Tour de France appreciation thread

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Best one in last 10 years, but definately not Giro standard.

Giro is 3 weeks full of action. Tour, counting now: 4 days of action.

 

[sagard]

Way better than the Giro this year. Not even close. Unless you simply like AC killing everyone and gifting stages.

Hope Evans can overtake Andy. His competing every stage has one me over. Schleck should have to stew on those bad finishes before the Alps. Of course had he not had those bad finishes, he'd never have attacked.

 

[wattage]

This stage was just awesome, one of the best tdf stages i have seen. Good third week. But I still prefer 2003 over this.

 

[jobiwan]

My Favorite Stages of the Tour, thus far. Hopefully Saturday and Sunday can join the list!

Stage 5 to Cap Frehel:

Cavendish was able to win on his own in a really tough sprint, and it was very exciting to me.

Stage 8 to Super Besse:

Nothing of real GC significance happened, but TJVG was really impressive, VINO put on an epic chase, and Rui Costa got a fantastic win for Movistar.

Stage 10 to Carmaux:

THAT'S how you beat the Manx Missile! A fantastic effort by OPL and a great sprint by Greipel!

Stage 12 to Luz Ardiden:

Maybe the GC action wasn't AMAZING, but the efforts of Vanendert and of course Sammy Sanchez were great, and it was exciting to finally reach the high stuff!

Stage 13 to Lourdes:

THOR!!!!! Enough said.

Stage 16 to Gap:

Contador attacking on a Cat 2 climb (CAT 2!!!) and livening up the race was great, and Evans had a fantastic descent! And THOR, again! (EBH has impressed throughout this Tour as well!)

Stage 18 to the Galibier:

Possibly the most nerve-wracking, fun stage I've ever watched. Prudhomme gambled big-time with the decisive stages this late, but good old Andy didn't let him down!!! And Cadel put up an EPIC chase, and Voeckler was a hero!

Stage 19 to the Alpe:

Alberto Contador is a LEGEND!! Being able to watch the stage from start to finish was a real treat! Evans had to do it on his own, AGAIN, and Contador put in an epic ride, deserved to win. Still a great ride by Rolland, and you could tell Andy's ride on Stage 18 was hurting him.

What a great Tour! But to me, one image stands out:

RESPECT AND RECOVERY TO ALL THE RIDERS!!

 

[patrick767]

The last two stages have been spectacular!

Again it seems the top climbers are more closely matched than they've been in many years past. Andy's two minute win yesterday was the exception. We're just not seeing one or two guys blow everyone else away.

Today saw 9 riders within 1 minute (and 3 more before 1:30)

1 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 3:13:25
2 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:00:14
3 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:00:23
4 Peter Velits (Svk) HTC-Highroad 0:00:57
5 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
6 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
7 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD
8 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek
9 Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek

Are the big MTF time gaps mostly a thing of the past? Why? Why not?

 

[hatcher]

It's been excellent. Anyone saying otherwise is trying too hard to be a "real" fan, imo. Walks all over this year's Giro.

The only thing that hasn't worked is the King of the Mountains. It has been an incidental competition for the most part.

 

[BullsFan22]

Didn't watch the Giro this year, so I can't really compare the two GT's, but this TDF edition is the best since 2003. 2008 was also exciting, but kind of weird with about 10-12 pre-race candidates and no significant moves until Sastre attacked at L'Alpe D'Huez. Still, I would take (except 2003) this and the 2008 version in a heart beat over any Gunderson wins and even the Ullrich/Pantani wins. This was old school racing.

 

[greenedge]

One of the best of late. Problem was there was not much time gained in the Pyrennes. CP set out a great opening first week. It's just a pity about so many crashes at the start.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's been excellent. Anyone saying otherwise is trying too hard to be a "real" fan, imo.

Either that, or they have some kind of expectation that in a three week race, there will be three weeks of racing, rather than one week at the end?

This is like a super exciting period of extra time after a dull 0-0 football match because both teams didn't want to lose, but now realise that they don't trust themselves in a penalty shoot out.

 

[icefire]

It's been as good as this year's Tour de Suisse. If they follow this way I will have to agree with UCI when they say that GT's should be shortened.

Wait... GT's other than the Tour, they say

 

[Libertine Seguros]

That's it. This has possibly been the best one-week stage race of the year.

Sadly, it was supposed to be a three-week race.

 

[hrotha]

You guys have a short memory. The first week was good.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yup, we got an exciting last 5km three times or so. Fantastic!

So in the first week we got:
- a crash
- a kilometre of Gilbert crushing the field
- more crashes
- a couple of kilometres of Contador and Evans trying and failing to take time on a cat.3
- more crashes
- more crashes
- more crashes
- quite an exciting chase for the stage win with Costa, Vino and Tejay, but nothing happening in the pack behind
- a TV car hacking out some riders

OMG Best Tour ever!!!

 

[hrotha]

The fact that you didn't even mention that sprint Cav won shows how ridiculously biased you are.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Oh yea, Cav won some stages. ZOMG EXCITEMENT.

 

[hrotha]

Oh yea, Cav won some stages. ZOMG EXCITEMENT.

I was thinking of one particular stage. But whatever floats your boat.

 

[El Pistolero]

I was thinking of one particular stage. But whatever floats your boat.

Stage 5 was epic. And the stage he lost to Greipel was even more epic.

Anyway for me this is the best Tour since 2007.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Anyway for me this is the best Tour since 2007.

Yes, I think that's fair. But it's still not as good as 2006 or 2007, or the Giro in 2008 or 2010. Round about the level of last year's Vuelta at a push.