2008 Cycling Lowlights: Most Boring Major Race, Tour Down Under

The Tour Down under, in its 10th season in 2008, is EuroPeloton's most boring race of 2008. Although granted Pro Tour status in 2008, the Australian stage race failed to attract as talented a field as the non-Pro tour tour of California, and High Road's Andre "Gorilla" Greipel dominated the 7 stage race. In looking at the 2008 start list, the only big time names entered in the race, with exception to Luis Leon Sanchez and Philippe Gilbert, were Australian.

And of those bigger names, none were able to deliver a win for the fans, instead using the race as training for the rest of the season. In fact, a raging Greipel took an astonishing five wins in the race, and was able to take home the overall win. That a sprinter like Greipel won the overall speaks to the relative ease of each stage. With no climbing stages, the drama was low, leading to a very boring race.

The problem for the Tour Down Under is three fold. First, it is very far away from Europe, and most top pros would rather stay home or at team training camps during the early season. Second, the course profiles are easy, leading to bunch finishes and lack of drama in the hunt for the overall. And third, the intense Australian heat is just too much for some riders to handle. So, as it has each year, the Tour Down Under will have a tough time finding top riders to contest its event.

Comparing the TDU to the Tour of California reveals the disparate level of talent in the two races. the ToC start list for 2008 was amazing, with several past or current world champions, grand tour stage and overall winners, and some of the best sprinters in the world. California's temperate climate is an ideal locale for an early season training camp, and many teams chose to have two week camps in California ahead of the ToC. Add to the mix some tough stage profiles, and you had a top-flight, action-filled event. Hopefully, future editions of the Tour Down Under will have more climbing, talent, and action. But until then, it will be known as one of the most boring races in all of cycling . . . Pro tour or not.