Final stage TTs

[Killiekevin]

Not sure if this has been done before, im sure it has. Was just wondering what peoples opinions were in final stage tt's in grand tours.

I like a good TT and think there should be at least two per GT but just not sure I want the final stage to be one. Would rather it was fought out on the mountains

 

[dragon72]

I don't like that the options are binary.
I'm more a "don't see why not" than a firm "yes, they should end with a TT"
I'm not the sort of person who will ever tune in to watch a TT, but I do think they are an indispensable part of GTs.

 

[Jimidh]

Can sometimes be an option?

I think it's good to mix up the format and it will be interesting if Quintana can get a lead in the mountains over the next few days and see if TD Canclaw the time back on the TT.

 

[brommers]

It's better than the stupid parade into Paris

 

[screenman]

It's better than the stupid parade into Paris

What the one that always has a great sprint finish.

 

[ColinJ]

What the one that always has a great spring finish.

It's always in the summer!

 

[screenman]

It's always in the summer!

Stop changing things.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Our lass always says her favourite TDF was when they had the TT on the final day and Lemond won GC by 8 seconds

 

[Too Tyred]

Not sure. It certainly makes the preceding stages more exciting for example in this Giro the pure climbers HAVE to attack or Dumoulin will win. However, a pan flat sprint finish battle into the biggest cities in Europe excites me just as much as mountain top finishes.

Edit: a TT on the last day to decide who wins the tour is pretty much the only way to get me to watch a TT though (apart from the one up Alpe d'Huez).

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

If we had a "normal" sprint finish tomorrow, today would decide GC. As it is, I'll be watching tomorrow as well, rather than having a passing interest in watching some blokes ride along with champagne flutes waving in the air.

 

[oldroadman]

Our lass always says her favourite TDF was when they had the TT on the final day and Lemond won GC by 8 seconds

And what a finish that was. Suspense until the last kilometre. Dumoulin could just do the same as Lemond tomorrow and grab a win on the last day.

 

[Aravis]

And what a finish that was. Suspense until the last kilometre. Dumoulin could just do the same as Lemond tomorrow and grab a win on the last day.

Something the Tour has done, though not recently, is to have a split stage on the final day - a time trial followed by a criterium. That would seem to cater for most preferences, but split stages in grand tours seem to be well out of favour these days. If the centre of a huge city has to shut down for most of the day anyway, why not?

Suppose there'd been a criterium after the time trial in 1989. We'd have had the same tension in the time trial, and the possibility that the 8 seconds might not be completely secure in the criterium. I think they still had the 1 kilometre rule at that time.

 

[oldroadman]

Split stages are out of fashion because riders (and most people on a race) hate them. They have been used in the past by certain organisers (not current) to simply make more money from start/finish venues. I recall a 5 day where 4 of the days had split stages (usually about 180km total per day) and the 5th day was about 210km.. Easy solution, the races were only raced for about the last 30 minutes, rest of the time a go slow. Message loud and clear. It didn't happen again. It wrecks pre race prep, makes very long days. All very good reasons not to have split stages, riders are not performing animals.

 

[Aravis]

Plenty of strong arguments there for not having split stages in the middle of a race, and for not having overlong stages, but a final day situation is completely different. A short time trial followed by a criterium surely isn't asking too much. Yesterday was great drama, but for the vast majority of riders it must have felt like something they could have done without, and it could easily have been a complete non-event.

Although I think most would stand to gain, I can see a split final day being regarded as a slippery slope back to the bad old days and therefore strongly opposed. But as a spectator I'd vote for it.

Interesting that the poll shows final day time trials having become noticeably more popular since yesterday afternoon!

 

[ColinJ]

How about a final day TT followed by a ceremonial/sprint race which would only count for a stage win and the points competition? GC teams could opt not to do it all, or take it easy and just show their faces to the crowd and then drop out?

PS Obviously, if (say) 80% of the riders opted not to complete the sprint race then that would be a strong message not to bother organising such a finish again.