Re: Re:
He wouldn't have known what the gap was to Alaphillipe, the one guy with a realistic chance of beating him in a sprint.Durden93 said:42x16ss said:If Dumoulin was fresh (and smart) enough to attack on the opposite barrier full gas, Valverde would have had to respond. Even if the attack didn't stick it could have been enough of a launchpad for Woods or Bardet to get around and beat him.Durden93 said:Was anyone else listening to the uci commentary? I found it somewhat annoying that they kept talking about Dumoulin. Why would Valverde have been afraid of letting Tom, who was riding full gas and doesn’t have a great sprint, into the finale?
That’s fair. My thinking was that it would have been unwise for Valverde to ride hard at the front to prevent Dumoulin from joining. His best move imo was to slow down somewhat and rest for the sprint. Even if a bunch of other riders came back he’d still have the best sprint.