Rate the Tour 2015
High expectations to begin with followed up with the first 4 excellent stages.
2nd week was absolutely dreadful.
The alpes regained some of the good stuff from the first week and saved the race.
Positives:
-Greipel's return the best class of sprinters.
-Froome being f'ucking ace on and off the bike.
-Lars Bak making sure Greipel got his 4 wins.
-Sagan, rider of the race..?
-Valverde losing it post race after realising he ended 3rd.
-Absolutely brilliant TTT, albeit a bit risky having it that late in to the race.
-Movistar in the alpes.
Negatives
-Spectators spitting and throwing stuff around.
-Alberto Contador - shouldn't have turned up. When Hesjedal drops you like that you'd know from the beginning that this is going to be a poor show.
-Twitter. As akways.
-Facebook. As Always.
-Journalists on mainstream media. As always.
-2nd week.
-Cannondale-Garmin. Worst team to have participated in a cycling race.
-Cavendish. Moving closer and closer to the 3rd level sprinters that consists of riders like Degenkolb, Sagan, Hagen and the likes. Winning 's'hit small races', as he'd describe them himself, during the season doesn't change that.
A solid 5 out 10 overall.
2nd week was absolutely dreadful.
The alpes regained some of the good stuff from the first week and saved the race.
Positives:
-Greipel's return the best class of sprinters.
-Froome being f'ucking ace on and off the bike.
-Lars Bak making sure Greipel got his 4 wins.
-Sagan, rider of the race..?
-Valverde losing it post race after realising he ended 3rd.
-Absolutely brilliant TTT, albeit a bit risky having it that late in to the race.
-Movistar in the alpes.
Negatives
-Spectators spitting and throwing stuff around.
-Alberto Contador - shouldn't have turned up. When Hesjedal drops you like that you'd know from the beginning that this is going to be a poor show.
-Twitter. As akways.
-Facebook. As Always.
-Journalists on mainstream media. As always.
-2nd week.
-Cannondale-Garmin. Worst team to have participated in a cycling race.
-Cavendish. Moving closer and closer to the 3rd level sprinters that consists of riders like Degenkolb, Sagan, Hagen and the likes. Winning 's'hit small races', as he'd describe them himself, during the season doesn't change that.
A solid 5 out 10 overall.
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Comments
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2nd week was absolutely dreadful.
It was if you weren't British, otherwise it was ace. 10/10.0 -
8 out of 100
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9 out of 10 this year.
Like a good book, just couldn't miss a page.
Never thought I would say this but better than the Giro this year.Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 19720 -
7/10 for me. Very good opening week but a lot of the mountain stages were a bit of a let down. I think we just have to accept that is the price we have to pay for cleaner cycling though.0
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First week was awesome but given how tough it was and how tough rest of the tour was in the mountains I think most were just clinging on by the end. We may see more action and attacking in the mountains next year if it's less mountainous in general and the likes of Contador are on form.
Top race though and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd give it 8/10. The GC contest never fully materialised but that doesn't take anything away from Froome's victory.0 -
Froome won so an automatic 10/10 for me. A few stages where the action never really materialised, but the riders aren't robots anymore so that's hardly surprising. Great racing in the first week, great mountain stages and a dramatic ending, Quintana giving it everything and an apparently not quite 100% Froome gritting his teeth and hanging on, supported fantastically by Porte and Poels.
Then there was G's performances, sad for him that he had one terrible day but overall he was unbelievable for Froome. He towed him everywhere, cobbles, crosswinds, rain, mountains, you name it. What a rider.0 -
I agree with that, started off great then got a bit quieter after stage 10, at least until Quintana finally unleashed himself. Some high points later in the race though, like Cummings winning his stage.7/10 for me. Very good opening week but a lot of the mountain stages were a bit of a let down. I think we just have to accept that is the price we have to pay for cleaner cycling though.0 -
Solid 7 for me, don't like the tour not having a long ITT in third week. As for the green jersey think they have nearly got the balance right. Cav made some good comments about the sprint stages not being the old school straight line, high speed jobs of a few years back. I'd liked to say maybe 2 more sprints stages. However think the race up to the first rest day was perfect.eating parmos since 1981
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Solid 8/10 from me. Outstanding first week, lots of good racing throughout the 3 weeks with a good last few days.It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0
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I think it was one of the better recent editions; I'd give it a 7.5/10. I personally think 2011 was better, but there is very little in it.
The first 'classics' week was fantastic; after that the Pyrenees was a bit of a damp squib, followed by too tough transition stages. However, the final week in the Alps made up for it.All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."0 -
Jesus.. I'm reading eight, nines and tens..
Did you lot watch the Giro?!0 -
7 I'd say.
Fantastic 1st week.
ok 2nd week.
ok 3rd week with a final flourish.
Each stage had something.
Few good threads.
Was a shame GC wasn't all that until the final stage.0 -
Honestly I loved nearly every minute of it. Easy 8, maybe 9. Some of that may be coloured by Froome, Cummings, G etc, but it really felt like something happened most days - even the GC days that didn't result in time gaps.0
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Brilliant first week, with the Sky classics team firing on all cylinders great racing by Ettix and others, the pleasure and pain of watching Tony Martin win his first yellow jersey and crash out the following day and, of course, the agony and relief of waiting for and then seeing Cav get his stage. And willing Alex on to survive. Rest of the race very different but still great to watch, basically eveyone looked knackered and it became a war of attrition. Oh, and I loved Nibali's win too and, along with others, have started warming to the Bala Verde. Oh and before I forget the Yates twins and...yeah it was good. 8/10 albeit this sounds churlish.0
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6 out of 10. I didn't see what the fuss was over week 1 - it was OK but nothing exceptional - that said I was in the Alps for the first weekend so missed a couple of days. The Pyrenean stages were awful and at this stage the race was heading for a 4 at best. We then had some decent "transition" stages that were a bit tougher than that and the Alps weren't bad especially the final couple of stages.
Overall I'm left feeling a bit disappointed - this was billed as a showdown between the big 4 and while a classic battle is never guaranteed in a grand tour I still think this one fell slightly short of what we might realistically have expected let alone hoped for. Nibali and Contador were both out of the race before they really laid a glove on Froome and Quintana only threatened on the final climb of the penultimate day - for that reason alone I fail to see how it can be considered better than average.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
Good tour really, enjoyable. I'd give it a 7 judged against other tours not against some holy grail that never happens apart from what people hopelessly hope for each year. Shame about Martin and Canc but each got their moment. Would have liked to have had Kittel in it on form, but the sprint stages didn't drag this year which was good so he wasn't missed that much. The route seemed balanced enough. It also had more marks of a cleaner race in terms of short and longer term recoveries. I'm no Sky fan in that I'm completely neutral team wise, but the crap they and Froome have had to put up with this year was disgusting. As bad as the media and some internet berks have been the mob mentality against them shows just how thick a vast number of cycling fans are.0
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Jesus, some of you guys are hard to please! I think there was so many thrills and spills in this race you seem to have lost sight of a lot of it. There seems to be a general downer on the second week and the Pyrenean stages particularly but what about the first one, Stage 10 to La-Pierre-Saint-Martin where Froome decimated the field?
I guess it depends who you were rooting for but to moan about it being boring just because your favourite got thrashed is a bit churlish. Nibali and Contador have only themselves to blame and at least Quintana, van Garderan and Valverde made a fight of it.
I watched every day live and I was on tenterhooks most of the time. Yes, there were a couple of transition stages and a couple of predictable sprint finishes but even then there was often drama with crashes, cross winds and death-defying descents.
I reckon the next few years will struggle to get anywhere near this year's Tour for drama, excitment and pure racing. People will start to look back and say "Do you remember 2015 when Quintana finished only 1:12 behind Froome, now that was one hell of a Tour!"0 -
Chances of a decent Vuelta after this Giro and Tour?0
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4/10. Was all over in the first week unfortunately after the major crash.
I wanted to see Quintana put Froome on the ropes in the mountains. Sadly it was a one horse race.Cannondale Killer V
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Another highlight that I forgot to mention earlier is the resurgence of German riders (without Kittle!); would have been good to see Degenkolb come away with something, but a great response to the return of German TV. Cookson will be delighted I reckon.0
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Chances of a decent Vuelta after this Giro and Tour?
I think the Vuelta will be good. The likes of Landa and Aru to ride it, maybe Nibali too. Quintana and Valverde pencilled in and it seems Froome will probably go for the double.0 -
Probably a 7/10.
I thought it was a great parcours. Rarely did you see two similar stage finishes back to back and there were more solo breakaway winners rather than bunch sprints. In fact I make it that there were 17 different winners this year.
The problem is that the price you pay for harder transition stages is the GC riders taking a breather on some of the summit finishes.0 -
The racing was alright, but lessened by the poor showing of Nibali and Contador, none of whom really contributed to the GC battle in any real way. The behaviour of some fans and the media towards Froome was also a major let down.
Still a bike race though and was an enjoyable one for all that. I liked that there weren't many true sprinters stages, and the lack of a time trial was also a bonus.
I'd give it a 7/100 -
The racing was alright, but lessened by the poor showing of Nibali and Contador, none of whom really contributed to the GC battle in any real way. The behaviour of some fans and the media towards Froome was also a major let down.
Still a bike race though and was an enjoyable one for all that. I liked that there weren't many true sprinters stages, and the lack of a time trial was also a bonus.
I'd give it a 7/10
The constant battering of Froome and Sky really did create a poor atmosphere after stage 10. Real shame.0 -
7. It could have gone to 11, but didn't disappoint despite the lack of GC fireworks. There was more genuine drama over three weeks than we've any right to expect from mere sport. The transformation of mild-mannered Chris and Nairo into demons on bkes is amazing.
Chapeau to the entire shooting match. Especially Sagan....a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.0 -
I enjoyed it.
A good mix in the first week. Nothing worse than a bunch of pan flat sprinter stages.
The mountain stages had there moments. Similar to the Giro in a lot of ways. Looked like it was all over and then it wasn't, except it was really.
Cummings win was great- tour would get a 7 from me but an unexpected my man stage win make sit an 8.
I enjoyed all the controversy. If a sporting event doesn't generate some sort of strength of feeling then it can't be very good.0 -
I'm thinking 5 or 6/10. A couple of decent stages in week 1 including Rohan Denis TT win followed by a pretty dismal period in the Pyrenees. Not much really happened in the Alps; nice break from Quitana but thats all it was since he left it so late. There was no chasing down, prolonged pressing, edge of your seat suspense from the GC contenders.0
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A solid 9 for me. Granted, I'm still pretty new to all this but was buzzed in the lead up and was hooked throughout. Thought the big 4 delivered and congratulations to Froome Dog who thoroughly deserved the win.
Positives:
Race result and the exciting final stages where Quintana had a go bringing it fairly close.
Watching the big guns crack on the first day in the Pyranees
G
Nibali vs Froome in 'Bidongate'
Jens Voigt's commentary
The Suffering
The Scenery!
Negatives:
Ivan Basso - terrible news and get well soon.
Spitting lads, the 'up yours' geezer and piss boy - get in the bin all of you!
Pinot's hissy fit
Genuine Surprise:
Valverde actually riding for someone else.
Banter on here has also been excellent and has kept a relative newbie well informed. Brilliant stuff all around.0 -
You lot are very generous0
