Tour de France Rate Tour de France 2023

[SafeBet]

Probably not as good as last year's but pretty damn good regardless.
First week was mental, very likely the best GT first week I've ever witnessed. Second week was good despite the two top riders not going all out. Third week didn't hold much suspence but there were two iconic stages: one of the most dominant TT wins ever and Pogacar bonking for the first time in his career. In ten years those will be the moments I will remember about this Tour. A bit sad that the Vosges stage (probably the best design in the race) wasn't properly raced by the GC guys but that's the risk of such profiles at the end of a GT.
Also, breakway action was top notch.

An 8 for me.

 

[tobydawq]

8 (I voted 9 but have since regretted it).

And can anyone please remove the cedilla from the e in the thread title, my eyes are hurting! @Red Rick

 

[SafeBet]

8 (I voted 9 but have since regretted it).

And can anyone please remove the cedilla from the e in the thread title, my eyes are hurting! @Red Rick

Lol I thought my screen was dirty and tried scratching it out

 

[Bavarianrider]

The riders made the most out of the route that`s for sure.
Once again it was proofen that long attacks among GC riders work and that you don`t need super steep climbs to create separation and gaps.
In a way the offensive nature of today`s top GC guys makes me angry and sad that we had to endure so many snoozefestes in the past when everyone was just waiting.

 

[Berniece]

Decent Tour, not enough crazy rides from WVA and MVDP

 

[Netserk]

8 (I voted 9 but have since regretted it).

And can anyone please remove the cedilla from the e in the thread title, my eyes are hurting! @Red Rick

You can change your vote. But maybe that is as difficult as posting an image?

 

[tobydawq]

You can change your vote. But maybe that is as difficult as posting an image?

No, it was a bit easier.

 

[buddy buddy buddy]

I give it 3,7. I have watched every TDF since being introduced to cycling by my math teacher in fifth grade Nils Bruun and this is a long ways from the great battles with Bernard van der Mercxks and his tough opponents from the Netherlands like Joeoep Zoetemoelk and Stevie van Blijlevjrens, Pascal Züllemann from Switzerland who had a deep fear of cars so he had to take the train and who can forget Greg Horner, the wild rebel from the USA.

For me IMHO opinion the racing was pretty boring compared to the recklessness that used to be the norm. Like the time Greg Horner showed up limping and mumbling from a bad encounter with some raccoons on a fishing trip in South Dakota and still won the whole damn thing on a diet of french fries and milk shakes and escargot smoothies. Oh Lord. I still tear up when I think about his post stage interviews that we watched hundreds of times. It was so hard to make out what he was saying because of the stitches around his mouth where the raccoons had slashed his face. Also his french wasn't that good. Well well well enough of the reminiscing.

Worst things
when Felix Gall worked for no reason and chased down Thibaut Pinot
not enough goats
Astana, once such a great team reduced to support a sprinter, Luis Leon Sanchez as leadout guy wtf
Alexey Lutsenko wasn't in great condition
too much Rackham, Tintin is unfunny & boring anyway
too much Voigt
that Vingegaard was a little too careful and attentive in the last couple of stages, he kind of reverted to last year's Pais Vasco type of racing, looking around too much instead of just choosing something to do; either go to the front and choose a tempo (the natural choice) or stay behind Pogacar because if there's an attack he just sees it a fraction of a second later anyway

best poster the Cloegger covered the best parts

9.5

Vingo GC and stage
Pedersen stage
Asgreen stage

I missed seeing Magnus Cort in breaks, he was absent the entire tour. With a bit of luck Pedersen and/or Asgreen could have won a second stage. Skjelmose did well, but I had hoped he would be top 10 GC contender.

 

[Põhja Konn]

What made last year so great is that coming into the race Pogacar has a feeling of invincibility. Even after stage 11, a lot of people thought Pogacar would turn it around, given Vingegaard had never won a grand tour before. All of the mountain stages had action from at least 30km+ out (apart from Alpe d'huez).
Don't get me wrong, this years edition was still a fabulous race, but IMO last years was better.

The balance between action and suspense was so much better this year though. Last year Pog couldn't open a bike lenght worth of a gap on Vingegaard even on climbs more suitable for his greater explosivity like PdBF and Mende, and after losing 3 minutes on Granon there was an air of inevitability to Vingegaards eventual win. Pog started throwing hail marys left, right and centre, but the end result never looked in doubt, there was no weakness showing in Danes armor. While it was fun to watch, singnificant amout of suspense was missing.

This years race just had more twists and turns and drama, with many more openings for differenct scenarios (at least theoretically) during the first two weeks. I mean nobody really could predict Vinge going above and beyond in the TT to the extent he actually did. Then Pog having a jour sans the next day on Loze was somewhat more predictable, but not exactly the most expected of outcomes. And then it even had room for little epilogue with Pinot's swansong ride on Petit Ballon.

While last year had one enormously momentuous stage and lots of fun racing beside that, this last edition was, at least for me, emotionally more gripping, suspenseful and interesting to watch. I rate it between 8 and 9, but rounded it up to 9 for the poll, because I really did enjoy this edition. Clearly the best Tour I've seen.

 

[kingjr]

Don't know what rating to give, but had a great time watching the race, as every year since 1997 (aside from maybe 2014), and will keep watching in the years to come until my dying day.

 

[pmcg76]

Gave it a 7, like many thought it was going to be an all-time classic, but the last week was a damp squib for the Overall, though the race for the 3rd podium spot was pretty good. First week was great though I didn't get to see much live due to work

After a drop in sprint stages last year, back to the usual 6 or more which loses a point for me.

 

[jmdirt]

Every year I complain about this thread because so many people rate the GTs so low. 7, 8, 9 with high percent for this one...my hope is restored!

9

A lot of winners from breaks
A solid GC battle
Good sprints

Best TdF of the year!

 

[Gratemans]

Every year I complain about this thread because so many people rate the GTs so low. 7, 8, 9 with high percent for this one...my hope is restored!

9

A lot of winners from breaks
A solid GC battle
Good sprints

Best TdF of the year!

It was a great TdF and this TdF was infinitely better than the Giro.
The Giro should get their *** together.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Every year I complain about this thread because so many people rate the GTs so low. 7, 8, 9 with high percent for this one...my hope is restored!

9

A lot of winners from breaks
A solid GC battle
Good sprints

Best TdF of the year!

I'm thinking some of the posters here have some sort of pride and/or money game going on, let us not judge them too harshly.

EDIT: I think it should go without saying these type of posters are incapable of being objective.

 

[senna6541]

Thought Luke Rowe made a good point on the Watts Occurring podcast - points subtracted because there were no crosswind stages. Not enough true classic/puncher type stages in general. Good tour though.

 

[dazaau]

The scale includes from 5 and below as well, I guess this is new to you?

If you do a bit of googling you will see that people often choose 7 if their experience was acceptable but not great. It is viewed by some as the magic number on a scale of 1-10 where people go for a non-offensive score. Some consider it average. I suspect if you have taken a poll about something you don't really care or feel strongly about you'll hand out sevens.

The days after the TT weren't great. But they were still average. The first two weeks were amazing by all accounts. I gave it a 9. Understand an 8. 7 seems a bit rough for what was talked about as the greatest tour in history until the apparently greatest TT performance in history put it to bed.

In any case the scores have changed in the poll with more votes and at the end of the day much of cycling is excitement of the anticipations followed by the letdown. Like riders fans are also used to disappointment and misfortune.

 

[OlavEH]

EDIT: I think it should go without saying these type of posters are incapable of being objective.

See you gave it a 9. What makes that more objective than someone rating it a 7?

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

The days after the TT weren't great. But they were still average. The first two weeks were amazing by all accounts. I gave it a 9. Understand an 8. 7 seems a bit rough for what was talked about as the greatest tour in history until the apparently greatest TT performance in history put it to bed.

Stages 18+19 are amongst the best stages across stage races I've witnessed for quite a while.
Those alone was worth a clean '10' in my world.
I understand for the part of one-eyed viewers that the only thing they care about is GC battles, and by this take I understand a '6' or '7', the GC race bring a '9' or even '10' until the TT. So by that POV (of which I'm not counting myself) a 'sub 5' would be logical if we've not had a GC battle like the two first weeks, especially the first week.
But I suffer with those guys and girls are prevented by their blinders to identify every nuances and the races within the race and the struggles and successes not related to the GC.

 

[dazaau]

Stages 18+19 are amongst the best stages across stage races I've witnessed for quite a while.
Those alone was worth a clean '10' in my world.
I understand for the part of one-eyed viewers that the only thing they care about is GC battles, and by this take I understand a '6' or '7', the GC race bring a '9' or even '10' until the TT. So by that POV (of which I'm not counting myself) a 'sub 5' would be logical if we've not had a GC battle like the two first weeks, especially the first week.
But I suffer with those guys and girls are prevented by their blinders to identify every nuances and the races within the race and the struggles and successes not related to the GC.

I really enjoyed the last mountain stage. Just had a lot of interesting stories tired up in it. Pinot, Ciccone, Gall, Pogacar, Carlos battling it out despite a massive crash. I really enjoyed it.

GC race was dead, but it was still great.

 

[fbjim]

despite the time gap being different, i thought it was much more tense than 2022, given that Pogacar did not drop Vingegaard at any point in last year's tour.

That said there wasn't one stage that I would point to as an all-time day of insanity like Granon or Hautacam last year, instead it was more or less three weeks of consistently very good stages, with Cambasque and Morzine being my favorites. Great break stages, especially in the last two weeks. Easy 8.

 

[tobydawq]

I give it 3,7. I have watched every TDF since being introduced to cycling by my math teacher in fifth grade Nils Bruun and this is a long ways from the great battles with Bernard van der Mercxks and his tough opponents from the Netherlands like Joeoep Zoetemoelk and Stevie van Blijlevjrens, Pascal Züllemann from Switzerland who had a deep fear of cars so he had to take the train and who can forget Greg Horner, the wild rebel from the USA.

For me IMHO opinion the racing was pretty boring compared to the recklessness that used to be the norm. Like the time Greg Horner showed up limping and mumbling from a bad encounter with some raccoons on a fishing trip in South Dakota and still won the whole damn thing on a diet of french fries and milk shakes and escargot smoothies. Oh Lord. I still tear up when I think about his post stage interviews that we watched hundreds of times. It was so hard to make out what he was saying because of the stitches around his mouth where the raccoons had slashed his face. Also his french wasn't that good. Well well well enough of the reminiscing.

Worst things
when Felix Gall worked for no reason and chased down Thibaut Pinot
not enough goats
Astana, once such a great team reduced to support a sprinter, Luis Leon Sanchez as leadout guy wtf
Alexey Lutsenko wasn't in great condition
too much Rackham, Tintin is unfunny & boring anyway
too much Voigt
that Vingegaard was a little too careful and attentive in the last couple of stages, he kind of reverted to last year's Pais Vasco type of racing, looking around too much instead of just choosing something to do; either go to the front and choose a tempo (the natural choice) or stay behind Pogacar because if there's an attack he just sees it a fraction of a second later anyway

best poster the Cloegger covered the best parts

Uhh

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Uhh

Yes, you might be slightly confused because Pascal Züllemann was actually afraid of horses and they had to do a lot of riding on horseback at bike races before the bicycle was invented.