Whats makes pro cycling special?

[janraaskalt]

No need for that banter mate. Just asking the question

Didn't meant to be offensive. Reading it again, I agree you can read it that way. I wasn't referring to your question, however.

 

[Parrulo]

April and May all the way

 

[ferryman]

April and May all the way

Then June and July and we are once again blessed

 

[Thomsena]

The Tour de France is by far the most important race in cycling. It also attracts people who know only little of the sports. For us insiders this means a lot of hype and "stupid" questions/opinions.

****ing hell...

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

April and May all the way

+ march, june, july, august, september

 

[Richeypen]

+ march, june, july, august, september

What have Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne done wrong

 

[ElChingon]

I find it hard to believe someone would even ask that question and be a forum member here.

Its what drew you to come here in the first place!

 

[fat and frantic]

The sheer brutality of it all really. We all know how hard riding is, both physically and mentally, and to see these guys ploughing away day after day for hours on end is just seriously impressive.

Also the beauty and variety of the countrysides ridden through, from the lanes of Flanders to the mountain tops of the 3 GTs (no ToC isnt the 4th!).

Then the unpredictability - apart from a couple of sprint stages each year, no one really knows who's going to win anything.
By far the most exciting and unpredictable sport out there.

Lastly the drama. The politics, gossip, speculation and even the clinic just goes on all year, even when the racing's finished.

Love it! Really love it!

 

[RedheadDane]

Honestly, I think the explanation may be found over here:

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=2807&highlight=classic+pictures



If one picture says more than a thousand words then what is a thousand pictures gonna do? Might be exaggerating slightly here...

 

[togo95]

Tour de France pulled me in.
Riders, teams and tactics have kept me in.

Agreed. Tactics and variants behind the real tough racicing is one, but not the only thing that enhances this sport we love.

 

[ferryman]

I find it hard to believe someone would even ask that question and be a forum member here.

Its what drew you to come here in the first place!

Harsh no. You have to join before you can post. Nice to be nice eh

 

[ultimobici]

One day races like P-R, and early year Belgian classics/semi classics are where its at.

wasted, mud splattered bike riders giving it everything.

These are the images that grabbed my attention.

But to truly understand why the Giro trumps the Tour, I give you the two respective speakers of the races

Sums up the difference between the TdF & Giro in one go!

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

In your opinion what makes it such a great sport?

Welcome to the forum AcademyCC, and don't let a couple of snotty responses put you off.

Cycling has a unique mix of extreme, brutal, athletic competition and extraordinary tactical complexity. Most endurance sports are essentially boring to watch, but cycling adds three unique elements:

1) The tactical consequences of the importance of slipstreaming. This is the key element in my view.

2) A very unusual set up, where competitors ride in teams but the individual rather than the team wins.

3) In the Grand Tours in particular, you have every type of specialist all in the same race.

These three things make cycling inherently interesting to watch in a way that marathon running is not, although that also features incredibly hard endurance competition.

 

[Tank Engine]

Welcome to the forum AcademyCC, and don't let a couple of snotty responses put you off.

Cycling has a unique mix of extreme, brutal, athletic competition and extraordinary tactical complexity. Most endurance sports are essentially boring to watch, but cycling adds three unique elements:

1) The tactical consequences of the importance of slipstreaming. This is the key element in my view.

2) A very unusual set up, where competitors ride in teams but the individual rather than the team wins.

3) In the Grand Tours in particular, you have every type of specialist all in the same race.

These three things make cycling inherently interesting to watch in a way that marathon running is not, although that also features incredibly hard endurance competition.

You pretty much summed it up for me. I'd add this: the spectacle of nature and the terrain: cobbles, the elements and the mountains.

 

[Cobblestoned]

The Giro

 

[greenedge]

RVV this year
suspense ( everywhere )
seeing an Aussie win the TDF.
Contadors' ownage at the Giro
Wins by riders such as Van Summeren, Zaugg and others. Riders who needed a career boost ( Di Gregorio P-N ). And then just Hushovd and JROD claiming stages left right and centre on their own merits, at the TDF and Vuelta respectively.

Last but not least, being a fan of a particular rider ( Evans/ Contador/ Shleck/ Wiggins/ Cancellara/ Gilbert/ Sagan/ whoever ) looking at young riders who have potential ( Mollema, Landa, Durbridge, Pinot, Rolland, Gaurdini, Porte ) and hope they can live up to your expectations.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Not looking at a pitch, or a track, or a field, but being able to see the best of the scenery the region has to offer, whether it be the Basque mountains, the breathtaking Dolomites, the lush verdant fields of Belgium or the vineyards of France...

The spectator experience being completely free; no paying for seats in pre-designated areas and only speaking to those around you, but instead walking/riding/driving up the sides of mountains, taking your food and drink with you, camping out or just sitting by the roadside, talking to whoever is around, enjoying the weather, using twitter updates to know what's going on at the race; people with battery TVs or radios shouting the race situation on the climb so everybody knows the score, waiting for the riders to arrive.

Before and after stages, no pretensions at all - just being able to walk over and talk to the riders and teams if they're about. Obviously more popular riders are harder to get hold of, but there's always a few around. Riders have to go and sign in, and they have to ride through the fans to get there. Most will be happy enough to pose for photos, some will have a chat.

 

[greenedge]

The Tour was open until the last minute, but only because nothing happened for two weeks except half the field crashed out. And of course there will be crashes if there is nothing to break the field up, because everybody still has interests to defend. Useless.
And the Vuelta at least remembered a GT has to be more than a week long, but unfortunately forgot it has to be more than 2 weeks long, and besides, seemed incredibly reluctant to put any challenges more than 20km from the end of their stages.

But next year the ITTs' will establish a clear order as to who is leader, then the mountains will change all that with them being a battlefield.

The Vuelta route was not great but Cobo/ Froome animated it.

 

[El Pistolero]

Not looking at a pitch, or a track, or a field, but being able to see the best of the scenery the region has to offer, whether it be the Basque mountains, the breathtaking Dolomites, the lush verdant fields of Belgium or the vineyards of France...

The spectator experience being completely free; no paying for seats in pre-designated areas and only speaking to those around you, but instead walking/riding/driving up the sides of mountains, taking your food and drink with you, camping out or just sitting by the roadside, talking to whoever is around, enjoying the weather, using twitter updates to know what's going on at the race; people with battery TVs or radios shouting the race situation on the climb so everybody knows the score, waiting for the riders to arrive.

Before and after stages, no pretensions at all - just being able to walk over and talk to the riders and teams if they're about. Obviously more popular riders are harder to get hold of, but there's always a few around. Riders have to go and sign in, and they have to ride through the fans to get there. Most will be happy enough to pose for photos, some will have a chat.

Nothing happened GC wise(if you ignore the crashes), but the first 2 weeks of the Tour were definitely better than the first 2 of the Vuelta. For example I enjoyed the stage Greipel won a lot.

 

[La Pandera]

Explain to me why the Giro is better or is this an 'in' joke? How can it be?

Better than what? I thought the OP's question is what makes the sport so special and a couple of riders responded by saying the Giro for them is what does it.

 

[La Pandera]

Alberto Contador

Especially!

 

[Richeypen]

Not looking at a pitch, or a track, or a field, but being able to see the best of the scenery the region has to offer, whether it be the Basque mountains, the breathtaking Dolomites, the lush verdant fields of Belgium or the vineyards of France...

You forgot Blackpool

 

[La Pandera]

Vinokourov, cycling without Vino is like football without brazilians

Vino is a force of nature!

 

[La Pandera]

The sheer brutality of it all really. We all know how hard riding is, both physically and mentally, and to see these guys ploughing away day after day for hours on end is just seriously impressive.

Also the beauty and variety of the countrysides ridden through, from the lanes of Flanders to the mountain tops of the 3 GTs (no ToC isnt the 4th!).

Then the unpredictability - apart from a couple of sprint stages each year, no one really knows who's going to win anything.
By far the most exciting and unpredictable sport out there.

Lastly the drama. The politics, gossip, speculation and even the clinic just goes on all year, even when the racing's finished.

Love it! Really love it!

Exactly! How many times have we all dragged ourselves back from a tough ride, barely able to keep turning the pedals, having pushed ourselves to the limit? Sometimes in the midst of this suffering wondered what the hell are we doing out here? 90+ degree, humid and some young buck on the front pushing the pace and bringing the pain and yet we keep coming back for me.
Then to watch the pro's do the same just at a level that is just unimaginable and to do this in the case of a grand tour, for 3 weeks? Or on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix and the cobbles and steep grades of RVV?

Not to mention the gear! The beautiful bikes, wheels, components that are seen by many of us as works of art! Cycling becomes a part of one's soul and doesn't let go!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

podium girls.