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Which Non-GT Stage races are the most Prestigious

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The topriders rides Dauphine and Suisse to prepare for the TDF, Pais Vasco to prepare for the Ardennes and Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico primaraly for a result (as its the classics riders that rides those to prepare for Classics). For me therefore Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico are the most prestigous, but ofcourse all of these races are still fairly equal. Catalunya I just feel is a bit less important, maybe because its a bit forgotten in a hectic face of the season with many other races going on and as its never a topgoal for anyone, Romandie is also either for Giropreparation or for tired riders riding a final race in that part of the season and again only a topgoal for very few riders, and finally Binck Bank is a interesting race but its not really a race suiting the Grand Tour-riders and therefore I think its less prestigious to win, as stageracing is generally about Grand Tour-qualities. And Greg Van Avermaet and Tim Wellens and those kind of riders are not great stageracers.
 
1. Paris-Nice
2. Tour de Suisse
3. Tour of the Basque Country
4. Critérium du Dauphiné
5. Tirreno–Adriatico
6. Volta a Catalunya
7. Tour de Romandie

8. BinckBank Tour
9. Giro del Trentino
10. Vuelta a Burgos
 
Re: Re:

chiocciolis_calves said:
Sartorius said:
For me it's:

1. Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, Dauphine, Tour de Suisse
2. Romandy, Catalunya, Itzulia
3. Binck Bank, Poland, California
4. Tour Down Under, Abu Dhabi
5. Rest

Beating Gaimon's Strava times is more prestigious than winning the Tour of California. That race has always been and will continue to be a joke. When I think of other races that could be upgraded in place of that steaming turd...

It's funny when someone dislikes a race for unknown reasons and then just presents it as obvious, checkable fact that that it's the purest garbage.
 
Re:

del1962 said:
I actually find Austria more interesting than the WT Stage Races because while the field isn't the greatest it is not a prep race
I'm sure that depends on the rider's type and objectives. Any race could be a preparation race. Even Österreich Rundfahrt.

But ofcourse there are certain races, where, if we look exclusively at GC riders as one rider-subtype, the majority will see it as preparation and vice versa. But for other rider types it's not certain that the same races are preparation races or separate objectives.
 
Re: Re:

Cance > TheRest said:
del1962 said:
I actually find Austria more interesting than the WT Stage Races because while the field isn't the greatest it is not a prep race
I'm sure that depends on the rider's type and objectives. Any race could be a preparation race. Even Österreich Rundfahrt.

But ofcourse there are certain races, where, if we look exclusively at GC riders as one rider-subtype, the majority will see it as preparation and vice versa. But for other rider types it's not certain that the same races are preparation races or separate objectives.

I don't think that Gree - Tour of Guangxi can be a prep race :) Maybe for the Tour of Japan?
 
The main 7 are all really on par.
Although ASO has some power with their races.

Looking through past winners can also give an indication. possibly longevity, even cultural references Pais Vasco and Hemingway etc Places on calender, Catalunya used to be in september, after thought?

PN: Bobet, Janssen, Anquetil, Simpson, Merckx, Poulidor, Maertens, Zoetemelk, Roche, Kelly, Indurain, Bernard, Zülle, Rominger, Jalabert, Vandenbroucke, Boogerd, Vinokourov, Contador, Wiggins
TA: De Vlaeminck, Moser, Saronni, Visentini, Zoetemelk, Rominger, Sørensen, Fondriest, Casagrande, Bartoli, Olano, Bettini, Freire, Cancellara, Evans, Nibali, Contador, Quintana, Kwiatkowski
Pais Vasco: Bartali, Anquetil, Ocaña, Battaglin, Kelly, Roche, Chiappucci, Rominger, Casagrande, Zülle, Jalabert, Mayo, Menchov, Quintana, Rodríguez, Contador, Valverde
Romandie: Bartali, Merckx, Gimondi, Motta, Thévenet, Zoetemelk, Saronni, Hinault, Criquielion, Roche, Anderson, Mottet, Hampsten, Richard, Rominger, Olano, Tonkov, Jalabert, Savoldelli, Evans, Wiggins, Froome, Quintana
Dauphine: Bobet, Anquetil, Poulidor, Merckx, Ocaña, Thévenet, Hinault, LeMond, Zimmermann, Millar, Herrera, Mottet, Indurain, Vinokourov, Mayo, Armstrong, Valverde, Wiggins, Froome
Suisse: Bartali, Koblet, Motta, Merckx, De Vlaeminck, Kuiper, Saronni, Zimmermann, Hampsten, Kelly, Tonkov, Garzelli, Casagrande, Armstrong, Zülle, Vinokourov, Ullrich, Cancellara
Catalunya: Anquetil, Merckx, Ocaña, Gimondi, Thévenet, Maertens, Moser, Millar, Kelly, Lejarreta, Indurain, Chiappucci, Jalabert, Zülle, Beloki, Heras, Rodríguez, Quintana, Valverde

Merckx never won pais vasco or tirreno. Does that increase the legend of the race or was it because he didnt feel them worthy. Tirreno is the newest with the worst roll call imo.

If I had to put them in order I'd say
1.Dauphine
2.Paris-Nice
3.Suisse
4.Romandie
5.Pais Vasco
6.Catalunya
7.Tirreno-Adriactio
 
The most important ones are: Paris-Nice, Tirreno, Catalunya, Pais Vasco, Romandie, Dauphine and Tour de Suisse. Other races are far behind. Differences are small between these seven, but if I have to rank, it would be:
Paris-Nice
Pais Vasco
Dauphine
Tirreno
Suisse
Catalunya
Romandie
 
Re: Re:

tobydawq said:
Cance > TheRest said:
del1962 said:
I actually find Austria more interesting than the WT Stage Races because while the field isn't the greatest it is not a prep race
I'm sure that depends on the rider's type and objectives. Any race could be a preparation race. Even Österreich Rundfahrt.

But ofcourse there are certain races, where, if we look exclusively at GC riders as one rider-subtype, the majority will see it as preparation and vice versa. But for other rider types it's not certain that the same races are preparation races or separate objectives.

I don't think that Gree - Tour of Guangxi can be a prep race :) Maybe for the Tour of Japan?
A prep race for the off-season :lol:
 
The period from Paris-Nice to Itzulia is the pinnacle of week-long stage racing for me. At least one of the big four races during this time of the year (P-N, Tirreno, Catalunya and Itzulia) is a specific target for one or the other top stage racer. Obviously field and level of racing varies from year to year in each of the four, but most of the GC men have their first peak of the year during this time period, giving a special value to winning one of those races. P-N and Itzulia are my personal favourites but difficult to really form any objective order.

Historically, both Dauphine and Suisse have been ahead of the aforementioned foursome, but things have changed due to several factors. First Dauphine is being treated purely as a preparation race by both the organisers and the riders. Because of this it has lost a lot of its prestige for me, despite routinely gathering stellar fields and offering up one of the most challenging routes for a week-long race. As such it has dropped behind the big four from spring.

Tour de Suisse suffers from its position in the calendar. Vast majority of GC riders target either the Giro or the Tour, so it either becomes an afterthought to the former or preparation for the latter. It is late enough that only a precious few riders try to prolong their Giro form for it. On the other hand as a preparation for the Tour, Dauphine is both better placed in the calendar and (usually) has better weather. As a consequence, field of participants suffer and with it the prestige and standing of the race itself. Still, because of its unique character and historical significance, it remains one of the most prestigious of them all.

So, to take it all together:
1. Paris-Nice
2. Itzulia
3. Suisse
4. Tirreno
5. Catalunya
6. Dauphine
7. Romandie
 
Re: Re:

Cance > TheRest said:
tobydawq said:
Cance > TheRest said:
del1962 said:
I actually find Austria more interesting than the WT Stage Races because while the field isn't the greatest it is not a prep race
I'm sure that depends on the rider's type and objectives. Any race could be a preparation race. Even Österreich Rundfahrt.

But ofcourse there are certain races, where, if we look exclusively at GC riders as one rider-subtype, the majority will see it as preparation and vice versa. But for other rider types it's not certain that the same races are preparation races or separate objectives.

I don't think that Gree - Tour of Guangxi can be a prep race :) Maybe for the Tour of Japan?
A prep race for the off-season :lol:
Race Vuelta - Worlds - Italian Classics - Guangxi and you hardly need to touch your bike again until December. Spend Christmas with your family and then get ready for Algarve...
 
Re: Re:

tobydawq said:
chiocciolis_calves said:
Sartorius said:
For me it's:

1. Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, Dauphine, Tour de Suisse
2. Romandy, Catalunya, Itzulia
3. Binck Bank, Poland, California
4. Tour Down Under, Abu Dhabi
5. Rest

Beating Gaimon's Strava times is more prestigious than winning the Tour of California. That race has always been and will continue to be a joke. When I think of other races that could be upgraded in place of that steaming turd...

It's funny when someone dislikes a race for unknown reasons and then just presents it as obvious, checkable fact that that it's the purest garbage.

Thank You tobydawq When I started this thread I knew this type of comment would be made which is OK by me I appreciate differing views even if they bug me.

I Want to Thank Everyone for their contributions to this thread it distilled some thoughts I had myself and brought out some different perspectives I wanted to Hear/Read.

In the last 4 or 5 years I have become an avid watcher of many road races as a big fan of Sagan, the Tour of California I get to watch a Now, World Tour race locally and live and enjoyed watching as many races as possible, unfortunately with the rights holders cleaning up youtube more efficiently it is harder to watch the early parts of the races before the break, I like to see the race develop. Had the early half of the NBC cycling this year so I could watch Paris Roubaix and I watched all seven or so Hours while avoiding the results with no spoilers. Have watched some road Racing Since the Greg Lemond years but until the last few years only got to see what was available on cable. Tried Tiz once was uncomfortable downloading what ever it is they have you download to watch a race.
 
Strawberry_Jams said:
Merckx never won pais vasco or tirreno. Does that increase the legend of the race or was it because he didnt feel them worthy. Tirreno is the newest with the worst roll call imo.

Merckx only raced Tirreno in 1976, second to De Vlaeminck, even in the ITT if I'm not mistaken. In previous years, Tirreno Adriatico mainly had an Italian field (in terms of teams, I mean) with a couple of Belgian teams. It was created in 1966 because the Italians realised that foreigners kept winning Milan-Sanremo (no Italian wins between 1953 - Loretto Petrucci - and 1970 Michele Dancelli) as they had Paris-Nice in the legs. So they also needed to distance in the legs in order to be fit for Milan-Sanremo but Paris-Nice was still the best build-up race for the Primavera. At that time, it was astride on two weeks, just like Tirreno alone is nowadays. Tirreno was in competition with the Tour of Sardegna, held a few weeks before in those days but which was much more prestigious. Paris-Nice on the other hand was the race that every top riders raced and wanted to win and an ideal build-up race for Milan-Sanremo. As was the Catalan Week for the Tour of- Flanders and the Tour of Belgium for Paris-Roubaix.

Basque Country was not really prestigious back in the days. It only was revived in the sixties. In the 1920's it was a nice race but then needed the UCI ranking of the nineties to win back international prestige. The Catalan Week (Setmana catalana) really was the best Spanish race in terms of field back in the seventies. I wish it could be back, someday.
 
Re:

Põhja Konn said:
The period from Paris-Nice to Itzulia is the pinnacle of week-long stage racing for me. At least one of the big four races during this time of the year (P-N, Tirreno, Catalunya and Itzulia) is a specific target for one or the other top stage racer. Obviously field and level of racing varies from year to year in each of the four, but most of the GC men have their first peak of the year during this time period, giving a special value to winning one of those races. P-N and Itzulia are my personal favourites but difficult to really form any objective order.

Historically, both Dauphine and Suisse have been ahead of the aforementioned foursome, but things have changed due to several factors. First Dauphine is being treated purely as a preparation race by both the organisers and the riders. Because of this it has lost a lot of its prestige for me, despite routinely gathering stellar fields and offering up one of the most challenging routes for a week-long race. As such it has dropped behind the big four from spring.

Tour de Suisse suffers from its position in the calendar. Vast majority of GC riders target either the Giro or the Tour, so it either becomes an afterthought to the former or preparation for the latter. It is late enough that only a precious few riders try to prolong their Giro form for it. On the other hand as a preparation for the Tour, Dauphine is both better placed in the calendar and (usually) has better weather. As a consequence, field of participants suffer and with it the prestige and standing of the race itself. Still, because of its unique character and historical significance, it remains one of the most prestigious of them all.

So, to take it all together:
1. Paris-Nice
2. Itzulia
3. Suisse
4. Tirreno
5. Catalunya
6. Dauphine
7. Romandie

First and second have been set in stone, ever since the 2000 editions :D

On a more serious note, I think that Paris-Nice is the winner based on the forums general consensus. It usually provides great racing, and a large variety of different type of GC stage racers have been able to win the event throughout it's overall history, and even throughout its recent history. As has also been mentioned, it is a race that many riders specifically peak for, possibly as their second main peak of the entire season (after July of course).

Suisse should be second - or even first - but has suffered in recent years. Not sure what they should do to change this.

Dauphne is really a prep race, though still a prep race that is nice to have on your resume.

Pais Vasco is distinctive for its murito's. And it is sort of the end of the first racing period for those who are targeting the Tour. It's ahead of the Dauphne.

For some reason I don't care much for Catalunya. Seems almost irrelevant to me on the calendar. Romandie is a nice race, but the main Giro riders rarely contest it for GC, if they even ride it. It's sort of a lesser peak race for July racers than Paris Nice and Tirreno.

So I will go:
Paris Nice

Pais Vasco
Suisse

Tirreno (needs more editions like 2014!)
Dauphne

Romandie
Catalunya
 
I think Tour of California is really underrated here. It may be a joke of a race, but I reckon most riders would choose winning California over Romandie or Tirreno. It's also a stand-alone race and not just Tour-preparation.
 
Re:

spalco said:
I think Tour of California is really underrated here. It may be a joke of a race, but I reckon most riders would choose winning California over Romandie or Tirreno. It's also a stand-alone race and not just Tour-preparation.
Thing is, the fact that it isn’t Tour prep means you get a not-quite-Premier-League class of gc competitor. So you get classics riders like Sagan and Alaphilippe winning the overall, who would never be able to win Romandie or Paris-Nice. The real class in California is usually in the sprinting field; the Cavs, Kittells, Kristoffs and Gavirias who want a warm weather stage race, but don’t want to ride a full Giro.
 
Re:

spalco said:
I think Tour of California is really underrated here. It may be a joke of a race, but I reckon most riders would choose winning California over Romandie or Tirreno. It's also a stand-alone race and not just Tour-preparation.
No serious GC competitor really cares about California unless you are an unproved talent or an American. It's similar to Tour Down Under. There are no real history to those races.

Testing your pre-GT form in the traditional big 7 (Paris-Nice, Tirreno, Catalunya, Itzulia, Romandie, Dauphine, Suisse) is what the best GC riders do. I'd even go as far as a stage win in one of those races is more important than winning California.
 

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