Your favourite/most memorable short stage races?

[Samu Cuenca]

No. The race with these riders, the race with those riders, and the race with some other riders etc.
The issue is when I forget which riders are doing what races...

Hopefully you get their genders right most of the time.

 

[pman]

Pretty much any Paris-Nice is exciting not necessarily for the course design but because of when it comes on the calendar. Contador's attacking style made the race special for so many years, even when he lost like in 2017- his finale stage attack was quite memorable.

I've never been as interested in Tirreno-Adriatico but the last two years Pog has made me watch. This past year, he rode past Ving like the Dane had brick pedals. I think it was in 21 when Pog just effortlessly beat back an Ineos 1-2. That was fun to see.

The most underrated and underutilized race in the calendar and one I seriously hope comes back for 2023 is Österreich Rundfahrt. That race, in that time spot should be a gem. With Austria's terrain and mountains it should be the perfect fitness check for any Vuelta rider skipping the Tour. How is that race not a bigger deal- I think the secondary race to the Tour spot is a prime one. We're all talking about the sport, many of us are on summer vacation. Watch the Tour for a few hours then catch the key moments of the Tour of Austria. It seems like a no-brainer to me. Plus the country is stunning.

Speaking of beautiful countries, I am also a big fan of the Tour de Suisse- just to see the towns it goes through, love it.

 

[skippo12]

The most underrated and underutilized race in the calendar and one I seriously hope comes back for 2023 is Österreich Rundfahrt. That race, in that time spot should be a gem. With Austria's terrain and mountains it should be the perfect fitness check for any Vuelta rider skipping the Tour. How is that race not a bigger deal- I think the secondary race to the Tour spot is a prime one. We're all talking about the sport, many of us are on summer vacation. Watch the Tour for a few hours then catch the key moments of the Tour of Austria. It seems like a no-brainer to me. Plus the country is stunning.

Seems like most riders that prepare for the Vuelta prefer late july for the first races after a long break (ardennes/romandie, giro). Even more when they finished the first half of the season with the Dauphine or Tour de Suisse. More than a month to rest, recover and build form.
Teams also need to consider things like sponsors, prestige and as we all realized last season...points. Based on the fact that prior to the cancelled editions a team like Bora skipped the race it doesn´t look good.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Dauphine 2014 was pretty good

 

[Forever The Best]

That's a large part of the "every parcours sucks" position: as we can never know which riders are going to show up at the time the parcours is unveiled, the organisers should legislate for the worst case scenario - that the 2012 Giro d'Italia péloton turns up - and design accordingly.

I'm not sure if even the best course would have mattered much with that bunch. Apart from De Gendt and Cunego none of the GC contenders were interested in racing. Most disappointing race of all time maybe. And Hesjedal winning made it even worse. I know he should have ridden better, but Rodriguez was a GT contender for several years and him winning would have been better.

 

[RedheadDane]

Pretty much any Paris-Nice is exciting not necessarily for the course design but because of when it comes on the calendar. Contador's attacking style made the race special for so many years, even when he lost like in 2017- his finale stage attack was quite memorable.

I've never been as interested in Tirreno-Adriatico but the last two years Pog has made me watch. This past year, he rode past Ving like the Dane had brick pedals. I think it was in 21 when Pog just effortlessly beat back an Ineos 1-2. That was fun to see.

The most underrated and underutilized race in the calendar and one I seriously hope comes back for 2023 is Österreich Rundfahrt. That race, in that time spot should be a gem. With Austria's terrain and mountains it should be the perfect fitness check for any Vuelta rider skipping the Tour. How is that race not a bigger deal- I think the secondary race to the Tour spot is a prime one. We're all talking about the sport, many of us are on summer vacation. Watch the Tour for a few hours then catch the key moments of the Tour of Austria. It seems like a no-brainer to me. Plus the country is stunning.

Another example of my memory being weird.
I mostly think of Ostereich as the race that for a couple of years seemed to be favoured by riders, who were really pissed about not having been selected for the TdF.

 

[Netserk]

Dauphine 2014 was pretty good

More overrated than the 2011 Tour.

 

[tobydawq]

More overrated than the 2011 Tour.

Peculiar, given that the 2011 Tour is the most underrated GT on this forum.

I think I need to have a formula for when a few boring stages must mean that a race shall forever be remembered as bad no matter how entertaining the remainder of the stages are, and when a few boring stages can just be forgotten and not influence on our perception of the quality of a race.

 

[Netserk]

No formula, just vibes!

 

[pman]

Another example of my memory being weird.
I mostly think of Ostereich as the race that for a couple of years seemed to be favoured by riders, who were really pissed about not having been selected for the TdF.

It definitely did attract some of the riders who weren't selected for the Tour. I also agree that Vuelta riders want to ramp up their preparation later the summer than Ostereich. I just think that the race had potential to be bigger than it was. The country is so beautiful.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Peculiar, given that the 2011 Tour is the most underrated GT on this forum.

I think I need to have a formula for when a few boring stages must mean that a race shall forever be remembered as bad no matter how entertaining the remainder of the stages are, and when a few boring stages can just be forgotten and not influence on our perception of the quality of a race.

Probably having the good stages dotted throughout the race rather than all clumped together at the end after two weeks of boring stages would have helped. Also it being lavished with praise as a Tour to hold on a pedestal generated a decent amount of backlash because of the huge amount of backloading and the complete lack of action other than crashes of the first two weeks being swept under the carpet because it ended with a sequence of epic stages.

And because the next few Tours were really disappointing, it also seemed a lot better by comparison, perpetuating the discussion. After all, you're still jumping in to defend it over a decade after the fact, and I'm still jumping in to critique it over a decade after the fact. So at least it was memorable, which is more than can be said for most Tours for the rest of that decade.

Hell, I did think about posting it in this thread actually

 

[tobydawq]

Probably having the good stages dotted throughout the race rather than all clumped together at the end after two weeks of boring stages would have helped. Also it being lavished with praise as a Tour to hold on a pedestal generated a decent amount of backlash because of the huge amount of backloading and the complete lack of action other than crashes of the first two weeks being swept under the carpet because it ended with a sequence of epic stages.

And because the next few Tours were really disappointing, it also seemed a lot better by comparison, perpetuating the discussion. After all, you're still jumping in to defend it over a decade after the fact, and I'm still jumping in to critique it over a decade after the fact. So at least it was memorable, which is more than can be said for most Tours for the rest of that decade.

Hell, I did think about posting it in this thread actually

I was perfectly capable of judging its greatness right when I was watching it.

But it's still so strange to me. The 2016 Vuelta was deemed so great because there was one good stage with everything else being utter crap.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I was perfectly capable of judging its greatness right when I was watching it.

But it's still so strange to me. The 2016 Vuelta was deemed so great because there was one good stage with everything else being utter crap.

And I was perfectly capable of judging it to have been extremely boring for over two weeks before everybody forgot the first two weeks and started praising it to the hilt back in 2011 too. Opinions just got more entrenched because it kept being brought up because of a number of lacklustre races that followed.

Four of the last six stages were good (the others being an ITT and the Champs parade... both of which on the weekend. Great pacing) but it doesn't stop the most memorable thing in the first 15 being Juan António Flecha and Johnny Hoogerland getting hit by a car.

 

[tobydawq]

And I was perfectly capable of judging it to have been extremely boring for over two weeks before everybody forgot the first two weeks and started praising it to the hilt back in 2011 too. Opinions just got more entrenched because it kept being brought up because of a number of lacklustre races that followed.

Four of the last six stages were good (the others being an ITT and the Champs parade... both of which on the weekend. Great pacing) but it doesn't stop the most memorable thing in the first 15 being Juan António Flecha and Johnny Hoogerland getting hit by a car.

No, but that doesn't matter that much to me.
Stages 18 and 19 were far better than any stages since the 90's and to me that should count a hell of a lot more than a snoozefest in the Pyrenees.

And I think Hushovd chasing down Moncoutié and winning a mountain stage clad in his rainbow jersey was also just a tiny bit memorable. As well as Voeckler suddenly looking like a Tour winner.

 

[RedheadDane]

And I think Hushovd chasing down Moncoutié and winning a mountain stage clad in his rainbow jersey was also just a tiny bit memorable. As well as Voeckler suddenly looking like a Tour winner.

It was Roy, and he was so sad!
See? I remember that!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

No, but that doesn't matter that much to me.
Stages 18 and 19 were far better than any stages since the 90's and to me that should count a hell of a lot more than a snoozefest in the Pyrenees.

And I think Hushovd chasing down Moncoutié and winning a mountain stage clad in his rainbow jersey was also just a tiny bit memorable. As well as Voeckler suddenly looking like a Tour winner.

Wasn't it Jérémy Roy that he chased down, and Moncoutié also passed him in the last kilometre after Thor had already passed him?

 

[Netserk]

No, but that doesn't matter that much to me.
Stages 18 and 19 were far better than any stages since the 90's and to me that should count a hell of a lot more than a snoozefest in the Pyrenees.

And I think Hushovd chasing down Moncoutié and winning a mountain stage clad in his rainbow jersey was also just a tiny bit memorable. As well as Voeckler suddenly looking like a Tour winner.

Alpe d'Huez was better than Landis?

Four of the last six stages were good (the others being an ITT and the Champs parade...

The ITT was better than Pinerolo.

 

[tobydawq]

Wasn't it Jérémy Roy that he chased down, and Moncoutié also passed him in the last kilometre after Thor had already passed him?

Haha I guess it wasn't that memorable after all

 

[firefly3323]

Dauphine 2014 was pretty good

Yeah, Talansky with a great effort. He might be a d!ck but oh well, cant have it all I guess.

 

[Mayomaniac]

The most underrated and underutilized race in the calendar and one I seriously hope comes back for 2023 is Österreich Rundfahrt. That race, in that time spot should be a gem. With Austria's terrain and mountains it should be the perfect fitness check for any Vuelta rider skipping the Tour. How is that race not a bigger deal- I think the secondary race to the Tour spot is a prime one. We're all talking about the sport, many of us are on summer vacation. Watch the Tour for a few hours then catch the key moments of the Tour of Austria. It seems like a no-brainer to me. Plus the country is stunning.

The Österreich Rundfahrt already had big problems fiding towns that are willing to pay for stages and a lack of interest from the general public in Austria. Covid was the final nail in it's coffin. Maybe if Konrad and Mühlberger would have lived up to their u23 results and become actual gc riders for gts things could have gone different. Or maybe Austria should have just tried finding it's own version of Roglic among all of it's washed up ski jumpers...

Back to the main topic, there are a few great editions of Tirreno-Adriatico in the last 10 years. 2013, 2019 and 2021 were all great races.
The most underrated one has to be the Tour of Utah. That race always had great routes and delivered.

I've often made fun of the race, like many here, but in 2018 the Tour of Cali was actually really good. The Gibraltar road MTF, the hilly Laguna Seca stage, the over 34km long ITT where Bernal lost the jersey to TJVG and had to attack afterwards and the South Lake Tahoe mountain stage that was an actual mountain stage at altitude and resulted in Bernal destroying his opponents. That was a great short stage race.

 

[RedheadDane]

I've often made fun of the race, like many here, but in 2018 the Tour of Cali was actually really good. The Gibraltar road MTF, the hilly Laguna Seca stage, the over 34km long ITT where Bernal lost the jersey to TJVG and had to attack afterwards and the South Lake Tahoe mountain stage that was an actual mountain stage at altitude and resulted in Bernal destroying his opponents. That was a great short stage race.

And then for the 2019 - and incidentally last, though not Covid-related - edition there was the whole mess with "TJVG totally got his mechanic after 3 Ks to go" incident...
Also, it might have been my memory playing tricks with me (again...) but I vaguely recall reading that they were actually about to give Pogacar the usual sparkly wine on the podium, but hen realised that since he was 20 at the time, it would have been illegal as per US law.

 

[tobydawq]

And then for the 2019 - and incidentally last, though not Covid-related - edition there was the whole mess with "TJVG totally got his mechanic after 3 Ks to go" incident...
Also, it might have been my memory playing tricks with me (again...) but I vaguely recall reading that they were actually about to give Pogacar the usual sparkly wine on the podium, but hen realised that since he was 20 at the time, it would have been illegal as per US law.

And Asgreen winning a mountain stage.

 

[RedheadDane]

And Asgreen winning a mountain stage.

That too.

 

[firefly3323]

) but I vaguely recall reading that they were actually about to give Pogacar the usual sparkly wine on the podium, but hen realised that since he was 20 at the time, it would have been illegal as per US law.

Yeah, that gave me a good laugh.

 

[RedheadDane]

Yeah, that gave me a good laugh.

TBF... he's had plenty of chances to taste that podium bubbly since then...