beef about tour stage winners

"Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet there
is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the GC pace
beats the other also-rans to the finish line in a
seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours. It's up
to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower GC
positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the main
teams don't care. I know there is nothing to be done about
this but it still bothers me. And I surely don't want to
hear that so-and-so "was the strongest today" because he
accomplished this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He
beat a few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either. "What a big win this is for" so-and-
so! Gosh! There! I got that off my chest. Gary

It isn't a whole lot different than letting a no-hoper go
off the front in a long road race to get a prime or
intermediate points sprint. Just on a larger scale.

"Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet there
is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the GC pace
beats the other also-rans to the finish line in a
seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours. It's up
to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower GC
positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the main
teams don't care. I know there is nothing to be done about
this but it still bothers me. And I surely don't want to
hear that so-and-so "was the strongest today" because he
accomplished this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He
beat a few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either. "What a big win this is for" so-and-
so! Gosh! There! I got that off my chest. Gary

Too many stage races and not enough single day (winner take
all) races. It's only going to get worse with the "Pro
Tour". -Mike

Gary said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet there
is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the GC pace
beats the other also-rans to the finish line in a
seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours. It's up
to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower GC
positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the main
teams don't care. I know there is nothing to be done about
this but it still bothers me. And I surely don't want to
hear that so-and-so "was the strongest today" because he
accomplished this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He
beat a few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either. "What a big win this is for" so-and-
so! Gosh! There! I got that off my chest. Gary

that seems to be what stage racing is about though. although
sometimes the leader wants to "stamp his authority" on a
prestigious stage by winning it.

as carl pointed out, this is also often how things like the
king of the mountains award is won. some people complain
about it, and some people think that's the way the strategy
goes. why does it bother you? (curious)

when you think about all the times someone has been in a
break all day, but is caught on the final climb, or in the
final flat kilometer, maybe you will have a little respect
for those who make it all the way to the finish line to
actually win the stage. (or maybe that's just me)

heather, putting off training by wasting time posting..

That's my point. It is so exciting to see the break reeled
back in by the riders. I hate hearing, "Well, he's no
threat so they let him go!" That seems such a poor basis
for awarding a stage win. Find the best of the non-
contenders and let them go at it while the best riders and
teams sit back and relax. Just seems wrong. I understand
it's part of the tour set-up but I still dislike it.
Especially when all the teams with GC riders in contention
hold back the entire squad and just watch. Yeck! I wish
they could each send SOMEBODY up the road to contest. But I
know that ain't gonna happen.

h squared said:

Gary said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet there
is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the GC pace
beats the other also-rans to the finish line in a
seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours. It's up
to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower GC
positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the main
teams don't care. I know there is nothing to be done about
this but it still bothers me. And I surely don't want to
hear that so-and-so "was the strongest today" because he
accomplished this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He
beat a few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either. "What a big win this is for" so-and-
so! Gosh! There! I got that off my chest. Gary

that seems to be what stage racing is about though.
although sometimes the leader wants to "stamp his
authority" on a prestigious stage by winning it.

as carl pointed out, this is also often how things like
the king of the mountains award is won. some people
complain about it, and some people think that's the way
the strategy goes. why does it bother you? (curious)

when you think about all the times someone has been in a
break all day, but is caught on the final climb, or in the
final flat kilometer, maybe you will have a little respect
for those who make it all the way to the finish line to
actually win the stage. (or maybe that's just me)

heather, putting off training by wasting time posting..

h squared said:

Gary said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet
there is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the
GC pace beats the other also-rans to the finish line in
a seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours.
It's up to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower
GC positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the
main teams don't care. I know there is nothing to be
done about this but it still bothers me. And I surely
don't want to hear that so-and-so "was the strongest
today" because he accomplished this only semi-impressive
feat. Whoopee! He beat a few other riders so far down in
the GC that THEY were no threat either. "What a big win
this is for" so-and-so! Gosh! There! I got that off my
chest. Gary

that seems to be what stage racing is about though.
although sometimes the leader wants to "stamp his
authority" on a prestigious stage by winning it.

as carl pointed out, this is also often how things like
the king of the mountains award is won. some people
complain about it, and some people think that's the way
the strategy goes. why does it bother you? (curious)

when you think about all the times someone has been in a
break all day, but is caught on the final climb, or in the
final flat kilometer, maybe you will have a little respect
for those who make it all the way to the finish line to
actually win the stage. (or maybe that's just me)

heather, putting off training by wasting time posting..

Personally, I have great respect for anyone who wins any
stage of a major bike race. Heck, I'm trying to ride my
first century this year, and these guys ride one every day
for 3 weeks. And they do it fast over incredible terrain. If
I was number 100 on GC, I'd go for a win.

--
Bob in CT Remove ".x" to reply

Gary said:

That's my point. It is so exciting to see the break reeled
back in by the riders. I hate hearing, "Well, he's no
threat so they let him go!" That seems such a poor basis
for awarding a stage win. Find the best of the non-
contenders and let them go at it while the best riders and
teams sit back and relax. Just seems wrong. I understand
it's part of the tour set-up but I still dislike it.
Especially when all the teams with GC riders in contention
hold back the entire squad and just watch. Yeck! I wish
they could each send SOMEBODY up the road to contest. But
I know that ain't gonna happen.

those noncontenders on a solo or two man break still have to
basically time trial the damn thing just as fast as the
peleton (peloton? peletaaan? can't speel) is following.

my experience is really limited, but i know i finished
courses in a protected group in an hour and 22 minutes that
i could only time trial at 1:35 on a very good day. there's
no way i would ever get the guts to try to ride away from a
group of the best pros in the world.

heather
p.s. i don't mean to be arguing with you, i'm ok with you
not liking the situation 🙂 just sayin how i see it.

Bob in CT said:

Personally, I have great respect for anyone who wins any
stage of a major bike race. Heck, I'm trying to ride my
first century this year, and these guys ride one every day
for 3 weeks. And they do it fast over incredible terrain.

that's what i thought too after i did my first leisurely
century. ("god i'm freaking tired! now if i just raced this
instead of cruising it, and then did it 20 more times, then
i might know a little what it's like to do a stage race"😉
never tried it out though!

heather

Gary said:

That's my point. It is so exciting to see the break reeled
back in by the riders. I hate hearing, "Well, he's no
threat so they let him go!" That seems such a poor basis
for awarding a stage win. Find the best of the non-
contenders and let them go at it while the best riders and
teams sit back and relax. Just seems wrong. I understand
it's part of the tour set-up but I still dislike it.
Especially when all the teams with GC riders in contention
hold back the entire squad and just watch. Yeck! I wish
they could each send SOMEBODY up the road to contest. But
I know that ain't gonna happen.

GC, schmee see. That's less than half the race.

Non-contenders aren't necessarily looser-wash-up nobodies.
What about all the classics riders that show up for the tour
hunting for stage wins? Dekker? Flecha? don't you remember
Flecha from last year?

Don't want to watch? Be my guest.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Gary
I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage because
"they are so far down the GC that they are no threat." That
means the top riders and their teams allow these would-be
stage winners to get away from the best riders of that tour
without much of a fight and yet there is rejoicing when some
rider who fell way off the GC pace beats the other also-rans
to the finish line in a seemingly meaningless adventure over
the parcours. It's up to the weaker teams (evidently with
some lower GC positions at stake) to chase these breaks
since the main teams don't care. I know there is nothing to
be done about this but it still bothers me. And I surely
don't want to hear that so-and-so "was the strongest today"
because he accomplished this only semi-impressive feat.
Whoopee! He beat a few other riders so far down in the GC
that THEY were no threat either. "What a big win this is
for" so-and-so! Gosh! There! I got that off my chest. Gary

Well, what else do you want to have happen during one of the non-mountain stages? Hmm? It's not that the GC contenders just _let_ anything go. Especially in the TdF where there is so much publicity to be had, guys attack like mad in the first 20-30km of the race to try and BE one of those guys that the GC contenders "let go". It's not exactly that they are let go, but the GC contenders have to pick and choose where to expend their energy and as long as they guys off the front aren't a threat to the GC/Points/Mountains jersey competitions, then there isn't a real point in chasing them down and using precious energy of your team or your GC rider. Unfortunately, you don't get to see all of this on TV as the coverage doesn't start until a few hours into the race.
Getting into a successful break is an impressive feat - you have to get lucky and get in the right move with the right guys (witness the poor [censored] who went off the front w/Stefano Garzelli in that one stage of the Giro - they were doomed from the minute he made the bridge to them, or the time that Cioni went with the break in Stage 5 - none of the guys wanted him there because he was a GC threat and the other teams would have to chase the break down, so they ditched him (and Fred Rod because they don't want a good sprinter with them either)). There are only a dozen real GC contenders in the pack, 10 real sprinters and 200 guys who want to win a stage. There's more competition for the in-between stages that are won from breaks than for the mountain top finishes or the sprints.
And as peckledoggy pointed out, you have to actually be strong enough to stay away, especially if the stage is flat and the sprinters' teams are chasing.
Before you go ranting about bike racing and what you view as being wrong with the sport, why not watch a few races and learn why things happen the way they do?

"Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet there
is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the GC pace
beats the other also-rans to the finish line in a
seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours. It's up
to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower GC
positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the main
teams don't care. I know there is nothing to be done about
this but it still bothers me. And I surely don't want to
hear that so-and-so "was the strongest today" because he
accomplished this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He
beat a few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either.

Is this a troll? Uh, the only reason that droping on GC
helps in stage wins is that it means you do not have to race
against the entire teams that contain GC hopefuls. This is
not even an issue in single day races but in Tours, the
teams with highly placed GC riders have an obligation to
chase down any threat to GC but not necessarily stage
winners. It still means you race against the whole peloton,
but there is no additional conflict with the few highest
teams (on GC). This is why it is so very hard (and damn near
impossible) for riders high on GC to actually take a stage
win aside from mountain top finishes and TTs.

Get it?

"What a big win this is for" so-and-so! Gosh!

Quoted message said:

There! I got that off my chest. Gary

Troll

Mark VandenBerghe

"Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet there
is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the GC pace
beats the other also-rans to the finish line in a
seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours. It's up
to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower GC
positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the main
teams don't care. I know there is nothing to be done about
this but it still bothers me. And I surely don't want to
hear that so-and-so "was the strongest today" because he
accomplished this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He
beat a few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either. "What a big win this is for" so-and-
so! Gosh! There! I got that off my chest. Gary

"Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That's my point. It is so exciting to see the break
reeled back in by the riders. I hate hearing, "Well, he's
no threat so they let him go!" That seems such a poor
basis for awarding a stage win. Find the best of the non-
contenders and let them go at it while the best riders
and teams

You are taking the comentary far too literally. The whole
race is not letting him go, the few teams with GC prospects
might let him go in order to look after their GC man. They
would not be racing for the stage win anyway, so why do you
care? Do you think there should be no stage wins for any
rider past 5th on GC? I think you really are missing the
whole point of GTs and bike racing. Maybe you need to learn
more than what you pick up from people that are merely paid
to talk during the racing whether there is something
important to say or not.

Quoted message said:

sit back and relax. Just seems wrong. I understand it's
part of the tour set-up but I still dislike it. Especially
when all the teams with GC riders in contention hold back
the entire squad and just watch. Yeck! I wish they could
each send SOMEBODY up the road to contest. But I know that
ain't gonna happen.

h squared said:

Gary said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet
there is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the
GC pace beats the other also-rans to the finish line in
a seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours.
It's up to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower
GC positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the
main teams don't

care.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I know there is nothing to be done about this but it
still bothers me. And I surely don't want to hear that
so-and-so "was the strongest today" because he
accomplished this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He
beat a few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either. "What a big win this is for" so-and-
so! Gosh! There! I got that off my chest. Gary

that seems to be what stage racing is about though.
although sometimes the leader wants to "stamp his
authority" on a prestigious stage by winning it.

as carl pointed out, this is also often how things like
the king of the mountains award is won. some people
complain about it, and some people think that's the way
the strategy goes. why does it bother you?

(curious)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

when you think about all the times someone has been in
a break all day, but is caught on the final climb, or
in the final flat kilometer, maybe you will have a
little respect for those who make it all the way to the
finish line to actually win the stage. (or maybe that's
just me)

heather, putting off training by wasting time posting..

Chris said:

They would not be racing for the stage win anyway, so why
do you care? Do you think there should be no stage wins for
any rider past 5th on GC?

Besides, sometimes the real fun is when a non-contender
break turns into something else altogether. Sometimes a new
team leader shows up because he was marking a nothing break
that kept going. Or the contenders are looking at each other
only to realize that up the road is real danger. Who wants
to watch five podium contenders mark each other for 20-23
stages? Besides, it forces the announcers to memorize
everyone's name (not that I would know if they were making
up the entire lead group sometimes).

My sympathies are the other way. I sometimes wish there was
less communication, to reintroduce an element of chance
that is diminished. Dropped train gates aren't the
excitement they once were. Nor are breaks that lose touch
with the peloton.

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...

I am not at all saying these riders aren't doing something
hard. It's just that the illusion is they did more than it
appears. If they were really GC contenders it would not have
happened for them. It's like Rassmussen said about not
coming in with a good time the day before he won a stage. If
he was close they never would have let him go. Seems wrong
to drop back out of contention so you can escape without
being chased by the contending teams.

h squared said:

Bob in CT said:

Personally, I have great respect for anyone who wins any
stage of a major bike race. Heck, I'm trying to ride my
first century this year, and these guys ride one every day
for 3 weeks. And they do it fast over incredible terrain.

that's what i thought too after i did my first leisurely
century. ("god i'm freaking tired! now if i just raced
this instead of cruising it, and then did it 20 more
times, then i might know a little what it's like to do a
stage race"😉 never tried it out though!

heather

Man, you don't know much about trolls. I'm just pointing out
what I see as an unfortunate situation in stage races that
always bothers me. Of course, it's not an issue in one-day
races. Duh!

Chris said:

"Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet there
is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the GC pace
beats the other also-rans to the finish line in a
seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours. It's up
to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower GC
positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the main
teams don't care. I know there is nothing to be done about
this but it still bothers me. And I surely don't want to
hear that so-and-so "was the strongest today" because he
accomplished this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He
beat a few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either.

Is this a troll? Uh, the only reason that droping on GC
helps in stage wins is that it means you do not have to
race against the entire teams that contain GC hopefuls.
This is not even an issue in single day races but in
Tours, the teams with highly placed GC riders have an
obligation to chase down any threat to GC but not
necessarily stage winners. It still means you race against
the whole peloton, but there is no additional conflict
with the few highest teams (on GC). This is why it is so
very hard (and damn near impossible) for riders high on GC
to actually take a stage win aside from mountain top
finishes and TTs.

Get it?

"What a big win this is for" so-and-so! Gosh!

Quoted message said:

There! I got that off my chest. Gary

No way, Buddy. I post occasionally and never try to insult
or name call. I ask questions I am interested in or in this
case just state something that bothers me. I also stated I
knew there was nothing to be done about it. I have watched
enough racing to know it's the proper strategy for
contending teams but it is nonetheless unfortunate for me. I
guess I just wish every stage would be fully contested. So,
drop the troll stuff.

Mark VandenBerghe said:

Troll

Mark VandenBerghe

"Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams allow
these would-be stage winners to get away from the best
riders of that tour without much of a fight and yet there
is rejoicing when some rider who fell way off the GC pace
beats the other also-rans to the finish line in a
seemingly meaningless adventure over the parcours. It's up
to the weaker teams (evidently with some lower GC
positions at stake) to chase these breaks since the main
teams don't care. I know there is nothing to be done about
this but it still bothers me. And I surely don't want to
hear that so-and-so "was the strongest today" because he
accomplished this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He
beat a few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either. "What a big win this is for" so-and-
so! Gosh! There! I got that off my chest. Gary

I have watched countless races on TV and several in person.
I love the sport but just always regret when these guys are
chased by only two or three teams. I guess I enjoy watching
a REAL break get chased down or be able to stay away. It's
exciting to see if the pelton can pull back a break or not
and whether the timing will be just right. Same for when a
break is pulle dback so the sprinters can contest the win.I
just dislike hearing, "He's no threat so they let him go." I
understand the strategy and would do the same thing as team
leader. Doesn't mean I have to like it as a fan. Savvy?

pedalchick said:

Gary said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams
allow these would-be stage winners to get away from
the best riders of that tour without much of a fight
and yet there is rejoicing when some rider who fell
way off the GC pace beats the other also-rans to the
finish line in a seemingly meaningless adventure over
the parcours. It's up to the weaker teams (evidently
with some lower GC positions at stake) to chase these
breaks since the main teams don't care. I know there
is nothing to be done about this but it still bothers
me. And I surely don't want to hear that so-and-so
"was the strongest today" because he accomplished
this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He beat a
few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either. "What a big win this is
for" so-and-so! Gosh! There! I got that off my
chest. Gary

Well, what else do you want to have happen during one of
the non- mountain stages? Hmm? It's not that the GC
contenders just _let_ anything go. Especially in the TdF
where there is so much publicity to be had, guys attack
like mad in the first 20-30km of the race to try and BE
one of those guys that the GC contenders "let go". It's
not exactly that they are let go, but the GC contenders
have to pick and choose where to expend their energy and
as long as they guys off the front aren't a threat to the
GC/Points/Mountains jersey competitions, then there isn't
a real point in chasing them down and using precious
energy of your team or your GC rider. Unfortunately, you
don't get to see all of this on TV as the coverage doesn't
start until a few hours into the race. Getting into a
successful break is an impressive feat - you have to get
lucky and get in the right move with the right guys
(witness the poor [censored] who went off the front
w/Stefano Garzelli in that one stage of the Giro - they
were doomed from the minute he made the bridge to them, or
the time that Cioni went with the break in Stage 5 - none
of the guys wanted him there because he was a GC threat
and the other teams would have to chase the break down, so
they ditched him (and Fred Rod because they don't want a
good sprinter with them either)). There are only a dozen
real GC contenders in the pack, 10 real sprinters and 200
guys who want to win a stage. There's more competition for
the in- between stages that are won from breaks than for
the mountain top finishes or the sprints. And as
peckledoggy pointed out, you have to actually be strong
enough to stay away, especially if the stage is flat and
the sprinters' teams are chasing. Before you go ranting
about bike racing and what you view as being wrong with
the sport, why not watch a few races and learn why things
happen the way they do?

--

This is what I'm talking about. Back off GC so nobody will chase you:

"Danish climber Michael Rasmussen (1999 World MTB Champion)
took it easy in yesterday's stage to Sisteron, losing 11'47"
and dropping out of contention for the overall. But on
today's penultimate stage, Rasmussen took a gamble and
attacked from the start up the Col Bayard out of Gap,
looking for a stage win.

"I had to make up for yesterday when I took it easy",
explained the rail-thin Dane whose mountain bike nickname
'Chicken' is beginning to circulate in the road peloton.
"Yesterday I made a tactical decision to take it easy and
today it worked out."

Rasmussen's director sportif Erik Breukink told Cyclingnews
that, "After Michael had problems on the Ventoux, he wasn't
that interested in 9th on GC, so he took it easy yesterday
to attack today. Yes, you can plan it, but to do it is
another thing."

pedalchick said:

Gary said:

I seem to get upset every time somebody wins a stage
because "they are so far down the GC that they are no
threat." That means the top riders and their teams
allow these would-be stage winners to get away from
the best riders of that tour without much of a fight
and yet there is rejoicing when some rider who fell
way off the GC pace beats the other also-rans to the
finish line in a seemingly meaningless adventure over
the parcours. It's up to the weaker teams (evidently
with some lower GC positions at stake) to chase these
breaks since the main teams don't care. I know there
is nothing to be done about this but it still bothers
me. And I surely don't want to hear that so-and-so
"was the strongest today" because he accomplished
this only semi-impressive feat. Whoopee! He beat a
few other riders so far down in the GC that THEY
were no threat either. "What a big win this is
for" so-and-so! Gosh! There! I got that off my
chest. Gary

Well, what else do you want to have happen during one of
the non- mountain stages? Hmm? It's not that the GC
contenders just _let_ anything go. Especially in the TdF
where there is so much publicity to be had, guys attack
like mad in the first 20-30km of the race to try and BE
one of those guys that the GC contenders "let go". It's
not exactly that they are let go, but the GC contenders
have to pick and choose where to expend their energy and
as long as they guys off the front aren't a threat to the
GC/Points/Mountains jersey competitions, then there isn't
a real point in chasing them down and using precious
energy of your team or your GC rider. Unfortunately, you
don't get to see all of this on TV as the coverage doesn't
start until a few hours into the race. Getting into a
successful break is an impressive feat - you have to get
lucky and get in the right move with the right guys
(witness the poor [censored] who went off the front
w/Stefano Garzelli in that one stage of the Giro - they
were doomed from the minute he made the bridge to them, or
the time that Cioni went with the break in Stage 5 - none
of the guys wanted him there because he was a GC threat
and the other teams would have to chase the break down, so
they ditched him (and Fred Rod because they don't want a
good sprinter with them either)). There are only a dozen
real GC contenders in the pack, 10 real sprinters and 200
guys who want to win a stage. There's more competition for
the in- between stages that are won from breaks than for
the mountain top finishes or the sprints. And as
peckledoggy pointed out, you have to actually be strong
enough to stay away, especially if the stage is flat and
the sprinters' teams are chasing. Before you go ranting
about bike racing and what you view as being wrong with
the sport, why not watch a few races and learn why things
happen the way they do?

--

"Gary" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

No way, Buddy. I post occasionally and never try to insult
or name call. I ask questions I am interested in or in
this case just state something that bothers me. I also
stated I knew there was nothing to be done about it. I
have watched enough racing to know it's the proper
strategy for contending teams but it is nonetheless
unfortunate for me. I guess I just wish every stage would
be fully contested. So, drop the troll stuff.

Perhaps you'd prefer to watch omniums??