Re: Re:
I’m not sure that I’ve ever disagreed more fundamentally with a not insane post here before!
One day races and stage races are different, but both are core parts of the sport. Both categories include very prestigious races and both have included very prestigious races for more than a century. Over time, there has been a certain concentration of prestige at two poles: the Monuments and WCRR among one day races and the three GTs among stage races. The other classics have become very much subordinate to the main six, while among stage races the Vuelta has become more prestigious and all non three week stage races have become marginal.
There is a logic to that marginalization: if you are measuring stage racing ability, then three week races are obviously the biggest and best tests. But one day races aren’t about measuring stage race ability. They are about something else entirely: one do or die effort over (usually) a longer course.
There are six annual first tier one day races. And perhaps four tier two ones, Flèche, Amstel, GW, maybe Strade. There are sixty three GT stages. Winning a Monument or a WCRR is career defining for a rider with a collection of GT stages already.
dastott said:A GT is a 3 week race over all terrains and tests all capabilities. How that be compared to winning a 1 day race is completely illogical.
1. Tour
2. Giro
3. Vuelta
4. World Road Race and TT, Monuments
5. Dauphine, Paris-Nice, País Vasco, Tirreno, Catalunya, Romandie
6. Lesser classics and stage races.
Even winning major stages of GTs (summit finishes like Alpe or Ventoux and TTs) would be equal to a monument for many riders I would imagine.
I’m not sure that I’ve ever disagreed more fundamentally with a not insane post here before!
One day races and stage races are different, but both are core parts of the sport. Both categories include very prestigious races and both have included very prestigious races for more than a century. Over time, there has been a certain concentration of prestige at two poles: the Monuments and WCRR among one day races and the three GTs among stage races. The other classics have become very much subordinate to the main six, while among stage races the Vuelta has become more prestigious and all non three week stage races have become marginal.
There is a logic to that marginalization: if you are measuring stage racing ability, then three week races are obviously the biggest and best tests. But one day races aren’t about measuring stage race ability. They are about something else entirely: one do or die effort over (usually) a longer course.
There are six annual first tier one day races. And perhaps four tier two ones, Flèche, Amstel, GW, maybe Strade. There are sixty three GT stages. Winning a Monument or a WCRR is career defining for a rider with a collection of GT stages already.