.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

10

Clearly the best edition of the past decade.

2019 better

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

2019 better

Mate. 2019 didnt even happen... literally

 

[Tricycle Rider]

A fine and memorable Tour this was, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[RedheadDane]

Mate. 2019 didnt even happen... literally

Bernal is gonna be quite sad to hear that...

 

[Bolder]

A solid 8. The mountain stages were nonstop action, and the cobbles delivered, too. The Galibier/Granon stage was the best single TdF stage I can recall in years. That moment when Pog was dropped was completely unexpected.

A slight drawback was the actual stages in Denmark. The Danish fans were fabulous, and to have Vingegaard win was the cherry on top. But the parcours didn't quite measure up.

What kept it from a 10 would be something to discuss in the Clinic.

 

[Bolder]

2019 better

Surely you troll. They didn't even finish the race.

 

[titan31]

I went 8. GC not being that close, crashes having a decent effect on the non top 2 GC battle and some pretty meh stages (looking at the Danish stages in particular) drop points for me.

 

[Rollthedice]

That's what you get when it's scripted by Netflix. Very good entertainment.

 

[Miha81]

9

I would give it a 10 if somehow the decision would go down to wire in the ITT. But we had that in 2020 edition so we can not get it every year

 

[CyclistAbi]

Objectively it was a good Tour edition. Hence i won't vote this time. I don't want to spoil the average.

 

[Tim Cahill]

7 I think, enjoyed lots of the racing but a lot of the same in terms of the winners, Pog, Visma, sprinters. Houle and Clarke aside, there was nowhere near enough unfancied outsiders getting a day in the sun which I enjoy, and the gaps between teams are rather worrying. Pidcock's descent my favourite moment.

2003 is the best I've watched, though Jan falling in the rain at the end still crushes me.

 

[Gratemans]

Ignoring issues belonging to another subforum and focusing on this Tour as a standalone media product, I will give it an 8. I think it's the best Tour I've ever seen from start to finish (started in 2004 following every stage).

Would be a 10 if Pogi managed to take back some time in the Pyrenees to bring the GC decision to the last stage.

^ exactly this, basically.

 

[OlavEH]

Trying to choose between 8 or 9, so 8,5/10.

The high mountain stages are great, best in a long, long time. Both Granon and Hautacam stages delivered better than expected.

The deduction is mainly because of the overemphasized focus on uphill/mountainous finished and the lack of quality of the GC contenders behind top 3. We really don't need 9 HTFs/MTFs. 6 or 7 would be enough and it could be replaced with more typical breakway stages or/and a big descent finish (the Foix stage isn't really that).

 

[Peyroteo94]

A solid 9 because this race missed the final WTF moment like the one we had in 2020 or 2018 Giro or 2016 Giro. But thanks to Pogi, this Tour is one for the ages

 

[houtdffan]

mountain stages except for ADH were raced properly. Seemed like an 80s tour in that regard

Just need to bring back the full length TTs

I gave this an 8

 

[Carols]

8 really an 8.5. Darned good race, Cort was charming until he had to leave the race. Pogi looked great in the Alps, then the old one, two in Stage 11 and Vingo making Pogi fold like a cheap suit made it a different race. One never knew until Hautacam that Pogi wouldn't be able to pull off a scathing attack and bring back 2 minutes. But there is a new King in town. All the Wout adoration wore on my nerves after a while.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Voted 9. It was really an 8 but gave it a bonus point for putting bookending the race with the most worthless stages. I was able to travel during the first weekend and this weekend could fully concentrate on imaging what was happening in Tour de Wallonie if it had actually been televised.

Still, the best Tour this century. It's rare that you even get one mountain stage worth watching before the final climb and this edition had three! The pavee stage wasn't as good 2014 but still an enjoyable 1st week stage. Plus few boring sprint stages. And lol at posters who wanted more ITTs. "Have to balance out the excitement with full day of dullness!"

Then you had the 2009 Contador-Astana vibes on J-V for additional drama. Vingegaard's top domestique literally quit mid-race to prepare for the Vuelta! Then there's Mr. HeylookatmeI'mridingoffthefrontagain. I mean I kind of get it. When you've only just barely been able to win a single monument in your entire career and you're not quite as handsome as Filippo Pozzato, you gotta do something to get attention. V can thank his lucky stars that at least Sepp Kuss actually does his job.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

OK so clearly I don't help my own case by giving very short posts and not explaining myself. Because I don have all day to sit and type. But I'm not trolling and I will try and explain.

First of all I don't know how I am rating this race

-As a Tour de France?
-As a grand tour?
-As a race?

If this is a 10/10, does the 2016 Giro get an 11 or 12?

Anyway, I think this tour is overrated here. Partially because of stage 11. Which was one of the best stages I have seen in the Tour. That will be what people remember.

And I have to say it was a good tour. Because on that stage we saw the invincible dethroned. But outside of that, there was not much going on.

We had 2 stratospheric robots dropping the rest, thomas flailing behind and then a bunch of other guys dripping across the line. There was 1 team that dominated the race, total lack of sprint drama, total inevitability of the gc result after alpe dhuez (which was not a very good stage), contenders crashing out on a demolition style cobble stage etc.

And of course for me personally, it felt like there was not a lot of character in the race. A lacking of narratives, of different riders coming and going as the days passed, just the same three thermonuclear robots.

I would say this tour is a 6.5 or a 7, and the 2019 tour is for me a 7.5, it had so much more going on. I can elaborate more

 

[Filippo_3467]

Surely you troll. They didn't even finish the race.

Yes the cancellation of the last climb on stage 19 was a pity there and also the shortened stage 20 lead to a anticlimatic finish. But overall this was the most open and fun Tour until then.

The Tour this year was more dull in the early stages of the race. Not that much happening in the first week and also not that much enjoyable breakaway fights because of the nervous peleton.

I give it an 7 as it was in the end really not close but Pogacar and van Aert were really great. Also thee big gaps in GC leave me a little bit speechless. Took me back to a time in bike racing were I lost interest in the sport and just gained it back 16/17. Not that interested in having that for the next few years tbh. Also the polka dot and green fight really sucked this year.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

When you've only just barely been able to win a single monument in your entire career and you're not quite as handsome as Filippo Pozzato, you gotta do something to get attention

Thank you for this, it sums things up very well

 

[BR2]

I didn't enjoy it.