The worst Grand Tour you can remember

[Fernandez]

This Tour has to improve a lot for not being the worst GT I can remember. What do you think?

 

[Alexandre B.]

I don't know, there is still more than one week to go with a lot of climbing involved, one historical image (the maillot jaune running on the Ventoux without a bike), a maillot vert and a maillot jaune finishing first and second in a stage for the first time since 1974.

 

[gazr99]

Swear this topic is brought after almost every Grand Tour nowadays, only 12 days in GC battle has only just started

 

[PremierAndrew]

Froome's attack on the descent on its own made this Tour better than 2012.

Throw in Froome's attack in the crosswinds and the whole Ventoux chaos and this really isn't going to go down as such a bad GT. If only Froome had a rival to spice up the GC battle or Sagan to spice up the green jersey battle

 

[PatrickLeeds]

Well I have been enjoying it. I stopped watching the tour on TV for about 10 years halfway through Indurain's succession of victories*, they were just dull. Sure there were exciting moments, but overall?*

This one I can still see getting very interesting.

*so I never saw Lance win a tour! Caught a break there didn't I?

 

[Fernandez]

Contador out of contention at the first stage, Porte also loosing time for a flat tire, SKY controlling the race as always, no GC battle at all, Quintana looking bad at the moment, the madness of yesterday in Ventoux... I find this TdF hard to watch at the moment.
The only positive thing I find is Sagan and some of the stage winners.

 

[IndianCyclist]

So far better than 2012, 2014

 

[Guybrush]

Re:

Contador out of contention at the first stage, Porte also loosing time for a flat tire, SKY controlling the race as always, no GC battle at all, Quintana looking bad at the moment, the madness of yesterday in Ventoux... I find this TdF hard to watch at the moment.
The only positive thing I find is Sagan and some of the stage winners.

it's about how your favourite riders perform, if you're cheering for Contador this certainly going to be one of the worst

 

[deValtos]

Well this Tour on average hasn't been great.

Yet there have been some insane moments of drama/excitement that pull it up.

Already there have been 3 moments this TDF that have been better than almost any single moment I can remember in any GT.

Basically goes from 0 to 100 incredibly fast.

So no, it's for sure not the worst GT, especially since it's not over.

 

[gazr99]

Re:

Contador out of contention at the first stage, Porte also loosing time for a flat tire, SKY controlling the race as always, no GC battle at all, Quintana looking bad at the moment, the madness of yesterday in Ventoux... I find this TdF hard to watch at the moment.
The only positive thing I find is Sagan and some of the stage winners.

The GC is actually quite competitive not just Froome vs Quintana like everyone expected. Yates and Mollema are within a minute, Porte looks good and we haven't hit the time trial yet

 

[8472]

If not for Froome and Sagan, then yes, but three great stages including one of the most memorable stages in GTs ever, which already trumps many earlier Tours only 12 days in.

 

[RedheadDane]

Giro 2011

Sure, the racing was good, but the tragedies overshadowed it.
And the stupid aftermatch as well.

 

[Pantani Attacks]

2012 Tour by a landslide.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

2012 provided lots of drama with the Wiggins vs. Froome rivalry.

 

[SafeBet]

Re:

So far better than 2012, 2014

The cobble stage alone is much better than these 12 days of racing.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

2006 one of the best, on the other hand.

 

[TMP402]

It ain't this one. Not by a long chalk.

 

[Fernandez]

Re: Re:

Contador out of contention at the first stage, Porte also loosing time for a flat tire, SKY controlling the race as always, no GC battle at all, Quintana looking bad at the moment, the madness of yesterday in Ventoux... I find this TdF hard to watch at the moment.
The only positive thing I find is Sagan and some of the stage winners.

it's about how your favourite riders perform, if you're cheering for Contador this certainly going to be one of the worst

I dont cheer for Contador, Im not a fan of him. I just expect a good GC battle; and in this Tour the GC fight has been a disgrace so far. I wish the Tour could recover from these first half.

 

[HelloDolly]

This GT is very disappointing for me ...there is no real competition for Froome & SKY ...they are too strong
For Tour to be good imo contenders need to be evenly matched, there needs to be a sense of uncertainty and unknown...there also needs to be some epic climbing


It could yet get better but Quintana does not look like a man that is going to launch a massive attack
The white jersey & green jersey are also sown up

The 2012 Tour was boring as the race was sown up with Evans not able to provide adequate competition to SKY who had like at this Tour an exceptionally strong team (Froome & Porte as doms ffs)

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

Swear this topic is brought after almost every Grand Tour nowadays, only 12 days in GC battle has only just started

Exactly, it comes up after every GT, but not 2/3 of the way in. People just like to complain...FYI the 2016 Vuelta is the worst GT ever!

EDIT: I think that some people prefer the top fuel days, or maybe that was their introduction to pro cycling/TdF so they use that as the reference for 'good' racing.

 

[Nick C.]

This is the biggest clownshow in recent memory on all fronts.

 

[Laggard]

Froome attacks on a downhill and gains time. Froome amazingly follows Sagan on a sprinters stage and gains time. Froome crashes and resorts to running uphill.

And this is one of the worst TDFs ever?

 

[Pantani Attacks]

The image of Froome running uphill might save this Tour from being a complete joke. 2012 is still the front runner though.

 

[djpbaltimore]

We haven't had a really great MTF finish yet. (I'm not counting the drama on Ventoux as it was interesting for the wrong reasons.) But the rest of the days have been compelling with wind, descending, and the rainstorm on Arcalis. I would also add that 2009 was a terrible TDF edition, especially the route.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Contador out of contention at the first stage, Porte also loosing time for a flat tire, SKY controlling the race as always, no GC battle at all, Quintana looking bad at the moment, the madness of yesterday in Ventoux... I find this TdF hard to watch at the moment.
The only positive thing I find is Sagan and some of the stage winners.

it's about how your favourite riders perform, if you're cheering for Contador this certainly going to be one of the worst

Maybe it's about how your favourite riders perform if you are a one-eyed partisan of any of the big 4 GC riders. But if you aren't, I think a somewhat more objective assessment is possible. A lot of riders I like are doing pretty well this Tour, Mollema, Yates, Martin, Bardet etc. But it's still been a bad Tour so far.

Not the worst Grand Tour I can remember though. It's not even close to the TdeF 2012.