Stage of the year.

[jsem94]

Gardeccia easily.

 

[vcampbell]

There is no question, Gardeccia. It was actually the best stage I have ever seen, not only this year.

 

[The Hitch]

Tour de Suisse Stage 3 Brig-Glis → Grindelwald, 108 km

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtpQ_7Bj_YM
http://www.steephill.tv/2011/tour-de-suisse/photos/stage-03/

stage 3 of the TdS was also amazing and imo much better then some stages on that list.

You guys do understand the concept of a GT?

 

[The Hitch]

Tour de Suisse Stage 3 Brig-Glis → Grindelwald, 108 km

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtpQ_7Bj_YM
http://www.steephill.tv/2011/tour-de-suisse/photos/stage-03/

stage 3 of the TdS was also amazing and imo much better then some stages on that list.

You guys do understand the concept of a GT?

I might do a poll for non gt stages, I did last year, but if its going to be a landslide for TDS maybe not.

I don't get people who didn't like that stage even if they're Contador's fans. Eventually we love cycling more than any particular rider as I'd like to think.

Who said they didnt like it?

You trying to bait people again?

 

[Havetts]

I might do a poll for non gt stages, I did last year, but if its going to be a landslide for TDS maybe not.

The stages to Collet D'Allevard or Toussuire in the Dauphiné were great fun to watch.

 

[sublimit]

Froomes win was exciting so I've gone for that, also was funny to see the commentator starting to call the wrong winner - I think it was Harmon.

Nieves win was epic and a deserved mention for him.

 

[airstream]

Who said they didnt like it?

You trying to bait people again?

Do you percieve all my posts as addressed to you personally? I expressed this way because I assume there are possibly a few people on this forum for whom bitterness of Contador's defeat and dislike to Schleck overshadowed the stage itself very seriously.

 

[The Hitch]

I'm a fan but I'll never use it to flatter my riders and denegrate the others. I like cycling. I don't like myself in my love (personal preferences) to cycling as all of them are real heroes for me. In 2009 I'd call the Verbier without thinking.

yeah you do. Your always downgrading Scarponi.

The stages to Collet D'Allevard or Toussuire in the Dauphiné were great fun to watch.

Problem is I based my calendar around the gts so I was away for key races such as Romandie, Suisse Dauphine and of course Poland, so I didnt see a lot of these stages,

I remember Tirreno had 2 or 3 even good stages - Evans, Scarponi and Gilbert ones, and Paris Nice had non, other than the De gendt break maybe. Pais Vasco stage were Sammy won, wasnt as good as last year, and I dont think any of the others were particularly special.

From the non WT ones the one in Utah was obviously great though I never saw it. San Jose and Baldy were ok. Criterium International Mtf was good. What else is there?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

yeah you do. Your always downgrading Scarponi.



Problem is I based my calendar around the gts so I was away for key races such as Romandie, Suisse Dauphine and of course Poland, so I didnt see a lot of these stages,

I remember Tirreno had 2 or 3 even good stages - Evans, Scarponi and Gilbert ones, and Paris Nice had non, other than the De gendt break maybe. Pais Vasco stage were Sammy won, wasnt as good as last year, and I dont think any of the others were particularly special.

From the non WT ones the one in Utah was obviously great though I never saw it. San Jose and Baldy were ok. Criterium International Mtf was good. What else is there?

I mentioned a few. Definitely the queen stage of the Vuelta a Asturias, with two big climbs, heavy rain and some serious mano a mano action. I also really enjoyed the queen stage of the Vuelta a Burgos, with Landa coming from the break, driving the péloton until his own team leaders burst, then attacking Rodríguez, Cobo and Nibali to win.

 

[The Hitch]

Do you percieve all my posts as addressed to you personally? I expressed this way because I assume there are possibly a few people on this forum for whom bitterness of Contador's defeat and dislike to Schleck overshadowed the stage itself very seriously.

If I assumed it was adressed at me, my post would have read like this.

Where did I say that I didn't like it.

Are you trying to bait me again.

But I didnt write that, I asked who had said they didnt like it.

I wrote that because the response to that stage was overwelmingly positive I havent seen a negative post about it even though it broke the forum record for posts in a thread - about 2700 posts that day alone.

and heres the problem

I expressed this way because I assume there are possibly a few people on this forum for whom bitterness of Contador's defeat and dislike to Schleck overshadowed the stage itself very seriously.

Your assuming Contador fans didnt like it because they are bitter. There you go hijacking this thread again. This thread is not about Contador. The stage you mention was the best was won by Andy Schleck. Contador didnt feature.

And yet, you still find a way to make it about Contador and attack his fans as being bitter, despite the fact that you have nothing to base that on.

Amazing. Truly amazing.

 

[airstream]

Your assuming Contador fans didnt like it because they are bitter. There you go hijacking this thread again. This thread is not about Contador. The stage you mention was the best was won by Andy Schleck. Contador didnt feature.

Hm. Probably, I have to apologize to you for mentioning Contador in the post about Schleck without your prior approval?

yeah you do. Your always downgrading Scarponi.

I wrote, in my opinion, Scarponi and Basso have equal chances to win the Giro. If saying that Scarponi wouldn't be able to succeed in the TdF is a downgrading, to your mind, I don't know what about we can talk further.

 

[The Hitch]

Hm. Probably, I have to apologize to you for mentioning Contador in the post about Schleck without your prior approval?

You are clearly hijacking a thread and whats more baiting people. This schoolboy about to get told off reflex of " Oh but I was only mentioning Contador, whats wrong with that", just doesnt cut it.

Hijacking threads is against the rules, and its especially annoying if its the same arguments you keep bringing up in almost every thread you enter.

I wrote, in my opinion, Scarponi and Basso have equal chances to win the Giro. If saying that Scarponi wouldn't be able to succeed in the TdF is a downgrading, to your mind, I don't know what about we can talk further.

You have mocked Scarponi many times in your endless arguments with about 10 different posters in about 50 different threads regarding Contador and just how weak his you felt his opponents were.

But this isnt the thread to discuss this.

 

[woodenswan]

Tour 18 Pinerolo – Col du Galibier. Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck

 

[El Pistolero]

I voted for Alpe just because how early they attacked in there. Also was a surprise to see Evans, Frank Schleck and Thomas Voeckler getting dropped so early. It's also this stage that cost Schleck the Tour victory IMO. If he didn't follow Contador on the Telegraphe, he might have tried something on Alpe Dhuez.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Vino in basque country

 

[El Pistolero]

Vino in basque country

So now Basque Country is more prestigious than the Vuelta

 

[Libertine Seguros]

So now Basque Country is more prestigious than the Vuelta

Speaking thereof, the atmosphere of Antón's victory in Bilbao was something else. The crowd was wild. That evening the top 2 stories on ETB's nightly news program were:
1) Igor Antón won the Vuelta stage in Bilbao
2) Igor Antón attacked the breakaway in his home town of Galdakao.

 

[Parrulo]

I mentioned a few. Definitely the queen stage of the Vuelta a Asturias, with two big climbs, heavy rain and some serious mano a mano action. I also really enjoyed the queen stage of the Vuelta a Burgos, with Landa coming from the break, driving the péloton until his own team leaders burst, then attacking Rodríguez, Cobo and Nibali to win.

that stage was indeed fantastic, a shame tavira wasn't on that race as cardoso and mestre would make the stage even more epic

 

[will10]

Alpe d'Huez, cos they raced all day.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Personaly I wish I could choose 1 fro each gt, as there was one from each gt that really stood out.

Gardeccia was obviously something special but Gap had probably the biggest GC impact of the entire race but it came as an absolute shock as we all expected a snoozefest which adds so much to it and its probably the stage from the list that I remember best of all.

That's why I voted for Gap. The queen stages of the Tour and Giro were less exciting, in my opinion, though epic in their own right. The rain really helped the stage, though. Hopefully the weather is equally bad on le Grand Colombier next year, with its very steep descent.

 

[gilbertador]

Its either Alpe d huez or Giro 15 due to 3 hrs of constant changes and fighting, they were also the only 2 that saw gc riders attack 3 climbs from the end, for me tour stage 18 was a great attack by Andy but not much else happened in terms of atttacking, you just had evans vs andy pursuit on the galibier, it clearly wasnt going to change the tour outcome, where as Giro 15 and the tour stage to alpe d huez saw constant attacking and many sub plots, they had it all

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Tour Stage 18. Up until that point of the Tour, the race for the GC was a yawner. That all changed in stage 18 when the race started to come alive. And it was explosive for the following two stages (19 & 20) ending with the final ITT. I wish I could have voted all 3 stages. But since the race exploded beginning with stage 18, stage 18 gets my vote.

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

Speaking thereof, the atmosphere of Antón's victory in Bilbao was something else. The crowd was wild. That evening the top 2 stories on ETB's nightly news program were:
1) Igor Antón won the Vuelta stage in Bilbao
2) Igor Antón attacked the breakaway in his home town of Galdakao.

+1
A wonderful stage for so many reasons. One of my favourite riders returning to some sort of form after a shocking Vuelta, the fact that it was in the Basque country and all the political baggage that goes with that, the manner of his victory - dropping the rest of the breakaway, watching the unbelievable crowds roaring him on etc...!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

+1
A wonderful stage for so many reasons. One of my favourite riders returning to some sort of form after a shocking Vuelta, the fact that it was in the Basque country and all the political baggage that goes with that, the manner of his victory - dropping the rest of the breakaway, watching the unbelievable crowds roaring him on etc...!

What you won't have seen on the TV is for the last few kilometres, Antón would ride through the km to go checkpoint, and the compères would be shouting out the time gaps in Spanish and Basque, and the crowd would be counting them up as well. There was a real sense of tension, and we were all afraid Bruseghin would catch him (I'm a Movistar fan and I really like the Bruiser, but let's be honest, if he caught and passed Antón on Gran Vía, he would have become public enemy #1 in the Basque country that night). The crowds were insane, it's true.

 

[The Hitch]

Tour Stage 18. Up until that point of the Tour, the race for the GC was a yawner. That all changed in stage 18 when the race started to come alive.

I would have said it started on 16 which saw the biggest GC action. Without that, Andy probably would have just waited to attack on Alpe d huez on 19 and not much else would have happened .