Giro d'Italia Worst Giro d'Italia edition in the 21st century?

[Netserk]

Which edition of the race has been the worst for the fans in the 21st century?

 

[Netserk]

Mandatory meme:

 

[Ricco']

Can't really talk about 2004 because didn't followed that edition (neither 2002, but watched all the stages highlights and mountain stages I could find on YouTube on that edition) and by far this one.

2022 had a lame GC fight as well, but Blockhaus was fun and we had interesting breakaway fights as well as the Torino stage that outclasses anything this Giro have given.

Same for 2012. All that Cunego and De Gendt have made on the Stelvio stage outranks any action of this Giro.

2002 also had good stages that I look up to with fondness, as Folgaria p.e.

I won't look back to this Giro and instantly remember some remarkable stage that links it to the 2023 edition. Even 2014, which for be was not very good, had Val Martello shambles and Aru emergence on Montecampione as moments I still remember.

 

[Netserk]

The start of the century was before my time, but I guess I should have included 2001 as an option. Probably with 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2014 next in line. Or maybe 2006 instead?

 

[zlev11]

i still think last year was worse, the route was horrifically bad. it wasn't even a hard race at all. at least this year was hard with both the route and the weather (although i think this is being WAY overblown by the commentators, there were really only 3 or 4 stages with real rain).

i'll respond to this after Thomas wins the TT by a minute tomorrow with a new take probably.

edit: oh damn I forgot about the Torino stage last year. yeah, 2023 is much worse nvm.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

2022 had the Torino stage. 2012 had De Gendt's Stelvio raid. 2004 had Cunego's Dolomites raid. This race has had literally nothing, so is behind all of those by default.

2002 was a shambles with Garzelli winning the first MTF then being forced out with a positive doping test while in pink, followed by Simoni winning the second MTF then being forced out with a positive doping test, followed by Casagrande being thrown out of the race Sagan 2017-style, eliminating almost everyone with previous GT GC pedigree and putting a bigger asterisk on Savoldelli's win than we've seen at any subsequent Giro. The Coe stage, much like the stages I listed at the start of the post, would normally mean it also beats this race by default, but the absolute clusterf*ck (and poor racing) that came before it mean they're too close to separate for someone who, like me, didn't watch the 2002 Giro live.

 

[ZamlinusYoutubeious]

I was gonna go 2012 but was reminded of de gendts ride so this year it is. It's time for Vegni to move on, i think he has lost the plot or his pot. 😀

 

[Monte Serra]

I think 2022 was worse than this year. At least there was some drama this edition, with bad weather and Remco's rise and fall. Last year there was very little that excited the viewers, even the Turino stage didn't amount to much. Maybe it's recency bias, but I also think the breakaway battles were better this time around, especially with emphatic almost-but-not-quite-there performances by Gee and Pinot.

 

[ontheroad]

Its been a forgettable race as a spectacle, one of the poorest grand tours in recent years. Low on drama and excitement and the GC action was almost non existent. I think it will get the ending it merits tomorrow with Thomas just grinding his way to a narrow win.

 

[Elos Anjos]

Tour 2017.

 

[ZamlinusYoutubeious]

2022 had the Torino stage. 2012 had De Gendt's Stelvio raid. 2004 had Cunego's Dolomites raid. This race has had literally nothing, so is behind all of those by default.

2002 was a shambles with Garzelli winning the first MTF then being forced out with a positive doping test while in pink, followed by Simoni winning the second MTF then being forced out with a positive doping test, followed by Casagrande being thrown out of the race Sagan 2017-style, eliminating almost everyone with previous GT GC pedigree and putting a bigger asterisk on Savoldelli's win than we've seen at any subsequent Giro. The Coe stage, much like the stages I listed at the start of the post, would normally mean it also beats this race by default, but the absolute clusterf*ck (and poor racing) that came before it mean they're too close to separate for someone who, like me, didn't watch the 2002 Giro live.

2002 stage 17 was interesting with Dario, 2nd on gc tanking .. Tyler attacking Cadel on pink jersey and Savoldelli wearing pink in the end

 

[Escarabajo]

Last year was the worst ever. Not even close!!!

 

[OlavEH]

2022 had the Torino stage. 2012 had De Gendt's Stelvio raid. 2004 had Cunego's Dolomites raid. This race has had literally nothing, so is behind all of those by default.

Yep. I'm thinking exactly the same. All those versions at least had one stage I will remember later. This version has absolutely nothing. Shitty weather and Remco's withdrawal is the most memoarable events. And the shitty weather didn't even lead to any interesting stages in the GC battle.

 

[Põhja Konn]

Everything that could have has gone wrong in this years edition, but initially there was much more potential in terms of both the route (despite the heavy backloading) and the contenders in this year compared to last. As such the current edition has been a much bigger dissapointment. Almeida turning it around and taking pink tomorrow would add a somewhat unexpected twist in the tail, but even that would probably be too little too late.

2012 was quite bad, but it still looks a lot worse because it came at the back of several good to great editions and is similarily followed by several such ones. Two earlier ones in the poll came before my time, so I can't really comment on them.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

2022 had the Torino stage. 2012 had De Gendt's Stelvio raid. 2004 had Cunego's Dolomites raid. This race has had literally nothing, so is behind all of those by default.

2002 was a shambles with Garzelli winning the first MTF then being forced out with a positive doping test while in pink, followed by Simoni winning the second MTF then being forced out with a positive doping test, followed by Casagrande being thrown out of the race Sagan 2017-style, eliminating almost everyone with previous GT GC pedigree and putting a bigger asterisk on Savoldelli's win than we've seen at any subsequent Giro. The Coe stage, much like the stages I listed at the start of the post, would normally mean it also beats this race by default, but the absolute clusterf*ck (and poor racing) that came before it mean they're too close to separate for someone who, like me, didn't watch the 2002 Giro live.

On second thought, Evenepoel and TGH abandoning (albeit for non-clinic reasons) means the gap in terms of shambles between this and the 2002 Giro isn't so big, and then the Coe stage moves the needle enough, so I'll add my vote to the majority.

 

[Eshnar]

No doubt it's this one.
Frankly I don't understand why 2004 is an option. Not a good edition but even just the first MTF provided more action than whatever we have seen this year.

 

[Netserk]

No doubt it's this one.
Frankly I don't understand why 2004 is an option. Not a good edition but even just the first MTF provided more action than whatever we have seen this year.

Before my time, but it has often been referred to as a bad edition, but maybe that was mainly about the route and all the sprint stages.

Your bottom-5?

 

[Eshnar]

Before my time, but it has often been referred to as a bad edition, but maybe that was mainly about the route and all the sprint stages.

Your bottom-5?

It did have a lot of sprint stages, but it did have a couple of really good stages (at least for modern standards)

2023
2012
2022
2002
2014

 

[staubsauger]

No doubt it's this one.
Frankly I don't understand why 2004 is an option. Not a good edition but even just the first MTF provided more action than whatever we have seen this year.

+ Cunego & Saeco out maneuvering Popovych
+ Simoni's long-range attack with Honchar & De Nardi chasing all day.
+ Popovych gaining pink in the TT
+ Fred Rodriguez beating Petacchi in a sprint!

 

[OlavEH]

Before my time, but it has often been referred to as a bad edition, but maybe that was mainly about the route and all the sprint stages.

Yep, route was an important factor. Only two bigger mountain stages, the longest of these were 122 km and the GC was also pretty dull due to Simoni and Cunego being on the same team.

 

[ZamlinusYoutubeious]

+ Cunego & Saeco out maneuvering Popovych
+ Simoni's long-range attack with Honchar & De Nardi chasing all day.
+ Popovych gaining pink in the TT
+ Fred Rodriguez beating Petacchi in a sprint!

Ahh fast freddie... Good ol' times.

 

[rghysens]

+ Cunego & Saeco out maneuvering Popovych
+ Simoni's long-range attack with Honchar & De Nardi chasing all day.
+ Popovych gaining pink in the TT
+ Fred Rodriguez beating Petacchi in a sprint!

+ the Mortirolo stage: action from 100km before the finish.

 

[ice&fire]

I'm waiting for LS to complain about the inclusion of 2002 in that list because it had Fedaia.

 

[Mayomaniac]

It's between this one and 2012.
Oh well, the Tour can't be worse than this, right? At the same time we were also thinking that in 2012 and ended up with the big pommie cheater show...

2002 also had the Passo Cuddles stage, despite the circumstances it wasn't that bad.

 

[titan31]

It's this one by a long way. Can blame the others on a meh route or a bunch of the 2000s era Giro for doping casting a cloud on the results but at least they had some GC action. We've had very little of that this edition.