Your star of the 2013 TDF *poll*

CoutinhoRed
CoutinhoRed Posts: 67
edited July 2013 in Pro race
I think the 20 stages have now concluded who the stars of this years tour were, but it's usually down to preference. So who was yours?

Comments

  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,811
    I voted other

    Strange selection there, I think in this year's Tour you could have had about 20 riders at least as "the star"

    Top 3 on GC, the Saxo team, the Belkin dutchies, Talansky, Movistar's three pronged attack, Richie Porte, Radioshack (for proving they're not as rubbish as everyone thinks they are), Europcar, the four main sprinters.

    There are so many to choose from that you can't have one person without having a couple more in every category (E.g. there's a choice of Kittel and Sagan but no Greipel or Cav?)
  • Give me more
    Give me more Posts: 487
    Too many to count! All the top 3 especially put in an amazing performance, as did the many guys who helped them get there.

    I'll go further away from the top and say that (sir) Jan Bakelants provided a huge amount of enjoyment this tour for me so he can get a special mention.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    I voted for Richie Porte's bottom.

    But this is an odd selection. Sagan? OK he's got the points jersey but he hasn't really been the 'star' he was last year. Cav deserves a spot just for stage 13's win alone.

    Kwiatkowski has also been a little star for me. But obviously big 'stars' have to go to Froome, but also Quintana.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Gotta be Geraint Thomas.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Turfle wrote:
    Gotta be Geraint Thomas.

    That is a very good call.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    Bakelants for me.
  • CoutinhoRed
    CoutinhoRed Posts: 67
    I chose to list Sagan purely because the amount of points he achieved. I know, odd choice but thought it'd be rude to leave him out. Always consistently finishing high in intermediate sprints and flat stage finishes. Did not want to list too many, but I'll add them to the poll and you change your vote
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,242
    JC Peraud
    Jan Bakelants
    Christophe Riblon
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    I guess Froome and Quintana are the obvious choices from the GC riders. Bakelants has been good, and probably had the most fun stage win. My favourite moments have come from Little Pete. Talansky in the 3rd week.

    Lots of disappointments too.
  • CoutinhoRed
    CoutinhoRed Posts: 67
    Okay, it's changed but only had 10 options.
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    This is really cliched but, well, I just think it's been a cracking tour with some really memorable stage wins. Can't vote for one.
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  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    Froome clearly the strongest, Quintana becoming a real contender, Contador for taking the fight to Froome and probably costing himself a podium place in the process.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • alan_a
    alan_a Posts: 1,583
    Without doubt the star of TdF 2013 has to be the cross wind on Stage 13 to Saint-Amand-Montrond.
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  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    NapoleonD wrote:
    This is really cliched but, well, I just think it's been a cracking tour with some really memorable stage wins. Can't vote for one.

    Cycling has been the real winner.
  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    and what about Corsica - great addition to the tour. I went for Porte simply because he played that lieutenants role brilliantly - and in the interviews I think he was the emotion Froome couldnt show. Like anne widdicombes bosoms, they made a fantastic pair.
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  • jezzpalmer
    jezzpalmer Posts: 389
    Cleat Eastwood wrote:
    and what about Corsica - great addition to the tour. I went for Porte simply because he played that lieutenants role brilliantly - and in the interviews I think he was the emotion Froome couldnt show. Like anne widdicombes bosoms, they made a fantastic pair.

    Theresa May, Widdecomes tits, seriously dude? :?
    I agree with the Porte sentiment though. LOL
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    jezzpalmer wrote:
    Cleat Eastwood wrote:
    and what about Corsica - great addition to the tour. I went for Porte simply because he played that lieutenants role brilliantly - and in the interviews I think he was the emotion Froome couldnt show. Like anne widdicombes bosoms, they made a fantastic pair.

    Theresa May, Widdecomes tits, seriously dude? :?
    I agree with the Porte sentiment though. LOL

    And he wins Rear of the Year as judged by myself and RR.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • dortmunder
    dortmunder Posts: 101
    As many wiser than me have said it has been a tough call for star of the Tour. Froome has stamped his authority on the race and has been the stand out rider. Kittel has done well to win 3 stages. It was great to see Riblon winning on Alpe D'Huez for AG2R, Quintana has been awesome in the mountains. Jens always gives good value. I went for Bakelents because he was a rider inspired by the race and the yellow jersey. He has been aggressive all tour.

    Anyone who finishes the Tour in my eyes, is a star
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    Froome. Utterly convincing bike riding. A lot of other riders will have to really up their game to get anywhere near that standard.

    But it's a team after all. Porte was ace, as was Geraint.
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • AchillesLeftKnee
    AchillesLeftKnee Posts: 713
    BelgianBeerGeek wrote:
    Froome. Utterly convincing bike riding. A lot of other riders will have to really up their game to get anywhere near that standard.
    I'd go along with that, especially for the second day in the Pyrenees and The Windy One where a bit of panic could easily have put him into difficulty. Superb performance, and a much more individually impressive effort than I expected before the start.

    Honorable mentions go to Jan Bakelants for sending the missus and I flying off the sofa, screaming, with his stage 2 win, OPQS, Saxo, and the Belkin boys for the brilliant opportunist break in the crosswinds, Quintana for the endless attacks which finally paid off, plus Movistar's response to Valverde's windy GC oops ("let's go win some stages then... oh look, we have, with two riders"), Pierre Roland for mounting a surprisingly effective challenge in the KOM on a parcours that meant the GC boys were always likely to take it, OGE for their TTT and days in yellow (I find it impossible to dislike them), Marcel Kittel for a load of stage wins and for adding another very convincing candidate for such finishes, Contador for not packing it up one iota until the very last climb and Kreutzinger for sticking by him.

    Brown Stars Of Failure go to Cofidis for failing to realise it wasn't a sportive (although hats off to them for winning the DARPA visual stealth contract), BMC's management for giving all of us who think we'd do a better job of managing a Pro Tour team a hatload of objective evidence ("I'd blow the budget on plastic spoons and we'd still be equal on wins yet I'd have lower fixed costs and more plastics spoons"), Trek for supplying bikes so visually appalling that even someone with no sense of style whatsoever (e.g. me) would balk at riding one, OGE for failing to realise that no member of ACDC has ever sported a moustache, and the combination of whoever came up with the parcours and Peter Sagan for turning the points into a total non-event. Oh, and Sagan plus the Argos-Shimano boys really do need to do something about the bum-fluff.

    Mental Fan of the Tour is clearly the dude with the stuffed boar. That got rewound a good few times. Best visual non-sequitur I've seen in a long time.
    Mangeur
  • mr_goo
    mr_goo Posts: 3,770
    Best Tour in many a year. Too many outstanding riders to mention but my vote went to 'others' - Jens Voigt. For a 41 year old to mix it up with those at their peak and obviously quite younger was great to watch. Sticking my neck on the block here, but Team Sky could do worse than give him a one year contract for 'super domestique' duties in a grand tour. Think he would have been served Froome quite well this year.
    Always be yourself, unless you can be Aaron Rodgers....Then always be Aaron Rodgers.
  • confused@BR
    confused@BR Posts: 295
    Another 'other' vote, this time for Andy Schleck. Still struggling to recover form, making an effort to animate and support his teammates throughout. Not to every bodies taste as a bike rider or person but I felt we were privileged to see someone grow in character as the race progressed.

    One of the reasons I like cycling as a sport and Grand Tours in particular is the sense of a three volume novel unfolding, plenty of narratives with sub-plots aplenty.

    If I was allowed two votes the other would be for Stage 13.
    'fool'
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    Too many to mention but every time I've seen Bakelandts (sp?) near the sharp end of the race he's put a smile on my face.
    And thanks to all of you for a really positive thread. I have thoroughly enjoyed this edition with no end of varied racing and competition throughout. Really can't get my head round a vocal minority who have been disappointed.

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