Best and worst Tour De France you have watched?

Gabbo
Gabbo Posts: 864
edited February 2013 in Pro race
I have never religiously followed the Tour De France, but I've watched enough documentaries (about the tour) which tells me there is something quite special about this tournament. It seems every year, from what I have heard, the Tour De France brings something incredible or controversial to the public attention.
The question I am asking though, is whether there has ever been a Tour you'll never forget, or/and one you'd prefer to forget.

From reading up on a few articles, the 1989 Tour seems to be a memorable one for those who were able to witness it.

Comments

  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Plenty for both! Wouldn't rush to watch the 2012 edition again any time soon though.

    Though there is MUCH more to cycling than the Tour...
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    I know its a cliche but '86 was a cracker

    and '07 was the pits - unless you were a journo
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    89 was tops and both 86 and 87 were very exicting. Of more recent editions 2003 and 2011 were great fun.

    As far as rubbish ones go, pretty much all the Indurain victories sucked as did Armstrong's in all but two years. But last year was the most soporific edition ever.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    '89 was the first I really took an interest in as a kid, and it was fabulous.

    For me, 2003 was probably the best edition since then (a long wait...), closely followed by 2011 (another long wait)!
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    2011. Then 1998 (only cos it was my first Tour) then 2003.

    Worst? 2005.
    _
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    I'm sure you'll hear it lots of times, but '89 was the best I've watched. Fantastic race!

    Can't think of any that were really that terrible I'd rather forget them. If you take '07, which RR has picked out, there were good moments like this...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZgOaNnc-jU
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    2011. Then 1998 (only cos it was my first Tour) then 2003.

    Worst? 2005.

    Was '05 worse than '12?
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Yeah.

    I'm coming round to the idea that I might like my sport becoming more mainstream.
    _
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    I'm coming round to the idea that I might like my sport becoming more mainstream.

    :shock:

    OK, who are you and what have you done with Rick Chasey?
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    I'm sure you'll hear it lots of times, but '89 was the best I've watched. Fantastic race!

    Can't think of any that were really that terrible I'd rather forget them. If you take '07, which RR has picked out, there were good moments like this...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZgOaNnc-jU


    Oh, every Tour has its moments. For me it was the virtual implosion of the Tour and what happened off the road, that made it an awful Tour for me.
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Yeah.

    I'm coming round to the idea that I might like my sport becoming more mainstream.

    OK, fair do's! :?

    Even when it's shoot I still love the Tour. It's like cycling on steroid's... Even during the rubbish Tours there have been some fabulously memorable moments, Pinot's win last year being a good example).
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • estampida
    estampida Posts: 1,008
    its more certain phases of a race

    Big mig blowing away the TT an watching everyone else panic for the next week and a half

    The years when there was more than 1 team tt section (5 need to finish for a time, couple of flats and the whole tdf is gone for the whole team)

    89 was a good year though

    and maybe it is a bit of nostalgia and rose tinted glasses

    certainly the last 15 years should be forgotten as you cannot differentiate between human effort and drugs..........
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    I'm coming round to the idea that I might like my sport becoming more mainstream.

    :shock:

    OK, who are you and what have you done with Rick Chasey?

    I know I know. I'm kinda enjoying its new found status at the moment.







    And now the self pitty starts....
    _
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    Rick, before you know it you'll be wearing a Sky jersey and riding round on a Pinarello with a copy of the comic poking out the back of one of your jersey pockets.

    Don't say I didn't warn you...
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    best

    1: 1989
    2: 1987
    3: 2011
    4: 1995
    5: 2003

    oddly 2009 is strangely memorable

    2005 was dire
    2006 was dire
    2007 was dire

    take your pick

    2008 was has been forgotten as almost as boring as 2012 but 2012 has that changing of the guard thing 2008 should of had
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    '87 was great as it was my first Tour and also a great race.

    '89 was simply awesome.

    '90 was also very exciting in a very different way wondering if Lemond would get the time back from Chiappucci

    '98 was pretty poor. Surprised nobody mentioned that.
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    mididoctors wrote:
    2008 was has been forgotten as almost as boring as 2012 but 2012 has that changing of the guard thing 2008 should have had

    I thought '08 was good. Alpe d'Huez stage was great, Sastre turning the race upside down on one stage. Mind you, I can't remember anything else from that year...
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    '89 was superb with the lead changing hands so many times and, of course, that final stage. 1990 was pretty good with Chiappucci taking that massive lead on Stage 1 and LeMond whittling away at it until the final TT. I also loved the Pantani years (we all have our doping idols). Not sure about bad years, I found Indurain dominated too easily in most of his wins and you knew what was coming but there were some great stages in there including one of my all time favourites - Eros Poli's win that went over Ventoux in '94.
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    Best: 1989, 1986, 1987 in that order, though 2011 was the best since 89
    Worst: got to be 1998, racing wasn't great but the whole saga was horrific
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • ju5t1n
    ju5t1n Posts: 2,028
    mididoctors wrote:

    2006 was dire
    I would disagree with this. Until the revelations about Landis tarnished the result, this edition was pretty good. It now seems to have been erased from the history books.
  • edhornby
    edhornby Posts: 1,780
    1989 was just about the first that I watched (kinda spoilt :)

    1994 was good because me, my Brother and my dad sat on ditchling beacon and saw it in person

    Lances tours were boring... Indurains wins were boring

    2011 I enjoyed, there was a lot going on
    "I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, how good is that"
    --Jens Voight

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