Rate the Race - Giro 2013

tailwindhome

Ok - the poll runs from 1 - 10 (10 is Great. 1 is Poop)

The Poll runs until 31st May.

You can only vote once but can change your vote throughout.

inkyfingers

Wheres the option for zero? This race is rubbish.

RichN95.

Is it over already? I vote a 1 then. I can only remember a dull sprint stage. Still a win's a win - well done Cav.

(I see someone has already voted - with a fence sitting 5)

tailwindhome

inkyfingers wrote:

Wheres the option for zero? This race is rubbish.

Now, now, Cav's sprint effort must have registered at least a one....

Should I remove the 9 and 10 and add 0 and a 1/2?

deejay

TailWindHome wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

Wheres the option for zero? This race is rubbish.

Now, now, Cav's sprint effort must have registered at least a one....
Should I remove the 9 and 10 and add 0 and a 1/2?

Nah, It's only the first week. (First Day FFS)
The object for Naples was to show off the scenery and have a "Fun" day.

Macaloon

According to PTP, anything could happen on stage 3. Given some of the surprising deficits today and the 20s win bonus, might see some exotic riding. Good start.

DeadCalm

Macaloon wrote:

According to PTP, anything could happen on stage 3. Given some of the surprising deficits today and the 20s win bonus, might see some exotic riding. Good start.

A good start indeed. I will refrain from scoring it until the finish but so far I'm impressed.

thomthom

Moved mine from 1 to 3.

DeadCalm

ThomThom wrote:

Moved mine from 1 to 3.

You can change your vote? Who knew? Well, you obviously...

tailwindhome

Started well. Wiggins got ill. Ryder got ill. Cav was supreme. Weather was pish. Nibali wins at a canter. Good performances from Evans and Uran.


I give it a 5


For those who already voted you can change your vote....

Tom Butcher

6, the GC battle hasn't been great but there have been quite a few very good days racing.

kleinstroker

First one I've followed all the way through, and while there were a couple of excellent stages it was mostly awful to watch so I gave it a 4!

blazing_saddles

LOL. 8 out of 10 for a race that lost one and had three of it's remaing four mountain stages butchered?
Obviously would have been 15 out of 10 if the weather had been fine.

I recall 3 or 4 stages out of the 21, with some action worthy of the Giro.
Therefore, it gets 2 out of 10; my worst Giro rating ever.

Macaloon

3 for the first week's 'classics' stages, Cav's sprinting clinic, and Nibali giving a fark when it wasn't his turn.

But shocking weather and plague-ridden riders robbed an interesting parcours of any meaningful GC battle.

Turfle

Tantalising. Some really good racing, but not a lot of really good GC racing. Blunted by weather, and by Nibali being a class above a rather pedestrian group of GC riders.

Yellow Peril

I've given it an 8 on account of it being a battle to survive. there have been many stages this race that made me feel glad I'm not a pro -rider. Those who finished this race earned their corn and those who won jerseys deserve an extra helping.

specialgueststar

not an absolute classic perhaps due to the level of competition - but I gave it a higher score because I think there has been so much positive racing. Proper full out strategic racing for stages . overall position , sprints

Beautiful course with sun and snow

Visconti and Movistar racing and acquiring
Colombians animating
Nibali coming of age
Cavendish becoming legendary

above_the_cows

I have opted for a 7.

Not my favorite grand your to date but so much of that was down to factors beyond anyone's control, the weather and illness. The lack of what seemed like full on competition for GC was a bit of a let down for me but the race is more than GC. So for Cav's amazing feats, Uran's ride to second place and all the riders who endured the conditions, it gets a 7.

gregster04

I've opted for 3/10.

To be fair this is mainly because of the poor weather destroying the majority of the mountainous stages (it's a grand tour so I kind of expect these and expect them to be good). Not being able to see a stage until the last few minutes isn't that entertaining. It's also because of the doping happenings and the fact the GC race was over after the 1st TT.

As nice as it is that Cav won the points competition, I think it's ridiculous in it's current format and probably plays a part in the quality of sprinters who choose not to race/continue racing, which makes the bunch sprint pretty much a foregone conclusion.

No_Ta_Doctor

I give it a 4.
Some good classics style stages, nice work from Cav, an epic snowy finish yesterday, but shit weather, butchered parcours and illness in main contenders wiped it out.

confused@BR

The wettest May in 200 years did the race no favours. The parcours was going to be a challenge with such heights so early in the year but the Organizers struggled on and were fairly successful in damage limitation, the stages worked well in general. I gave it a 'Len' - 7.

Team Sky seemed to expect one sort of course (and prepared accordingly), Nibali & Cadel Evans rode a different, correct race. Rigoberto Uran has saved the day and all praise to him but Sky made a mess of this Giro.

I did enjoy the Rai coverage.

Hurrah for Mr Cavendish!

iainf72

Utter bumwash

Somewhere between a 2 and a 3

Calpol

I gave a 6. I always felt there was a lack of credible contenders to challenge Nibali. With no Rodriguez, Froome, Contadour, DeGendt I thought he would be pretty untouchable. After stage 2 where Hesjedal animated the race it was pretty uneventful as a GC spectacle. I am not sure as tot he wisdom of having so many TT miles - it seemed to be pandering to the likes of Wiggins. The weather served to bring a degree of variability into matters but denied us of what were on paper the two best stages of the race.

I can't knock Nibali, his form coming into the race was grat and he showed great strength and determination. Getting up from the deck and not then cowering on every descent for the next two days showed why he was a better contender than Wiggins. Add to that his obvious improvement on a TT bike and the result was well deserved.

What was Good
1. Cav's imperious sprinting form - just incredible. I am not his biggest fan but he is one gutsy bike rider. Pleased he got his reward
2. The attempts by the wildcard teams to animate the race. Impressed by vini fantini (aside from that idiot on drug), Bardioni and Columbia. I think they showed the likes of Cannondale, Orica and Vacance Soleil a thing or two. I wonder if Sojasun and Cofidis will merit their selections at the tour this year.
3. Stage 5 into Matera was spectacular in its beauty
4. Dowsett winning a stage was an unexpected bonus for UK cycling. good on the lad it also heralded the arrival of Movistar as a real contender for major honours when their start rider is back racing
5. Nibali won in style - he understands panache and delivered the stage victory in what was the Queen stage yesterday.

What was bad
1. The hype around Wiggins chances. Whether he was ill or not he looked well short of the level required to win a race like the Giro. Personally I think he was under raced coming into the race.
2. Sky sending Uran back to shepherd Wiggins home on Stage 6 ( I think)
3. More doping scandal
4. BMC's riding for Evans. I really feel that they are so not a team. Evans always seems to be on his own and left with nothing in the tank to attack at a critical moment.
5. The weather deprived us of some racing and views of stunning scenery.

Overall I enjoyed bits of it but as a contest it was seldom in doubt. Lets hope for a more competitive tour.

argyllflyer

Voted 6. There have been some great stages (i.e. stage 10) but the GC was only as good as the field and with one stand out going into the race, it proved to be just that. The sprints have been, by and large, fairly uncompetitive. Add in the awful weather wrecking the mountain stages and two positives, it hasn't been great. But there have been, for me anyway, enough upsides to give the race a slightly better than average rating.

poppit

A 4 from me. The most eagerly anticipated stages were emasculated by the weather, not enough top GC riders started the race, 2 of the top ones withdrew with illness leaving the only top guy to win beating a super dom into second and someone who wasn't even going to race the giro into third.

mike6

5 from me. It was spoiled by the weather and two of the main contenders going out with illness. Good win for Nibs but as the old pros say when someone brags about winning...."Who was second" meaning, how good was the field. In truth Nibs beat Uran-Uran a Sky domestique, and Cadel Evans who is well past his best.

RichN95.

A 5 from me - although I missed about seven stages in the middle. It will be remembered - but for the weather, not the racing.

lucan2

I gave it a 1. I try to record top races to watch whilst I'm on the turbo to get away from the boredom of indoor cycling. The Giro makes me think I'll be less bored if I just stare at the wall for a couple of hours. Even without the commentary which was pretty dire.

inkyfingers

A 5 from me, and that's being a bit generous.

Nibali is a deserved winner, but it's a shame we never got to see him really put under pressure at any point.

I'm normally massively excited about the Giro, but other than the first few days this one never really got going for me, so much so that I didn't even watch the highlights of some stages, just couldn't find the enthusiasm for it.

alihisgreat

I lost interest at about the half way point. Nibali was obviously going to win it once Wiggins got ill and the crap weather ruined the race.

salsiccia1

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

I lost interest at about the half way point. Nibali was obviously going to win it once Wiggins got ill and the crap weather ruined the race.

I think it was obvious even before Wiggins got ill...

A gave it a solid 7 - a great winning performance, some monumental stages, some top drawer sprinting and a lot of good racing. Obviously the weather spoiled things, but you cannot say it didn't add to yesterday's stage.