"Tour de Bore"

[Llewellyn]

Highlights have been few and far between this year. Some of the new climbs have been interesting but overall it's not going to go down as a classic.

And the easiest way to liven things up - get rid of the radios!!!!

 

[Zam_Olyas]

If you do not like thread like this, stop reading it. Just as people have the right to enjoy others also have the right to complain.

 

[Publicus]

This Tour is boring to me because I no longer expect the unexpected. So there's no reason to get up precisely at 5 (or 4) in the morning to catch the stage because a combination of the course, the absence of key riders and the dominance of Team Sky has made this Tour predictable. All of that being said, there have been highlights (Sagan comes to mind), but those are far and few between to keep my interests piqued.

 

[MonteZoncolan]

If you do not like thread like this, stop reading it. Just as people have the right to enjoy others also have the right to complain.

you are absolutely right. It's a forum to voice opinions.

It is funny though how people are quite willing to moan on here knowing that it's not going to make things any better!

 

[CatsNK]

I knew my opinion of this race was low when yesterday I didn't even bother finding out the stage results, let alone try to tune in. Very, very boring. I'm pinning my hopes on the Vuelta and VERY happy that I didn't shell out the $30 to watch the race on demand.

 

[thehog]

This Tour is boring to me because I no longer expect the unexpected. So there's no reason to get up precisely at 5 (or 4) in the morning to catch the stage because a combination of the course, the absence of key riders and the dominance of Team Sky has made this Tour predictable. All of that being said, there have been highlights (Sagan comes to mind), but those are far and few between to keep my interests piqued.

That’s it for me. There is absolutely nothing unexpected going to happen. There is no incentive for a rider to attack or to create a move. I don’t expect GC changes every day but I would at least give a chance for some interesting racing. On the day Miller won the peloton had given the stage to the breakaway. I’ve never seen anything like it. Even the breakaway was just going through the motions until the last 3km. I think with even the addition with time bonuses it might have helped create a little more drama. The route planners trying to keep the gaps tight does nothing for the racing. Yesterday was another example. The peloton had agreed to a “day off” so they rolled over the climbs and through the stage. If there were some time bonus and if the stage finish was 3km after the decent then you have a race. By the end of this race we’ll only have 2 yellow jersey holders for the entire race! That’s boring.

 

[rhubroma]

One eyesore succeeds another, one monstrosity after another forces itself onto our eyes. It's become a perverse lie to say that the Tour de France is a beautiful race, because the truth is that the race has been murdered. Was it necessary in this century, I ask you, for humanity to lay violent hands on this most beautiful of all worlds, to kill and obliterate it. The courses, you know, are unrecognizable when we revisit these regions after a number of years, and so are the riders.

You can't have 100 ks of TT with 3 MTFs that aren't even super hard mountains, or have mountains that are put badly throughout the whole course.

 

[Magnus]

On the day Miller won the peloton had given the stage to the breakaway. I’ve never seen anything like it.

If you have never seen the peloton "take the day off" and "give the stage to the breakaway" you must have watched very little cycling.

 

[Clemson Cycling]

Today makes two of those in a row though I know yesterday had some major issues that caused that to happen

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

The first 65km of today's stage were great.

 

[thehog]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Duartista]

I will admit that part of the reason I am unhappy with this tour is Wiggins winning but I am warming to him a little bit more.

For me, the race lacks panache from the really good riders. Last year had performance after performance that had Panache. Two of the best mountain stages I have seen were in last year's edition. Other than Pinot's victory, no performance has really excited me and has made me say, "Wow, that is something special". I guess we all have different interpretations of races though.

Yes - but remember that those stages were in the last week, after two weeks that were worse than the first two weeks of this Tour. This Tour does lack at least 1 really tough mountain stage, 1 or 2 really top class climbers, and the descent finishes should come after MTFs rather than before. Yet when was the last time the first major mountain stage of a GT saw more than 60km of actual racing between GC contenders? That was a very welcome contrast to what we have seen recently in early GT mountain stages, surely.

 

[Maroon Heaven]

Got to agree. Very boring. been following tour for years and this is bad. Apart from Peter Sagan and a brieg glimps of Nibali, no imagination has been shown.

 

[El Oso]

Take.....away.....the.....radios

Agree, at least then Froome would have continued his attack and put some significant time into Wigan

 

[Izzy eviel]

It's such a lame Tour. It's like a 21 day charity ride that on occasions breaks out into a training ride.

Fixed!

10 char

 

[l.Harm]

The first 65km of today's stage were great.

Indeed, people seem to watch cycling to complain. Go to your mother or something

 

[Magnus]

Friday's stage was the worst stage design I have ever seen. The two early climbs were absolutely pointless.

Yes. Absolutely pointless. Nothing happened at all on those first two climbs

 

[roundabout]

I'll trade the first 65km of today's stage for action in the last 40km on Thursday.

Edit: actually forget about that. Being the last chance and no flat in the last 50km it will be a good stage. Let's say an attack by a rider top 10 on GC on Wednesday before the last climb.

 

[thirteen]

i was absolutely gutted that i wouldn't be in europe for the Tour this year... no more! i'm delighted that i haven't wasted my days now, only sacrificed a little sleep (and that becomes less and less as well).

the *only* reason i keep on tuning in is i keep on hoping Vino will get a stage.

it really sucks that i've found the sprinter stages much more interesting than the mountains, and i pretty much lost interest in sprinters after Cipo retired.

 

[El Oso]

2002 and 2004 were way worse in my opininon.

Beside i think we should wait at least after thursday stage to express a final judgment

2002 was pretty bad. Thus far Sky's performance this year is pretty similar to USPS of that year.

2004 at least had the drama with Voekler in Yellow for 10 days. And as ACF mentioned at least Lance did attack.

IIRC 2005 was pretty bad. A parade around France for Lance's 7th.

 

[rhubroma]

Wiggins rides a great TT, then has his team pull hard for 3 less than stellar mountain stages and, there you have it, he's got the golden fleece firmly on his back.

The first "Pyrenean" stage was enthralling for some tacks and we are forced today to get excited by watching the attacks at the opening of the race among the opportunists, since the course offers nothing to challenge the GC contenders. What is it the 15th stage? I hear crickets.

At least tomorrow is a rest day. Now that's something to get excited about.

Globalized cycling? Bigger is better? I'll take the 80's any day when it was still European. When we got guys ride the classics then Giro and Tour and then the Worlds year in and year out.

 

[Michele]

Amen!

xxxxx

 

[Kwibus]

What I like about this TdF is that they gave attackers quite a few opportunities.

There has been lots of complaining about how useless it was to get into a break the last years and now they just make stages that GC man can't do anything and sprinters won't be able to survive the toughness of the stage.
I do appreciate that.

The only thing which this Tour lacks is 2 really hard mountain stages. La Toussuire is nice and all, but we need a harder one and atleast 2.

 

[thehog]

Wiggins rides a great TT, then has his team pull hard for 3 less than stellar mountain stages and, there you have it, he's got the golden fleece firmly on his back.

The first "Pyrenean" stage was enthralling for some tacks and we are forced today to get excited by watching the attacks at the opening of the race among the opportunists, since the course offers nothing to challenge the GC contenders. What is it the 15th stage? I hear crickets.

At least tomorrow is a rest day. Now that's something to get excited about.

Globalized cycling? Bigger is better? I'll take the 80's any day when it was still European. When we got guys ride the classics then Giro and Tour and then the Worlds year in and year out.

Yes can't wait for the next UCI World Tour race China. Much better than this!

Rest day should be awesome.

 

[Thee_chisa]

this is clean cycling. you are not going to see massive digs and solo mountain wins for the contenders.

the riders need to adjust to the new mentality, give it a couple of years and we will have interesting racing again.