Rate the Giro 2018

[Armchair Cyclist]

I would have given it one less mark if I hadn't voted before today's declaration that posing for cameras is more important than racing.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

I gave it a 3. It was great race until stage 19 when the Magic Kenyan, who shouldn't even have been riding, turned it into a FARCE.

This is the exact reason I gave it a 6. It was great until stage 19 when it became a farce.

 

[Mayo from Mayo]

I'm not going to register a vote in this. If it was a Royal Rumble I'd give it a 10. The arch-villain appears to be down and out but then makes a miraculous comeback and remains the Champion for the next series.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Too many sprint stages (seven! with no top-level sprinters in the peloton!), too many Unipublic stages like Gran Sasso, Etna, Montevergine di Mercogliano, Prato Nevoso. Not enough interesting stages in the middle or in the hills and only two breakaway wins. Farce of the opening three stages and then a farce in the Alps

The highlights for me were the Sappada stage, the fight between the break on Prato Nevoso, seeing Carapaz win, Androni in 20/21 breakaways (especially Masnada on Gran Sasso), Yates attacking up to Chaves on Etna, Giulio Ciccone's various attempts.

I can't rate any race highly where the winner shouldn't be here and probably won't have the title in a few months...


lol...

https://twitter.com/friebos/status/1000813678147534848

@friebos

Giro d'Italia vintages, 2003-2018:

* * * * *
* * * * 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
* * * 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2016
* * 2003, 2006, 2007, 2013
* 2011

There is so much wrong with that list. I would usually complain about 17 being up there with 05, 15 and 18 but what the hell is 14 doing there. And one star for 2011? I only know one reason why that should be the case and in that case 18 should have gotten one star too

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yeah, that is an absolute horrible list by an otherwise very respectable journalist. 2011 with one star is obviously bull, but 2012 with three AND 2014 with four are just utter trash to be honest.. that was one extremely bad Giro and one very meh one.

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

Too many sprint stages (seven! with no top-level sprinters in the peloton!), too many Unipublic stages like Gran Sasso, Etna, Montevergine di Mercogliano, Prato Nevoso. Not enough interesting stages in the middle or in the hills and only two breakaway wins. Farce of the opening three stages and then a farce in the Alps

The highlights for me were the Sappada stage, the fight between the break on Prato Nevoso, seeing Carapaz win, Androni in 20/21 breakaways (especially Masnada on Gran Sasso), Yates attacking up to Chaves on Etna, Giulio Ciccone's various attempts.

I can't rate any race highly where the winner shouldn't be here and probably won't have the title in a few months...


lol...

https://twitter.com/friebos/status/1000813678147534848

@friebos

Giro d'Italia vintages, 2003-2018:

* * * * *
* * * * 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
* * * 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2016
* * 2003, 2006, 2007, 2013
* 2011

There is so much wrong with that list. I would usually complain about 17 being up there with 05, 15 and 18 but what the hell is 14 doing there. And one star for 2011? I only know one reason why that should be the case and in that case 18 should have gotten one star too

Who rates 2004 higher than 2003, not even Cunego's parents would say something like that!
Such a horrible list, wow!

 

[roundabout]

Re:

Yeah, that is an absolute horrible list by an otherwise very respectable journalist. 2011 with one star is obviously bull, but 2012 with three AND 2014 with four are just utter trash to be honest.. that was one extremely bad Giro and one very meh one.

2011 was actually kinda boring apart from 1 stage. I thought Grossglockner was very underwhelming (even for a first stage in the block) and it had probably the worst Finestre stage.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Yeah, that is an absolute horrible list by an otherwise very respectable journalist. 2011 with one star is obviously bull, but 2012 with three AND 2014 with four are just utter trash to be honest.. that was one extremely bad Giro and one very meh one.

2011 was actually kinda boring apart from 1 stage. I thought Grossglockner was very underwhelming (even for a first stage in the block) and it had probably the worst Finestre stage.

Giro 2011 had a pretty boring/tragic first 7 stages, then Contador murdered everone on the Etna and spread the ashes on the Grossglockner. After that it was a pretty eventful fight for 2nd, which wasn't helped at all by the fact that Nibali, who had to attack Scarponi for 2nd, didn't have the legs to do so.

Looking back I actually wonder how in my mind they were very clearly 2nd and 3rd even though they seemingly didn't do anything special to get there.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

Too many sprint stages (seven! with no top-level sprinters in the peloton!)

Leaving aside whether Viviani and Bennett count as top level, surely there were six? Unless you are counting stage 12 and if you are counting that then bring on more “sprint stages”!

 

[roundabout]

Eventful fight? I don't remember any of that on stages other than stage 15 apart from Nibali being in trouble on the Finestre

 

[Pricey_sky]

9. Hard and tough racing all the way through.

Pink jersey attacking in the first two weeks wherever he could before cracking and fading badly. Epic 80k solo to win the race, podium spots not decided until stage 20. A good sprint battle between Viviani and Bennett, even potentially boring stages like Wednesday were brutal.

 

[laughingcavalier]

I give it a 9. Something to watch nearly every day after they arrived in Italy. Plus all that drama of the two horse race and the third horse winning.

 

[oldcrank]

I gave it a 10 for all the obvious reasons, but actually
wanted to give it an 11 for the 11 stages won by riders
that have also won some sort of points race title on the
track:
-Sam Bennett (3 stages) was the 2008 Euro Jnr. Points Race champ
-Rohan Dennis (1 stage) was the 2008 Aussie Jnr. Points Race champ
-Elia Viviani (4 stages) was the 2007 Euro Jnr., the 2011 Euro U23 and
the 2012 and 2013 Euro Elite Points Race champ
-Simon Yates (3 stages) was 2013 World Points Race champ

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I gave it a 10 for all the obvious reasons, but actually
wanted to give it an 11 for the 11 stages won by riders
that have also won some sort of points race title on the
track:
-Sam Bennett (3 stages) was the 2008 Euro Jnr. Points Race champ
-Rohan Dennis (1 stage) was the 2008 Aussie Jnr. Points Race champ
-Elia Viviani (4 stages) was the 2007 Euro Jnr., the 2011 Euro U23 and
the 2012 and 2013 Euro Elite Points Race champ
-Simon Yates (3 stages) was 2013 World Points Race champ

That’s hilarious. How the hell did you know about all of these junior points race champs?

 

[fantomas]

I gave it 10. But as someone put it: "We'll be talking about this Giro in ten years, but we don't know if that's good or bad."

 

[Escarabajo]

This Giro had 2 very good stages. Very good. One of them legendary. I just didn't like the winner and Yates and Pinot plummeting down the way they did. Not ready to rate it.

Need to wait until how many times do I watch the stage videos again!

 

[More Strides than Rides]

9

Week by week: 6-8-10.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

I gave it 10. But as someone put it: "We'll be talking about this Giro in ten years, but we don't know if that's good or bad."

Honestly I think that's an overrated thing cause that puts emphasis on a single moment and doesn't really assess if the GT was good throughout.

 

[More Strides than Rides]

Re:

This Giro had 2 very good stages. Very good. One of them legendary. I just didn't like the winner and Yates and Pinot plummeting down the way they did. Not ready to rate it.

Need to wait until how many times do I watch the stage videos again!

I want to say that I appreciated Pinot and Yates (and Aru, Dennis, a lot others...) and their respective cracks. Of course, not out of ill will or lack of empathy, but because that human side of racing is rarely seen. There is something incredible about being at the limit. I really respect the way each of those guys absolutely buried themselves.

 

[fantomas]

Re: Re:

I gave it 10. But as someone put it: "We'll be talking about this Giro in ten years, but we don't know if that's good or bad."

Honestly I think that's an overrated thing cause that puts emphasis on a single moment and doesn't really assess if the GT was good throughout.

Then why woukld you ever have reason to give a ten? We aren't living in the age of Coppi or even Hinault, and have to grade it accordingly,

 

[oldcrank]

I gave it a 10 for all the obvious reasons, but actually
wanted to give it an 11 for the 11 stages won by riders
that have also won some sort of points race title on the
track:
-Sam Bennett (3 stages) was the 2008 Euro Jnr. Points Race champ
-Rohan Dennis (1 stage) was the 2008 Aussie Jnr. Points Race champ
-Elia Viviani (4 stages) was the 2007 Euro Jnr., the 2011 Euro U23 and
the 2012 and 2013 Euro Elite Points Race champ
-Simon Yates (3 stages) was 2013 World Points Race champ

That’s hilarious. How the hell did you know about all of these junior points race champs?

If you coach jnr. and youth riders that have access to a velodrome it's good to know those
kind of facts to counter arguments from 15 and 16 year old riders (and some times their
parents!) that think they should be doing 7 hour rides "because Froomey does."

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

I gave it 10. But as someone put it: "We'll be talking about this Giro in ten years, but we don't know if that's good or bad."

Honestly I think that's an overrated thing cause that puts emphasis on a single moment and doesn't really assess if the GT was good throughout.

Then why woukld you ever have reason to give a ten? We aren't living in the age of Coppi or even Hinault, and have to grade it accordingly,

Because there's action every day?

The Giro 2010 is an example. That's the standard I have. So many epic moments.

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

9. Without the first 3 stages (seems like a different race now), probably a 10. I"m not a big Froome guy, but the race had everything.

 

[hfer07]

Il Giro has always been my favorite GT and have never failed in getting good rates - BUT, I simply cannot rate a race with sooo many wrong moments and outcomes, going from Yates all the way to the Magic Kenyan's win...

I'm extremely disappointed...

 

[Moviefan1203]

One of the best grand tours in recent memory. An epic race.