Most exciting men's races in 2019

rick_chasey
rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
edited October 2019 in Pro race
I guess we should have sub-categories. I will put my answers in italics

"Best overall race"
Amstel Gold

"Best one day race" (Chippers will not be tolerated).
Amstel Gold

"Best stage race overall"
Tour

"best stage race stage".
Stage 14, Tour

Comments

  • Stage 17 at La Vuelta gets my vote for the most exciting stage. Stage 19 was pretty good too.

    Amstel Gold takes the overall though.
  • Is there a limit of days before it can be in the Tour category?

    I want to nominate the Volta e Catalunya.

    Froome's crash, De Gendt's stage win being the main reasons.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Is there a limit of days before it can be in the Tour category?

    I want to nominate the Volta e Catalunya.

    Froome's crash, De Gendt's stage win being the main reasons.

    I'll allow it as it's a proper race.
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,459
    "Best overall race"
    Amstel Gold

    "Best one day race" (Chippers will not be tolerated).
    Amstel Gold

    "Best stage race overall"
    Tour

    "best stage race stage".
    Stage 14, Tour
    I'm with you with all the answers.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,878
    edited October 2019

    "best stage race stage".
    Stage 14, Tour

    One for the ages. That stage still freaks me out. Epic

    The windy stage of the vuelta is epic too oddly for the same reason to me.

    Totally uped what is possible in a bike race. New era stuff.

    Unrelenting 300+ watts is the new vo2 max.ffffk your max what's your root mean squared for 200 km.

    I think paradoxically it comes out of the shorter stages where riders started doing full race efforts... For 60 to 100km... And from there just extended into longer and longer efforts. McCarthy at the TdS clipped off with 3 mountains to go. Old skool with a nuskool twist.

    Fantastic yr of racing ...

    Amstel was good....

    Sub category best small stage race

    TdY again. Catalunya was good but ee by gum .
    "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
  • M.R.M. wrote:
    "Best overall race"
    Amstel Gold

    "Best one day race" (Chippers will not be tolerated).
    Amstel Gold

    "Best stage race overall"
    Tour

    "best stage race stage".
    Stage 14, Tour
    I'm with you with all the answers.

    Same, although I'd like to add "Best ITT"
    Stage 13, Tour

    Because JA sprinting up that last hill is one of the most electric moments I've ever seen in a bike race, almost equal to the final metres of Amstel. It was that wild
  • Stage 15 of the Tour was more exciting than Stage 14 IMO

    It set up a final week where all the contenders seemed fallible in some way
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Not seen a huge amount of racing this year but Stage 4 of Tirreno Adriatico was a good one.

    Lutsenko away alone and on the finishing loop. Crashes twice on two laps - at the same place - loses all of his lead and swept up by the chasers. Then beats all of them in the sprint !
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,590
    Stage 15 of the Tour was more exciting than Stage 14 IMO

    It set up a final week where all the contenders seemed fallible in some way

    As I missed stage 14 due to being in transit, I'm going to go with stage 15 too.

    Though for pure excitement (not counting whether it was from cycling or stuff happening) then stage 19 will live in the memory for a long time.


    Best one day was The Worlds. Hard core conditions, hard core circuit, won by a viking :-D
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • ShutupJens
    ShutupJens Posts: 1,373
    Fenix wrote:
    Not seen a huge amount of racing this year but Stage 4 of Tirreno Adriatico was a good one.

    Lutsenko away alone and on the finishing loop. Crashes twice on two laps - at the same place - loses all of his lead and swept up by the chasers. Then beats all of them in the sprint !

    That was a huge ride. Even after crashing the first time he still put absolutely everything into the descent - commendable until he decked it again
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,574
    Fenix wrote:
    Not seen a huge amount of racing this year but Stage 4 of Tirreno Adriatico was a good one.

    Lutsenko away alone and on the finishing loop. Crashes twice on two laps - at the same place - loses all of his lead and swept up by the chasers. Then beats all of them in the sprint !

    That was a cracking finish.

    I'd go with the u23 world road race.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • Just thinking over all we’ve had this year.... 2019 really has been one of the best seasons for a long time in my opinion 8)
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,878

    Just thinking over all we’ve had this year.... 2019 really has been one of the best seasons for a long time in my opinion 8)

    Best decade of racing in my 40 yrs following the sport.? Yes🤔👍
    "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
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661

    Just thinking over all we’ve had this year.... 2019 really has been one of the best seasons for a long time in my opinion 8)

    Best decade of racing in my 40 yrs following the sport.? Yes🤔👍
    Do you think that's the race organisers getting smarter at generating better races, or is it a development in the tactics in the race? (or neither?)