2016 'PRO' cycling discussion.

[Stolichnaya]

Tune in after week one to see who is still standing after the usual crashes, if it looks like an interesting bunch, keep watching. Otherwise, I'll sign off Eurosport completely until next year's Giro starts.

[KB]

I've found a lot of the mountain stages in the last few years disappointing. Hardly anyone seems to go full on earlier in stages instead of a slugfest on the final climb.

I would like to see a different winner each year, so i won't be cheering for Contador, Froome or Nibali. My favourite is Quintana. It's 31 years since a French winner, so I would be happy to see one of them win.

[KWalker]

Everyone wants clean cycling, then complains about what clean(er) cycling actually looks like.

[prendrefeu]

Everyone wants clean cycling, then complains about what clean(er) cycling actually looks like.

>implying

[KWalker]

Over the past few years I've heard so much on this forum about how racing is really boring. I might watch different races, but I've found things to be fairly exciting, but not necessarily every single big mountain stage. It's shifted to smaller/sprint stages, or some of the totally bonkers Vuelta stages.

[maquisard]

Racing now with Sky controlling everything isn't very much different to US Postal, only minus ( I hope! ) the pharmaceutical assistance. Froome has won both his Tour victories with a decisive attack on the first mountain top finish followed by controlled racing. If you have a strong team like Sky do, that is the way to win the race.

This year the parcours is much more open to surprise attacks in my opinion. I suspect Ventoux will be a dual between Quintana and Froome but the later alpine stages are short and explosive and could offer opportunities from an ambush from the likes of Nibali/Aru or Contador.

Looking forward to it immensely!

[BdaGhisallo]

Racing now with Sky controlling everything isn't very much different to US Postal, only minus ( I hope! ) the pharmaceutical assistance. Froome has won both his Tour victories with a decisive attack on the first mountain top finish followed by controlled racing. If you have a strong team like Sky do, that is the way to win the race.

This year the parcours is much more open to surprise attacks in my opinion. I suspect Ventoux will be a dual between Quintana and Froome but the later alpine stages are short and explosive and could offer opportunities from an ambush from the likes of Nibali/Aru or Contador.

Looking forward to it immensely!

Perhaps the other GC contenders should preempt this Sky tactic and do something prior to the final climb on the first day in the mountains.

[wingguy]

Over the past few years I've heard so much on this forum about how racing is really boring.

I've got to be honest, I think that a lot of the time 'boring' is shorthand for 'that guy I don't like is winning'.

[prendrefeu]

Nah, it's actually boring.

[wingguy]

Then it's shorthand for "I don't like bike racing". Seriously, there was a guy in the Cyclingnews comments the other day saying that Chris Froome was boring becase he won the Tour in the mountains. For real.

Anyway, Rolland and his helpers for Cannondale this year. I'm not saying this is the worst Tour team there's ever been, but it does seem like the defining characteristic of Slipstream over the last eight years has been a steady drain of talent and inexorable descent into mediocrity. How on earth are they worth a WT licence these days?

[prendrefeu]

Then it's shorthand for "I don't like bike racing".

That's your opinion and your interpretation, sure, you're welcome to it.

I like bike racing quite a lot. Just because I find recent TdFs dull (specifically as far as top GC podium is concerned, and I've clearly stated this several times now) does not mean I don't like bike racing.

[maquisard]

The last really really good TdF in my opinion was 2011. 2015 wasn't actually bad, 2012, 2013 and 2014 weren't great.

My other favourites, 1998, 2003, 2006 and 2008.

[xena]

I prefer watching the Giro and Vuelta in recent years. IMO they have been more exciting and chaotic.
But this year the line up for the tour looks good. Bertie dedicating himself just for the tour [no Giro]. Aru and Astana will be aggressive and if Quintana is still in it, he mans up and try's to win it unlike last year when he was scared to lose.
I'm quite shocked how dismissive posters are of Bertie. He looked as strong as Froome towards the end of the Dauphine and if he shows the consistency of 2014 he will be the man to beat. Don't forget 2014 he took Froome to the cleaners in the dauphine and at the Vuleta.
But like a previous poster said I would like to see a new face break up the Froome , Bertie. Quintana same old same old.

Hopefully it will be exciting. I thought last years was quite exciting watching Froome hang on by the skin of his teeth in the last week and a half. Don't forget that without that wind split Quintana would have won.
IMO Froome will need a lot of luck to win this tour he just cannot sustain form over 3 weeks.

This will be a true test for him and I think a podium is the best he can hope for.

[Dez33]

This year the parcours is much more open to surprise attacks in my opinion. I suspect Ventoux will be a dual between Quintana and Froome but the later alpine stages are short and explosive and could offer opportunities from an ambush from the likes of Nibali/Aru or Contador.

Looking forward to it immensely!

I agree, I think this years course is really exciting. Looking forward to the Joux Plane-Morzine end to stage 20 for a bit of nostalgia but before that there are some eipc stages, the Andora Arcalis, Mont Ventoux, the mountain tt, the Emosson dam stage, the Culoz stage. Should be great, can't wait.

[djconnel]

I think cycling fans who were introduced to the sport during the Armstrong years, like baseball fans introduced to that sport during the testosterone era, tend to have a perverted view of bike racing, something more cyborg in nature than of human competition. What has made the past 5 years or so relatively refreshing is riders are vulnerable again.

And no, I'm not under the illusion cycling is "clean", but it's certainly not like it was.

So I discard any year 1994-2009, certainly, as one of the best Tours. They were a fiction, sort of like saying your favorite boxer ever was Rocky Balboa. Okay -- I really like the Rocky films (most of them, anyway).... so let's skip that comparison.