What races do you consider to be under rated?

[Hoop Dogg]

off topic... but i would love to see a race take in some more of the viareggio/camoiore/lido route, in this stage you would have a bit of everything, beachside flats for the tifosi, a bit of undulating hills for the purists, and then a (sort of) MTF with the hilll with the monestary/convent for a bit 'o' action. In the last 5 years i think we need to see a bit more of an exciting finish to GT stages!

 

[hfer07]

Italian one-day races.
Eroica, Tre Valli, GP Lazio, Bernocchi, GP Emilia...

100% agreed-Italian Classics are great!! also I want to add the Vuelta a Colombia & the tour of San Luis in Argentina, which is looking to grow in the future due to ASO involvement/investment

 

[Mellow Velo]

I agree with the Volta, Asturias and the Italian one day wonders.

To this list, I would add............The Presidential Tour of Turkey.

 

[ttrider]

For me its Vuelta Burgos, its surely the main prep race for the Vuelta!
Always quality racing and a good mtf

Other than that Columbia and portugal are a good shout

 

[Deagol]

Totally agree with you regarding the Giro. Here in the US, the mainstream doesn’t mention it. You can get it on Universal Sports, but now I think it costs money. I have always said here I liked the Giro better than the tour. One reason is the Italian Alps vs. the French Alps. To me, the mountains of Italy are more scenic, the roads better for an exciting, less predictable race. The Dolomites are maybe the most beautiful mountains anywhere ????

The average Joe on the street in USA knows the TDF (because of the Lance marketing *&^%$) but would have no idea of what the Giro was Also, I am guessing the pink jersey would not go over as well as yellow. I really don’t like pink, either, but that is beside the point.

 

[LugHugger]

Tro Bro Leon
L'Eroica
Tour du Haut Var
East Midlands International CiCLE Classic
Dengie Marshes Tour

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The Volta a Portugal uses mostly the same terrain because a) there is more interesting terrain for racing in the north of the country, b) there are more cycling fans in the north of the country, and c) they now only have 11 days instead of 15 to use the country's variety. I love the race, but the decline in the number of national teams from the 10 or so in 2002-3 to just 5 today is part of that, as is the level of difficulty - mountains like that, heat like that, in the middle of August, it's great preparation for youngsters for GT riding, but it does put off a lot of big teams from entering, as does the very slim possibilities for success because of the strength and focus of the Portuguese teams on the race as the obvious peak of their calendar. But I love the race and wish it got more attention, definitely.

Burgos is simultaneous and is also a favourite. It's a tricky race, it finishes on one of my absolute favourite MTFs, and they do an expert job of making all the stages meaningful and encouraging interesting racing, but still allowing people to stay close enough to make Lagunas de Neila explosive. Great race.

The Giro di Lombardia - it's almost the forgotten Monument, being so far removed from all the others. And it's my favourite of them.

Vuelta a Asturias is a good shout - because a lot of the Spanish stars build up with races like Castilla y León, Catalunya and País Vasco for the Ardennes, its late-April early-May slot means it often has a fairly weak field; it also invites a number of South American and Portuguese teams for whom it is a rare chance outside their own country to showcase themselves, which gives it variety. The LA-MSS debacle in 2008 has hurt it somewhat though.

The Tour de Romandie - at least when it has a pretty good parcours. You often see some talented youngsters and a thimbleful of top names holding form from the Ardennes or warming up for the Giro. And the scenery in Switzerland is some of the most beautiful you'll ever see. Places like Vallorbe are views to die for.

Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali - similar route every year but always features the cream of the Italian Continental crop trying to lay the first markers down for the Giro after San Remo.

 

[luckyboy]

Wish Portugal, Colombia & the other big America Tour races (San Luis, Mexico, Venezuela) got more coverage.

It'd be great if there was a universal English-speaking cycling channel (Aus, UK, USA..) that showed all the races.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

GIRO. I just wish there was a way to entice top GC contenders from all teams to participate and race instead of using it to just build form for the Tour.

 

[Andrichuk]

Tro Bro Leon: Le petit roubaix

This. ........

 

[pmcg76]

I went to the GP Wallonia a few years back and I thought the finish up throught the Citadel in Namur was fantastic, not sure about the action before then though.

 

[Jan the Man]

E3 Prjis Vlaanderen
KBK
Volta a Portugal
Tre Valli Varesine

 

[Matthijs]

Tro Bro Leon, small PR, plaese live!
Eroica strade bianche, the obvious, should be .HC
Pais Vasco, should be live on Eurosport/sporza (last years better contenders in comparison to Romandia, Swiss, maybe even the Dauphiné)
Giro dell Emilia, the (semi-)classic with the hardest final 3km, closest to MTF in a semi-classic we can get
maybe Brixia Tour, contains some very hard stages

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Pais Vasco, should be live on Eurosport/sporza (last years better contenders in comparison to Romandia, Swiss, maybe even the Dauphiné)

It was... that was where Magnus Backstedt coined the "Spanish flat/Backstedt Bonus Bumps" expression where the route map says it's flat but the road tells you otherwise, since there's precious little genuine flat land in the Basque country, while on Sporza Michel Wuyts was telling stories about Valverde's and Freire's kids playing together at the hotel while their fathers traded slightly dubious sprints.

 

[theyoungest]

It was... that was where Magnus Backstedt coined the "Spanish flat/Backstedt Bonus Bumps" expression where the route map says it's flat but the road tells you otherwise, since there's precious little genuine flat land in the Basque country, while on Sporza Michel Wuyts was telling stories about Valverde's and Freire's kids playing together at the hotel while their fathers traded slightly dubious sprints.

I don't think Sporza showed it this year. Neither did (Dutch) Eurosport. We get none of the Spanish races, except for the Vuelta and San Sebastian.

 

[roundabout]

Same here. ETB stream all the way

 

[pugdog]

Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey is a beautiful race. Luckily it gets TV coverage in France.

 

[Escarabajo]

Vuelta a Colombia.

It has been running since 1951 (just about 59 years of history). I goes over the beautiful Andes in South America.

Dolomites, Alps, Pyrinees, they all have their Glory. Why not the Andes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuelta_a_Colombia

 

[The Hitch]

Vuelta a Colombia.

It has been running since 1951 (just about 59 years of history). I goes over the beautiful Andes in South America.

Dolomites, Alps, Pyrinees, they all have their Glory. Why not the Andes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuelta_a_Colombia

It would really help if it was easier to watch online. I remember trying day after day, but no dice.