What is the best Grand Tour of the year?

[Ilmaestro99]

I guess perhaps the fact the top 2 were so significantly better than the rest hurts it for some, but I feel it's nitpicking to complain about the GC battle between Vingegaard and Pogačar. I suppose maybe the fact there was no real battle for the podium meant there was only really the two riders that had any real relevance to it? There was a clear gulf from the top 2 to Thomas, but he was also clearly the next best in the race thus meaning there was no battle for third and so everybody else was rendered an afterthought; only all Thomas really could do was hang on to them a bit longer than the rest, kind of the reverse problem to the Giro where again the top 3 were the clear best 3 riders in the race, but whereas in the Tour the top 2 absolutely went tooth and nail at each other, in the Giro the only one that was providing any attacks was Landa, and he was clearly the 3rd strongest of them.

Even for those that weren't so enamoured of the Tour this year, though, I can't really countenance how they can justify voting for either the Giro or Vuelta as being a superior race in 2022.

You said it yourself, the Giro was the superior race in 2022 , because Landa (also Vincenzo 'lo squalo' Nibali) was providing attacks, this is as good as stage racing gets.

I don't think Giro was better than TDF in terms of racing, just equal. But TDF after the stage 11 (very good stage) felt like some laughable commercial thermonuclear circus. It didn't feel like meaningful sport. I watched the TDF and thought how embarrassing it was to be a cycling fan.

Vuelta dull this year with both racing and scenery. Not even much to comment on.

Stages 16 &17 of Giro had me glued to racing just as stage 11 of the tdf, and the Giro felt a bit more meaningful, there was a soul till the last stage. Fans were more invested in the riders at the giro. It was no the best Giro of course but still I liked it

 

[Libertine Seguros]

You said it yourself, the Giro was the superior race in 2022 , because Landa (also Vincenzo 'lo squalo' Nibali) was providing attacks, this is as good as stage racing gets.

I don't think Giro was better than TDF in terms of racing, just equal. But TDF after the stage 11 (very good stage) felt like some laughable commercial thermonuclear circus. It didn't feel like meaningful sport. I watched the TDF and thought how embarrassing it was to be a cycling fan.

Vuelta dull this year with both racing and scenery. Not even much to comment on.

Stages 16 &17 of Giro had me glued to racing just as stage 11 of the tdf, and the Giro felt a bit more meaningful, there was a soul till the last stage. Fans were more invested in the riders at the giro. It was no the best Giro of course but still I liked it

I agree that the last week of the Tour did become a bit farcical in terms of the comical overpoweredness of the Jumbo squad, but I'm sorry, but the Giro this year did not have anything like equal racing to the Tour. The Giro saw a whole lot of nothing happening, then the 3rd best guy in the race would up the pace, and then the top 3 riders in the race would ride off not doing a whole lot of anything, and it had one good stage. The battle for stage wins from the break might have been just as good, but we'd never know because the cameras managed to miss anything relevant that did happen.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I agree that the last week of the Tour did become a bit farcical in terms of the comical overpoweredness of the Jumbo squad, but I'm sorry, but the Giro this year did not have anything like equal racing to the Tour. The Giro saw a whole lot of nothing happening, then the 3rd best guy in the race would up the pace, and then the top 3 riders in the race would ride off not doing a whole lot of anything, and it had one good stage. The battle for stage wins from the break might have been just as good, but we'd never know because the cameras managed to miss anything relevant that did happen.

The Giro had only 3 boring stages really, every stage was very good, good atmosphere, soulful, good racing and invested in the outcome until the stage 21. And I thought they problem was we saw too much of the breaks fighting, we called it 'Savio TV', no too little, so I don't think you remember the Giro properly, maybe I'm wrong

Anyway stage 7 or 8 giro breakaway racing alone was better than any breakaway of the TDF, which had a lot of boring stages. TDF stage 11 was betteer than any individual stage of the Giro and stage 1 ITT in kopenhagen was a nice start. But overall Giro was better.

Tour had no soul. No KOM fight. No green jersey fight. No interesting gc fight after stage 11, 3 boring guys with no charisma riding away from everyone else going thermonuclear, the obvious best and 2nd best and the bests donkey. The most interesting guy in the gc race crashed out because the course wasn't cordoned off properly on an embarrassing crash festival cobbled stage. The penultimate weekend was so bad. Stage 19 was more interesting than half the stages , which is no a sign of a good GT.

Tour is overrated heavily because it has the Granon stage, in my opinion

 

[SHAD0W93]

All I know is the Giro didn’t sound entertaining reading each stage thread, listening to LR, and Cav only won one stage. I can only see highlights and sometimes barely any of that while Vuelta and Tour I can watch from start to finish, which stinks.

 

[Panda Claws]

I don't understand how people can say the Tour sucked for GC.

Jumbo threw everything including the kitchen sink at Pogacar, and they did so several times. When he lost yellow, Pogacar did the same. Even flat stages were GC battles.

Were you not entertained? What more do you want? Dragons?

As soon as Vingegaard gained all those minutes it was done and dusted. Perhaps it was different for you but I never saw Pogacar clawing that back even with how unique of a rider he is.
Especially after a few more stages where it rapidly became evident that Vingegaard was simply the better climber.

If the time gap had not been so large it could have been more interesting to me.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

As soon as Vingegaard gained all those minutes it was done and dusted. Perhaps it was different for you but I never saw Pogacar clawing that back even with how unique of a rider he is.
Especially after a few more stages where it rapidly became evident that Vingegaard was simply the better climber.

If the time gap had not been so large it could have been more interesting to me.

Since when is two minutes a “large time gap”, the gap at the beginning of the final mountain stage. Absolutely insane lol.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Today I learned from an Italian that Tour de France has no soul, and Giro d' Italia has a lot of soul.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Tour is overrated heavily because it has the Granon stage, in my opinion

This wasn't even the best bit.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

This wasn't even the best bit.

You didnt add anything here which I didn't already say. I said that stage was good, it was very enjoyable. I can find similar passages from PCS on giro mountain stages, although I can't remember how to upload an image here

 

[Andy schleck]

Today I learned from an Italian that Tour de France has no soul, and Giro d' Italia has a lot of soul.

Patriotism.

 

[mrgmyers]

I find it interesting that people are listing tours where the original results have been wiped as, "noteworthy". In my book, they do not count and the efforts of those winners are irrelevant because no matter how spectacular the effort it was fake.
I used to run an international racing championship (Not Cycling) so take a very harsh view of cheats, they achieve nothing other than stealing others' careers and opportunities and make my skin crawl.

 

[Danskebjerge]

Normally, I would say that the Giro and the Vuelta are more spectacular because of their steeper climbs. But this year, Tour de France is my clear number one. Unusually entertaining.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

This was the best Tour in years. I didn't see a thread rating it but the marks would surely be way higher than usual. First week drama on the cobbles, epic Granon stage where JV took Pog's aura of invincibility and then Pogacar's series of attacks culminating in another epic stage (Hautacam).

 

[tonymikejoe]

Don't watch a Grand Tour expecting a daily battle for the leaders' jersey.
You will be disappointed.
However, if you watch each stage as an individual classic race (which it is to the riders) this can be far more engaging.
Far and away 2022 saw the Tour de France give the viewing public the most aggressive, engrossing daily stage battles.
The quality of the riders in the breakaways were top-notch, not just a couple of minor teams getting some tv time (see Giro and Vuelta).
The intensity and speeds of the Tour were higher and the stages far more entertaining.

 

[Red Rick]

Today I learned from an Italian that Tour de France has no soul, and Giro d' Italia has a lot of soul.

This but unironically.

Giro just has the Vegni nerf.