Every sports event has been canceled or rescheduled because of the pandemic. Fortunately for cycling fans, we got the chance to enjoy the two most popular road cycling stage races. Tour de France and Giro d’ Italia are two tournaments that people around the world like the most. They connect the best cyclist in the world, and that is the main reason why they are so popular.
It is not a secret that many people will say that Tour de France is the best road cycling stage race. In most cases, Giro d’ Italia is in second place on that list. We do not want to say that something like that isn’t correct. However, it is always good to look at things from different perspectives. Some insights show Giro d’Italia may be a better tournament than Tour de France.
The Italian Grand Tour ended only five days ago. It was an exciting event for all the people that are currently locked down at home. If you missed some of the most important details, you can visit sports news websites like sportni-portal.com. There you will manage to find all the latest news associated with that event. However, we would like to make a deeper analysis and compare these two worldwide famous Grand Tours. Let’s find out together why Giro d’Italia is better than Tour de France. If you disagree with our analysis, you are free to share your opinion with us.
Roads Are Better
The purpose of this article is not to reduce the importance of the Tour de France. However, we do need to highlight that the roads in Italy are much better. There is a good reason why we say something like this. Believe it or not, all the roads get repaved a couple of days before the event starts. In other words, people that organize the tournament try to ensure the best possible cycling experience for all the participants.
The Routs Are More Challenging
As we said, the quality of the roads is at the highest level. However, that doesn’t mean that the route is simple. On the contrary, the routes are probably the most challenging ones you can find in the world. Many people will say that course designs can’t determine the quality of the race. That may be the truth in some cases, but we can’t generalize things.
Let’s use a comparison to make things clear. Passo Mortirolo is one of the most famous routes of the tour. It is around 12.5 kilometers long with an average grade of 10.5%. Despite that, Italy’s options are limited when we talk about flat terrains. Even if they want to make the routes easier, they do not have the chance to do something that. That is the reason why Italian climbs are tougher compared to those in France. When you have a situation like that, you can be sure that routes in Italy are more challenging. Logically, that will directly influence the quality of the race. More precisely, it will bring more excitement to all the fans that actively follow professional cycling.
The Beauty of Nature
We do not want to say that France is not a beautiful country. You will manage to find many beautiful destinations across the entire country. There are many seacoasts, lakes, vineyards, and mountains. However, Italy is a special country in many different ways. A good proof of that is posters, refrigerator magnets, calendars, and many social media images. Many of the images you can find come from Italy.
As you know, there are many videos recorded from the helicopter during the race. The view that you see there is something you will remember forever. That is probably one of the reasons why Italy usually has many tourists. Of course, if we skip this year because of the well-known reason. Despite that, the famous photojournalist Even Graham Watson will agree with that statement. He described Passo Gardena as the most spectacular scenery in Europe. You will manage to find more about the description in his book The Great Tours.
Big Number of Spectators
We need to be clear here because some people will probably disagree with us. The number of spectators on Le Grande Boucle’s roadside is often huge. You will manage to see many people there almost every year. However, photos and TV recordings say more about the spectators in Italy. You will manage to see a couple of thousands of people supporting their idols in all parts of the race. Many of them will decide on ridding a bike to view the most entertaining moments of the race.
Despite that, spectators in France usually come from different parts of the world. That is one of the factors that show how popular that tournament is. Yet, the spectators in Italy are usually locals that came there to support their heroes. People there truly follow the road cycling races.
Giro d’Italia Is More Exciting
We will continue in the same manner. No one has the right o claim that Tour de France is dull and boring. However, Giro d’Italia is unique even when we talk about excitement. The main reason why it is more exciting is the dose of passion that supporters invest during the race. Cycling, in general, is a more popular activity in Italy. People that live there (especially men) are driving a bicycle more often compared to French citizens. Despite that, we can also make a comparison of the female audience. Italian women will more likely follow the tour on radio or TV. On the other hand, different statistics show that ladies from France are not too interested in Grand Tours.
Despite that, we recommend tourists to go to different pubs and talk with people. Be sure that Italian people will show more knowledge about the entire cycling industry. Many of them will tell you that they wanted to participate in the cycling industry when they were kids. For instance, in the USA, people start playing basketball or American football when they are still young. You probably understand now why people there are so passionate about cycling.