Rate the Race: Tour de France 2022

No_Ta_Doctor
No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656
in Pro race
So did le Tour deliver for you?
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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656
    A very solid 9 for me. I was tempted by a 10 but thought I'd probably better take the Viking glasses off for a moment
    10 would have been reached with Pog regaining the jersey in the Pyrenees and then Vingegaard winning it back
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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Come on ..it's almost a ten .
    Tactics drama stratergy hubis error heroic awesome . Stage 11 .....the entire race was full gas uptill s11 where jumbo turned the dial to 11
    "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
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,106
    8 for me - 10 would be almost a dream tour - 9 the best grand tour I've seen - this was just a level below that.

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  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,821
    8 for me, though closer to a 9 than a 7.

    Middle week was one of the best GT weeks I've seen. Cobbled stage was also a belter. Loved G's ride.

    As I said in another thread, a chink of vulnerability from JV in the last week would have added a lot of GC intrigue. As it was, despite Pog's heroic efforts he remained rock solid.

    Cav should have been there and we should have had the stage wins record in the mix.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,334
    The lead threatened to change hands for a long time though, which is almost the same. Virtually every stage offered something interesting, and those opening three days were visually stunning in terms of the crowds, so yeah, pretty good tour. Can see people marking it down a fraction more due to the riders that didn't quite fire (or weren't selected), but the race we got was still plenty - when does it ever live up to our fevered imaginations?
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  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,168
    Without the incredible fans, the first few days in Denmark would have been unremarkable, stage 13 was not that interesting, and the last day was duller than normal (and I didn't see stage 19), but every other stage was a cracker, and the three yellow jersey holders (stage 2 onwards....) all made it a great stage race.

    A few too many covid dropouts to go for perfection, but damn close to a 10.
  • JimD666
    JimD666 Posts: 2,293
    Loved the stages individually, and it's probably the most entertaining TdF I've seen.

    WVA was a monster from start to finish. He did to the Tour what MVDP did to the Giro. Only better.

    Chuffed for G. Not bad for an old guy ;)

    For me to rate it higher would need the yellow jersey to change more often and to not interview someone after S20 with the line of "Congratulations on winning the Tour."

    S21's don't attack the leader rubbish is the thing I hate most about the Tour.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656
    Stage 11 was probably the best GC racing stage I've ever seen, for the bravery of doing that so early in the race (just 39" behind, not a hail Mary) , to the superb tactical trap, to the one on one race up the Granon. Absolutely jaw dropping
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Couldn't decide between an 8 or 9, almost went 8 as it lost a bit in the final couple of mountain stages for me. With hindsight it could maybe have done with Pog losing slightly less time on the Granon and / or there being greater parity between the JV and UAE teams.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    JimD666 said:

    Loved the stages individually, and it's probably the most entertaining TdF I've seen.

    WVA was a monster from start to finish. He did to the Tour what MVDP did to the Giro. Only better.

    Chuffed for G. Not bad for an old guy ;)

    For me to rate it higher would need the yellow jersey to change more often and to not interview someone after S20 with the line of "Congratulations on winning the Tour."

    S21's don't attack the leader rubbish is the thing I hate most about the Tour.

    I don't think it is a 'thing' to not attack the leader, if the route allowed for it to reasonably happen there would be attacks. It is really just an acknowledgment that no-one is going to bring back that time on a route where it can be so easily controlled. I suspect if yesterday's stage had Vingegaard a handful of seconds down on Pog we might have seen him trying to get away with WVA. Didn't Pog briefly have a dig himself?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    edited July 2022
    8. Loses half a mark for no echelon stage and a mark and a half for not enough changing of hands of the jerseys.
    _
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,334
    Pross said:

    JimD666 said:

    Loved the stages individually, and it's probably the most entertaining TdF I've seen.

    WVA was a monster from start to finish. He did to the Tour what MVDP did to the Giro. Only better.

    Chuffed for G. Not bad for an old guy ;)

    For me to rate it higher would need the yellow jersey to change more often and to not interview someone after S20 with the line of "Congratulations on winning the Tour."

    S21's don't attack the leader rubbish is the thing I hate most about the Tour.

    I don't think it is a 'thing' to not attack the leader, if the route allowed for it to reasonably happen there would be attacks. It is really just an acknowledgment that no-one is going to bring back that time on a route where it can be so easily controlled. I suspect if yesterday's stage had Vingegaard a handful of seconds down on Pog we might have seen him trying to get away with WVA. Didn't Pog briefly have a dig himself?
    Only jokingly - he and WVA had massive grins on their faces as they did it. Someone else mentioned that they were briefly back to just being kids out on their bikes again, and I think that atmosphere's been there (slightly) throughout this tour.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,700
    edited July 2022
    mrb123 said:

    8 for me, though closer to a 9 than a 7.

    This.

    Gee* needed to take yellow first in a TT and hold on for a few mountains before Pog...etc

    Sprint stages were poor. WVA having some challenges to his dominance would have been even better.

    But this is picking holes in a very enjoyable 3 weeks

    *Or another GC hopeful.


    As an aside, Cosmo opined that JV waiting wasn't good sportsmanship but a flex. "I don't need to take time by your mistake, I'm going to beat you properly"
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    edited July 2022
    For a nine or a ten the protagonist needs to face a moment of crisis in the third act before prevailing for a more satisfying story arc.

    Unless of course this this the middle part of a Pogacar led trilogy and this is his Empire Strikes Back
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    RichN95. said:

    For a nine or a ten the protagonist needs to face a moment of crisis in the third act before prevailing for a more satisfying story arc.

    Unless of course this this the middle part of a Pogacar led trilogy and this is his Empire Strikes Back

    Froomes giro is a ten from me
    "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
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,168
    ddraver said:



    Sprint stages were poor. WVA having some challenges to his dominance would have been even better.

    He didn't win any flat sprint stages in a sprint.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    edited July 2022
    The changing jersey thing to me isn't as important as at the time "will it change for real " tension ..
    Letting jungles or kamna into the Jersey would actually neutralised the racing a bit .. big error by UAE too btw imo...



    "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
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    The race was decided a great deal by strategy and tactics ....decisions mattered . I found that fascinating
    "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
    mididoctors said:

    The race was decided a great deal by strategy and tactics ....decisions mattered . I found that fascinating

    It's a shame the other jerseys were not competitive.

    I quite like the sub plots on the non-GC days.
    _
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656
    rick_chasey said:

    mididoctors said:

    The race was decided a great deal by strategy and tactics ....decisions mattered . I found that fascinating

    It's a shame the other jerseys were not competitive.

    I quite like the sub plots on the non-GC days.
    I doubt Geschke feels the pois weren't competitive. There were 4 or 5 riders that could take it on the last mountain stage, and there was plenty going on between him and Ciccone
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    No_Ta_Doctor said:

    rick_chasey said:

    mididoctors said:

    The race was decided a great deal by strategy and tactics ....decisions mattered . I found that fascinating

    It's a shame the other jerseys were not competitive.

    I quite like the sub plots on the non-GC days.
    I doubt Geschke feels the pois weren't competitive. There were 4 or 5 riders that could take it on the last mountain stage, and there was plenty going on between him and Ciccone
    Sure. Green howeva

    Not even close to a contest
    _
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    rick_chasey said:

    mididoctors said:

    The race was decided a great deal by strategy and tactics ....decisions mattered . I found that fascinating

    It's a shame the other jerseys were not competitive.

    I quite like the sub plots on the non-GC days.
    which days were those?
  • bianchi_dave
    bianchi_dave Posts: 933
    A very good 8, almost a 9. A great ride from G but had he just been that bit closer to Jonas and Pog it would be an easy 9. Appreciate he's not getting any younger though!

    With hindsight it appears QS were wrong to pick Jakobsen over Cav. His experience and pure desire he has to win (once again after a few years with Bilharzia virus) would surely have resulted in at least 1 stage win, probably more.

    No question they missed Morkov, but Cav has had plenty wins going 'freelance'.

    Had Cav been there, and broke the record, it would have been a nailed on 10 for me
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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    bianchi_dave said:

    (once again after a few years with Bilharzia virus)

    You're getting your illnesses confused. Bilharzia was Froome's illness in 2010. Cavendish had Epstein-Barr
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • bianchi_dave
    bianchi_dave Posts: 933
    RichN95. said:

    bianchi_dave said:

    (once again after a few years with Bilharzia virus)

    You're getting your illnesses confused. Bilharzia was Froome's illness in 2010. Cavendish had Epstein-Barr
    My mistake, cheers
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Phreak probably needs to show his workings for the outlier score of 3. I can suspect why he has done it based on some comments in the spoiler threads but it would be useful to have it confirmed.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,700
    kingstongraham said:

    ddraver said:



    Sprint stages were poor. WVA having some challenges to his dominance would have been even better.

    He didn't win any flat sprint stages in a sprint.
    soz wut?

    He needed a JA or in form MvdP to break away with him and provide some further tension.
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • alan_a
    alan_a Posts: 1,587
    Solid 8

    Awesome first 18 stages of thrills and entertainment worthy of 9 almost 10 until the hand shake.

    GC and jersey wise the last 3 stages were... meh.
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  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,439
    Struggle to think what more you'd actually want.

    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    tailwindhome said:

    Struggle to think what more you'd actually want.


    So sort of to and fro between the principles. They swap between good days and bad days and exchange blows. The gold standard here is the 1989 Tour where the Yellow Jersey changed hands between LeMond and Fignon four times.
    Twitter: @RichN95

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