Best race of 2015??
rick_chasey
Posts: 75,661
Pick any race you want. Reasons why please. If it's jingoism, fine, but pick another :-P.
Take them in their entirety. So can't pick stages
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Take them in their entirety. So can't pick stages
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Comments
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The one I enjoyed most was Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, for a few reasons.
Firstly, Stannard completely stannarding most of Quick-Step.
Secondly, because I was chatting online with a Belgian mate who was watching it on a Sporza live stream, and for about an hour I couldn't quite work out why his comments were so strangely out of synch with the race. We were both pleased Stannard was doing well. Then he started on about the weather.... Massive lag on his stream. An entire year. :-DWarning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
Has to be the madness of Gent-Wevelgem. Riders almost horizontal in the crossgales, riders blown into watery ditches, Geraint Thomas blown off the road, and a perfectly timed attack from the wily yet coked up Luca Paolini. What's not to like?0
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The one I enjoyed most was Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, for a few reasons.
Firstly, Stannard completely stannarding most of Quick-Step.
Secondly, because I was chatting online with a Belgian mate who was watching it on a Sporza live stream, and for about an hour I couldn't quite work out why his comments were so strangely out of synch with the race. We were both pleased Stannard was doing well. Then he started on about the weather.... Massive lag on his stream. An entire year. :-D
Omloop. Goes past my street, Stannard rode it perfectly (robo now have a wwid thing), the lonely ballad of phillipe Gilbert chasing on his own. Terpstra's face afterwards, perfect.
Also wiggins took a full minute out of the break over haaghoek om his own. Hot"In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
Oh that's where I recognised it! OHN and GW were both great IMO
Hat tip to the WC but I think the winner has a lot to do with that being so popular....
Also hat tip to the cobbled stage in the Tour, which was also a good one (though again, possibly only becasue of the winner)We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
Oh that's where I recognised it! OHN and GW were both great IMO
Hat tip to the WC but I think the winner has a lot to do with that being so popular....
Also hat tip to the cobbled stage in the Tour, which was also a good one (though again, possibly only becasue of the winner)We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
G-W mainly as I am such a massive Paolini fan, even after the biff.
Although Degenkolbs antics in Roubaix were great to watch. Chasing down then attacking the break even as the "Sprinter" at the fore. Was pretty epic.It's not so much about winning, I just hate losing.0 -
Gent-Wevelgem was crazy, and would love to pick it to annoy Iain, but I'm going with De Omloop too. Just rewatched it, and it was just brilliant, not just Stannard's tactical genius in the finale, but vanmarcke and gva chasing close behind, gilbert's solo chase
Stage 2 of the tour to Zeeland with the echelons was excellent too
Richmond was better than expected, and pretty good for a world championship0 -
Gent Wevelgem for me. I got in from my ride with 128km to go, as the riders were mostly at a 45 degree angle. 128km later i was still sat in my cycling kit, only with a dirty plate on my lap."Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago0
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Il Lombardia... best race of the season, every season! No different this year... closely followed by GW0
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I'd go for Omloop, it was an exciting race, lots going on, and a surprise (from the group) winner.
British road race was cool to watch with PK and MC trading blows throughout final laps. I love the course GP Lincoln is a must visit for me every year.0 -
Did Rick get dumped over the weekend? He's got a right mard lip today."In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
hehe
cmon Rick, you started this thread. Whats your pick?0 -
The best race was the Tour of Turkey
The racing was intense and the scenery stunning. The Turkish team has put their past doping troubles behind them and the country's human rights record is impeccable.
Now can I have free holiday just like the third rate journalists that write such boll0cks every May?Twitter: @RichN950 -
Tempted to say the Giro.
Can't decide really.
I enjoyed Omloop but the glee everyone had about OPQS ballsing up riled me.
GW was enjoyable but a slow burn for me.
Vuelta was fun but ultimately it felt like a second rate peloton.
So I'd say Giro. It was a petty nasty race and I love it when that plays out on the road.0 -
As far as the GTs go, I really enjoyed the Vuelta. I thought it would have been boring after the big name GC men left early, but that absolutely wasn't the case. The long ITT and MTF in the last days ensured a great battle between Aru and Dumoulin. It was a pity to see J-Rod crack, though. It seemed a lot like that was his last realistic chance to win a GT. Seeing F.Schleck taking a well played stage win was also great.
Seeing the Bayern Rundfahrt for the final stage in Nürnberg was also cool. I scored myself an MTN bidon 8)Giant TCR Advanced II - Reviewed on my homepage
Giant TCR Alliance Zero
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Specialized Allez
Some other junk...0 -
Paris-Roubaix for me. Still fairly new to all this so got pretty caught up in all the excitement and watching the carnage unfold. Was obviously backing Wiggins and to see him attack towards the end (albeit too early and not enough) got me out of my seat.
Enjoyed La Pierre-Saint-Martin in le tour as well, not so much for the victory but to watch the big names crack. Some good quality suffering there.0 -
I'll go for the World Champs. The course was pretty well designed with that cobbled climb just the right distance from the finish to keep a wide variety of riders interested.
The major breakaway group was of a very high quality and then when it came back together we had Sagan's devastating attack and solo to the finish.
After all Sagan's efforts in the Tour and so many near misses it seemed only right and fitting that he should end the season by winning the big one. Plus we were then treated to that bizarre post-race interview!0 -
Paris-Roubaix for me. Still fairly new to all this so got pretty caught up in all the excitement and watching the carnage unfold. Was obviously backing Wiggins and to see him attack towards the end (albeit too early and not enough) got me out of my seat.
Enjoyed La Pierre-Saint-Martin in le tour as well, not so much for the victory but to watch the big names crack. Some good quality suffering there.
It was a good edition of PR.0 -
Women's WC race for me. Richmond was a good course after all. Closely followed by the Omloop and the GW as mentioned previously.0
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Single day race - Omloop!
Other: Tour of California.
Like a slightly duff Hollywood storyline, the Tour of California might have raised a few eyebrows had anyone doubted that what they were seeing was real.
OK - so it wasn't over-burdened with a rich seam of the World's best GT riders, but Sagan's resolve to continue fighting for the GC right to the death meant that the final stage was an all out battle for every second, rather than a procession.
In the stages, Sagan won a sprint then took the win in the TT to take the leaders jersey.
Cav - clearly the strongest sprinter in the race with 4 stage victories - was looking good and keeping hope alive for another year at the Tour.
On the MTF queen stage 7 stage up Mt Baldy, we had the rare sight of a rider like Sagan turn himself inside out up a proper climb against some proper climbers to try to keep his leaders jersey (the next time we saw him turn himself inside out was in Richmond). He failed - losing his top GC place to a brilliant Alaphilippe by 2 secs.
After a 2nd in the intermediate sprint, Sagan needed to find 1 more second to overhaul Alaphilippe on the GC. In the final sprint of the race he threw his bike at the line to beat Farrar into 4th by centimetres (in a photo finish) and gained the necessary second to win the overall.
Cracking!0 -
I think the best race was the Dauphine.
Have to give a good reason and say why :P0 -
Kennaugh's late attack to win a stage,I think the best race was the Dauphine.
Have to give a good reason and say why :P
Bardet's descent,
Nibali & Valverde on the attack, causing chaos and then getting mugged by Costa again,
Teklehaimanot getting the mountain jersey,
the lead changing hands six times
and Froome having to take the fight to a resilient TJVG to get the win.Twitter: @RichN950 -
really enjoyed the vuelta, just because it was unexpected and it managed to sustain the intrigue to the last day. some fantastic stages in there; TD's efforts were superb, nibbles getting booted off, was nice to see chavez emerge as a possible contender for orica, caleb ewan brought his much discussed talent to the fore, nico roche's stage win, schleck rolling back the years, plaza's crazy breakaway win and of course Aru keeping it together in the TT.
*gets onto youtube to watch some of the stages again*
for the womens racing the WC was great, especially given Lizzie's reaction, clearly meant the world (see what i did there??!!) to her. although the cyclocross has been great so far this year too.
all in all it bodes for a great 2016!0 -
Kennaugh's late attack to win a stage,I think the best race was the Dauphine.
Have to give a good reason and say why :P
Bardet's descent,
Nibali & Valverde on the attack, causing chaos and then getting mugged by Costa again,
Teklehaimanot getting the mountain jersey,
the lead changing hands six times
and Froome having to take the fight to a resilient TJVG to get the win.
Wot he said!
P-R was a good watch as well, best one I've seen, though only watched a few0
