TdF - 'owzit work?

Wally said:

What's the team thing all about in the TdF? Aren't they all out to
win it, or do some accept that they have no chance and help their top
guy by getting in the way of the competitors?

And what about that pacing stuff, where some guy sits in the lead for
ages, and then drops back with a few Ks to go, and his buddies thank
him?

Cycle racing is a funny sport in that the team members support the nominated
team leader by effectively sacrificing their reserves of energy. I don't
know of this exists in any other team sport.

Different members will have different skills; some might be used to fetch
and carry supplies (domestiques), others will be pure climbers, some will be
sprint specialists and others excellent time triallists. Some teams will
specialise in certain disciplines and attempt to win the separate
competitions (king of the mountains, points competition) for their nominated
leaders -- witness Cofidis yesterday setting up O'Grady for the sprint by
getting to the front of the peleton as they neared Mulhouse. Working at the
front of the peleton uses a good deal of energy. It's not simply 'getting in
the way' as it benefits other riders (if they can maintain the pace -- but
that's another story).

You'll find that the team leaders in the really big teams are excellent
all-rounders -- it is those riders who will compete for the general
classification (or fastest time around the route).

in message <[email hidden]>, Wally

(') said:

What's the team thing all about in the TdF? Aren't they all out to win
it, or do some accept that they have no chance and help their top guy

Yes...

Quoted message said:

by getting in the way of the competitors?

No, or at least not officially...

Quoted message said:

And what about that pacing stuff, where some guy sits in the lead for
ages, and then drops back with a few Ks to go, and his buddies thank
him?

Well, that's a large part of the team thing. No-one has the strength to
ride at full effort for twenty days. So the less strong riders protect
and support the strongest rider on their team for as long as they are
able, so he has to do as little work as possible and is as fit and
rested as possible when his extra strength and ability is needed.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; this is not a .sig

Simonb said:

Cycle racing is a funny sport in that the team members support the
nominated team leader by effectively sacrificing their reserves of
energy.

Aha.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

You'll find that the team leaders in the really big teams are
excellent all-rounders -- it is those riders who will compete for the
general classification (or fastest time around the route).

So, this pacing thing - do the top guys have differing 'performance curves'
over time, such that their team mates try to control the speed of the
peleton to best suit ther guy, and hopefully to the detriment of the
opposing teams' top guys?

--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk

Simon Brooke said:

Well, that's a large part of the team thing. No-one has the strength
to ride at full effort for twenty days. So the less strong riders
protect and support the strongest rider on their team for as long as
they are able, so he has to do as little work as possible and is as
fit and rested as possible when his extra strength and ability is
needed.

Yup, got the idea. Just not sure how pacing the peleton can benefit one
team's top rider, without doing the same for the other teams (see post to
SimonB).

--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk

Wally said:

So, this pacing thing - do the top guys have differing 'performance
curves' over time, such that their team mates try to control the
speed of the peleton to best suit ther guy, and hopefully to the
detriment of the opposing teams' top guys?

For one thing, it doesn't seem that the other teams on this tour have the
strength to maintain a pace as high as Discovery. Secondly, Lance _is_ the
strongest amongst the top GC contenders.