Was this year's tour harder than the Giro ?

[masking_agent]

It seemed like organizers of the tour de france this year made it a climber's tour like we normally see from the Giro and Vuelta ?

But after going through the stage previews of this year's Giro , it does not seem as hard ? However, I do like the ITT on the last day.

Your thoughts ?

 

[italoc]

 

[Kaptain Kool]

The Giro route is harder and it's not close. There wasn't a single stage in the Tour that you couldn't keep a train together until 2/3 up the final climb.

 

[Kainabru]

For me Giro is way harder. Queen stages are tougher, medium mountains/hilly stages are great and there is a lot of them. There is less sprint stages and even with 3 ITT's Giro is longer.

 

[Sciatic]

I don’t care. I’m just so pleased there is cycling to watch that I have no desire to make comparisons or ratings!

 

[Cookster15]

Racing is what makes a race hard not so much the course. Agree with Sciatic that I am just glad we have racing to follow again.

 

[staubsauger]

The Mount Etna stage already played out as the Col de la Loze stage would've played out ideally if not for Bahrain chasing down Carapaz without substantial reason!

First mountain stage versus so called queen stage.

 

[Gigs_98]

This years Tour was hyped up as super hard because of the number of mountain stages (9 if you are generous) but none of those mountain stages were actually that hard. Stage 2 had the hard climbs far from the finish, stage 4 had a mtf but a really easy one, stage 5 only had one hard climb, the pyrenees stage were both really short (and the 2nd one probably wouldn't even be called mountain stage if it was a giro stage) and the stage to Puy Mary was also more of a medium mountain stage. The last 3 were really tough, but 3 really tough mountain stages doesn't sound as frightening as 9 mountain stages.
Yet because 5 "mountain stages" in the first week alone were so extraordinary for the Tour people jumped on the bandwagon and went on about how hard this Tour was. But remove stage 2, 4 and 6, as all of them were soft pedalled as if they were flat or at best hilly anyway, and look at what remains. 2 pyrenees stages, 2 massif central stages, 2 Alps stages. Standard stuff.

The giro is simply looked upon very differently as the standard for what even is a mountain stage is completely different there. Like, there are 1st category climbs in the Tour that would be 3rd category in the Giro.
Then there is the point that Giro mountain stages are often much tougher than Tour mountain stages.
Then there is the point that the Giro usually has many more medium mountain stages and hilly finales.
Then there is the point that Giro stages are usually much longer.

Really, I don't think it's even a close comparison. That doesn't mean the Giro in general is much harder than the Tour as the Tour field is usually much stronger and the peloton a lot more nervous, but when it comes to the route the Giro, at least this year, is by far harder.

 

[Pantani_lives]

The Giro has two extremely tough mountain stages, on Thursday and Saturday of the third week. Because of these two stages the Giro is clearly harder. This side of Mount Etna in the first week was a tough opener already. However the next eight stages are not that hard and probably won't create big gaps between the top favourites. It's backloaded with the weight on the final nine days.

 

[RedheadDane]

When the race is over; ask every rider who completed both.

 

[Red Rick]

When the race is over; ask every rider who completed both.

It's always the most recent GT lol.

 

[RedheadDane]

It's always the most recent GT lol.

You got a point. Maybe in a year, ask the riders who completed both.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It also depends on who you ask in the péloton too.

If you ask Sepp "it's not worth riding unless the finish is on a steep climb" Kuss, obviously the correct answer is La Vuelta.

 

[BlueRoads]

Okay, what do you mean by "hard"?
That the riders have to go deeper? That their metabolism is more affected? That they feel more tired in the end?
That there are higher peaks they have to perform or that the attrition of day after day is greater?
That it is harder to win? To get a podium spot, a top10 or a stage win?
Then, for who is it harder? The contenders for the win? The domestiques? The sprinters? The stage hunters? The best or the small teams who do not often race at a certain level?
For which type of rider? Someone who likes steep mountains? Someone who likes long, consistent climbs where he can go the same pace all the time?
Dou you mean "on average" or "for most of the guys"?
Do you actually mean the effect on the riders with this field of contenders - or something more hypothetical: if the same field of riders did this route and that route?

Okay, here's my very simplified answer now:
If it was the same field of contenders this year's Giro route would be "harder" in that the majority of the riders would feel more tired afterwards. But since the field is much weaker I think the Tour will have been harder in the end. Also I think the battle for green during the Tour made it rather "hard" because some stages where active recreation might have been possible otherwise, got drilled. I don't know yet if there will be some twists in the situation at the Giro that will make the race harder than I do now expect it to be.

 

[Nirvana]

The Mount Etna stage already played out as the Col de la Loze stage would've played out ideally if not for Bahrain chasing down Carapaz without substantial reason!

First mountain stage versus so called queen stage.

Today's medium mountain stage would have been the queen stage of the Tour, people gets excited with the number of mountain stages but as usual in recent Tour that stages look robbed from the Tour de l'avenir.

 

[roundabout]

Today's medium mountain stage would have been the queen stage of the Tour, people gets excited with the number of mountain stages but as usual in recent Tour that stages look robbed from the Tour de l'avenir.

No need to go overboard.

 

[roundabout]

The Mount Etna stage already played out as the Col de la Loze stage would've played out ideally if not for Bahrain chasing down Carapaz without substantial reason!

First mountain stage versus so called queen stage.

Paper-thin field and 18 people within a minute after Kelderman. Not really what happened at the Tour.

 

[geisterhome]

Mount Etna? Give me a Mount Everest MTF (that gravel road leading up there) instead then I would consider calling that Giro hard, maybe...

 

[gregrowlerson]

Berserk: Giro Routes are like The Black Album. Very good, but still overrated.

 

[gregrowlerson]

The Giro route is harder and it's not close. There wasn't a single stage in the Tour that you couldn't keep a train together until 2/3 up the final climb.

Yes and no. There wasn't as decisive a climb as far from the finish in the Tour like Stelvio, however, it is entirely possible that Roglic, Dumoulin and Kuss are all still in contact 2/3 from the top of Stelvio, maybe even at the top of it. The teams at the Giro simply aren't as deep (especially this year) as they are at the Tour.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Mount Etna? Give me a Mount Everest MTF (that gravel road leading up there) instead then I would consider calling that Giro hard, maybe...

Have to wonder if that would still be enough to satisfy one Sepp Kuss.

 

[Cookster15]

As a cycling fan I love the Giro but it is rarely raced as hard as the TdF. Always deeper field in TdF simply because this is the grand tour non cyclists around the world are most aware of. Teams are driven by sponsors and sponsors demand exposure in the biggest global race which is the Tour. As said above the teams at the Giro simply aren't as deep (especially this year) as they are at the Tour.

 

[Ranagazoo]

Giro is a bit harder but it's the gap in startlist quality that makes the biggest difference. Imagine this year's Giro startlist on the Loze, it would be chaos

 

[Red Rick]

Berserk: Giro Routes are like The Black Album. Very good, but still overrated.

Tour de France routes are like the party song of the year. You get a little hyped when drunk but when thinking back you're vomiting all over the place.

 

[Red Rick]

Giro is a bit harder but it's the gap in startlist quality that makes the biggest difference. Imagine this year's Giro startlist on the Loze, it would be chaos

Imagine Pogacar on the penultimate day with Agnello, Izoard, Montegenevre and Sestriere instead of Planche de Belles Filles