just got to say

Frank the tank

Due to being "laid up" I've had the pleasure of watching more or less all of the Giro. Absolutely fantastic and it's going to go down to the wire, great stuff.

I would say it has the edge on the TdF in certain respects.

Can't wait for the ITT tomorra.

colinsmith123

Go on, I'll ask... why does GdI have the edge on TdF?

Jez mon

The Giro is generally the more exciting race, IMO, harder to predict, and you get more interesting stages such as unsurfaced climbs that the tour probably wouldn't go up.

Frank the tank

Some of the mountain climbs are truely horrific but the thing is on this occasion anyway, the final stage still has it all to play for. This to me is where the TdF misses a trick, the final day is no more than a procession for the yellow jersey. Green jersey is different but, it should be about the race leader and the ultimate champ.

Don't get me wrong I'm gagging to watch le tour it's gripping stuff.

colinsmith123

I have only ever caught glimpses of GdI over the years, so I'm not qualified to compare the two as to which is the better of these two Grand Tours. In my opinion, as an armchair spectator, the TV presentation of Le Tour by ASO is second to none and it is this which draws me back year every year. I reckon around 18-20 of them.

CambsNewbie

Fridays stage was brutal.. Seeing the best cyclists in the world holding onto the railings or being supported when they crossed line because they had literally given everything was awe-inspiring. Puts me to shame when they go up a mountain faster than I go on the flat!

Been really enjoying it.

Frank the tank

CambsNewbie wrote:

Fridays stage was brutal.. Seeing the best cyclists in the world holding onto the railings or being supported when they crossed line because they had literally given everything was awe-inspiring. Puts me to shame when they go up a mountain faster than I go on the flat!

Been really enjoying it.

The motirolo (sp) was even better, crickey they were virtually at a stand-still the gradients were so tough.

Awsome stuff, I doff my cap to them all.

pinno

I do like the Giro. The TDF has so much razzamatazz, the cycling seems to get lost in amongst the overplanned, almost sterile nature of it. All the stages in the TDF have been so meticulously planned that it looses something that the Giro seems to retain. Hard to put your finger on it.
The TDF needs a fresh apporach (and a hilly TT?). The emphasis on the racing not so much the event, if that makes any sense.
Yesterday, the Mortirolo followed by a stint on a dirt track and then snow at the top of a mountain. It was just magic and unpredicatble. Cyclists in the Giro have a go because unlike the TDF, the race is'nt 'controlled' as much by big teams, publicity and big bucks. So few breakaways work in the TDF because the sprinters want their day and the climbers want to win and its much more about getting your bloke in your sponsors regalia over the line 1st.
Personally I would throw the cat amongst the pidgeons and put the mountains in at day 3 or 4 in the tour, thereby breaking the whole thing up and adding a huge quantity of unpredictability into it. Add a hilly TT and maybe give pure climbers a shot at it as well as being far more strict about elimination times.
Cav was well outside the cut off on Weds (I think) but they allowed him to continue. It makes the points jersey less prestigious. Gotta go - Ryder H to win the TT?

daviesee

Great race - Exciting to the end.

IMHO much better than the TDF. The TDF is too corporate and the race too organised. Fingers crossed it can match, or even better than the Giro.
The TDF wins hand down for coverage though. (Due to the corporate side of things).