GC Leaders Sprinting?

[Jancouver]

Lately, we are seeing more and more GC leaders/climbers involved in bunch sprints. Even Froome finished 6th on stage 1. Yes, it was due to the Cav crash but anyway, he was at the very front.

After seeing Talansky and Frank crashing during a small group sprint today I have immediately questioned their intentions as there is no time difference finishing 5th or 30th unless there are some gaps.

So the questions is:

Should a protected GC leader be involved in bunch sprints?

 

[Sciocco]

Lately, we are seeing more and more GC leaders/climbers involved in bunch sprints. Even Froome finished 6th on stage 1. Yes, it was due to the Cav crash but anyway, he was at the very front.

After seeing Talansky and Frank crashing during a small group sprint today I have immediately questioned their intentions as there is no time difference finishing 5th or 30th unless there are some gaps.

So the questions is:

Should a protected GC leader be involved in bunch sprints?

A lot of people were throwing around the bit about sprinting for placings so their team car is closer to the front. If a GC team leader is savvy enough and can read the bunch sprint, he should be good for getting a placing all the while avoiding crashes. Otoh, if they would just include a short prologue or early selective stage then a GC leader could relax near the final. I'd prefer it if the GC leaders did not risk it. My preference for how to fix it would be high mountain stages right away!

 

[Fight.The.Power]

Only in order to get the same time as the days winner of course?

 

[orangerider]

They do not want to risk getting gapped with another GC leader ahead. At those speeds it is very hard to tell so you just ride full on.

 

[quarterpounder]

The problem seems to be mainly with the english speaking riders. Guess they are spending too much time in wind tunnels or doing tests instead of actual racing on the road and so they can't handle their bike. Everyone else should be allowed to contest if they want to.

 

[UpTheRoad]

They do not want to risk getting gapped with another GC leader ahead. At those speeds it is very hard to tell so you just ride full on.

I agree with this.

If you rewatch the stage finish from the overhead shot, Nibali and Contador are right there and then they started to move away and let the sprinters do their thing when the final push occurs. They did this after the final turn and after the Kangert/JVdB crash. Close enough to not get gapped and far enough away so that they don't interfere with the sprinters.

Contrast that with Talansky. He was right in the mix, even 5th or 6th in line when they were all lined up just before the final chaos. Only then does he realize he needs to get out of the way, but it was too late.

At that point, AT should have just held his line and sprinted. The others would have come around him -- just another piece of road furniture for the sprinters.. Would it have been better if he could have pulled off? Sure, but he tried too late. The time was when Contador and Nibali and others backed off. Since he didn't he needed to go full on.

 

[UpTheRoad]

A lot of people were throwing around the bit about sprinting for placings so their team car is closer to the front. If a GC team leader is savvy enough and can read the bunch sprint, he should be good for getting a placing all the while avoiding crashes. Otoh, if they would just include a short prologue or early selective stage then a GC leader could relax near the final. I'd prefer it if the GC leaders did not risk it. My preference for how to fix it would be high mountain stages right away!

Queen stage as the opening to the race? I like it. Get through the first stage and it's smooth sailing after that.

 

[hughmoore]

Sprinting right to the line isn't the issue, the crashes/problems result from riders who "don't sprint to the line"

In yesterdays stage, Talansky stopped sprinting and tried to get out of the way.

There were three riders on his left sprinting and he didn't hold his line.

If he had slowed but held his line, he would have been fine. Maybe some girl was flashing in the crowd and he was distracted.



Hugh

 

[RiccoDinko]

Talansky should have looked forward, kept pedaling in the sprint. If you take this stage as a bunch sprint, it's full of GC guys, so YES, they should be going full gas, or they may get gapped. Nibali is the only GC who can afford to give away a few seconds.

Stage 7 Results
ITA 1 TRENTIN, Matteo (OMEGA PHARMA - QUICK-STEP) 5:18:39
SVK 2 SAGAN, Peter (CANNONDALE)
FRA 3 GALLOPIN, Tony (LOTTO BELISOL)
NED 4 DUMOULIN, Tom (GIANT-SHIMANO)
AUS 5 GERRANS, Simon (ORICA GreenEDGE)
ITA 6 OSS, Daniel (BMC RACING)
FRA 7 GAUTIER, Cyril (EUROPCAR)
FRA 8 CHAVANEL, Sylvain (IAM CYCLING)
BEL 9 VANMARCKE, Sep (BELKIN)
BEL 10 VAN AVERMAET, Greg (BMC RACING)
FRA 11 REZA, Kévin (EUROPCAR)
ESP 12 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro (MOVISTAR)
FRA 13 VICHOT, Arthur (FDJ.fr)
POR 14 FARIA DA COSTA, Rui Alberto (LAMPRE - MERIDA)
FRA 15 BARDET, Romain (AG2R LA MONDIALE)
ITA 16 NIBALI, Vincenzo (ASTANA)
FRA 17 PERAUD, Jean-Christophe (AG2R LA MONDIALE)
NED 18 MOLLEMA, Bauke (BELKIN)
AUS 19 PORTE, Richie (SKY)
FRA 20 PINOT, Thibaut (FDJ.fr)
ESP 21 CONTADOR VELASCO, Alberto (TINKOFF-SAXO)
POL 22 KWIATKOWSKI, Michal (OMEGA PHARMA - QUICK-STEP)
LUX 23 SCHLECK, Frank (TREK FACTORY RACING)
ESP 24 NIEVE ITURALDE, Mikel (SKY)
DEN 25 FUGLSANG, Jakob (ASTANA)
USA 26 HORNER, Christopher (LAMPRE - MERIDA)
FRA 27 ROLLAND, Pierre (EUROPCAR) + 11
NOR 28 KRISTOFF, Alexander (KATUSHA) + 14
FRA 29 DUMOULIN, Samuel (AG2R LA MONDIALE)
***Talansky pre crash

 

[swuzzlebubble]

 

[Broth3r]

They need to be aware of what they're doing. If they are, however, and particularly if there's time bonuses, why not?

I remember the days Valverde went for both sprints and GC at the Vuelta, and won quite a few of them. Always liked him because of that, though shame we haven't seen that in ages.

 

[Netserk]

They can sprint whenever they want, as long as they watch where they go.

 

[Justico]

The problem seems to be mainly with the english speaking riders. Guess they are spending too much time in wind tunnels or doing tests instead of actual racing on the road and so they can't handle their bike. Everyone else should be allowed to contest if they want to.

the steroids in the picture got to your head ?!

 

[lennart]

Not sure how many sprints merckx won in his live, so nothing new here.
Crashes are always happening. It could be that becuase most are not racing much these days that driving in a peloton is a skill that is less then in the old days.Main problem is that all gc contenders want to be upfront and with a teammate or 2. that will not fit. the same is with sprinters. IfI remember correctly, most times there was 1 team that was controlling the pace and behind their sprinter a lot of sprinter where fighting to get/stay in his wheel.

 

[murali]

i believe that GC riders should finish in the top-25 of every stage, unless it is a very long straight line bunch sprint where there is no scope for gaps to appear. Having said that, the GC rider should sprint if he feels like he is fit enough to sprint.

I can think of at least Tony Martin in his HTC days, Contador, he-who-cannot-be-name, Wiggins being part of a lead-out for their team's sprinter. When the bonus seconds were in offer, almost every GC rider tried to go for it.

The last thing that any GC rider would want is to loose time where he shouldn't be losing.

that said, the simplest response is:

They can sprint whenever they want, as long as they watch where they go.

 

[42x16ss]

They can sprint whenever they want, as long as they watch where they go.

If Gerrans followed that very advice Talansky wouldn't have hit the deck. Watch the overhead, Gerrans should have been fined and relegated. Abdoujaparov would have been proud.

 

[Netserk]

It was clearly Talansky's fault. You don't drift one direction while you look the other way.

 

[quarterpounder]

the steroids in the picture got to your head ?!

That's Lance in my picture. But it's an old one, I should probably change it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

They need to be aware of what they're doing. If they are, however, and particularly if there's time bonuses, why not?

I remember the days Valverde went for both sprints and GC at the Vuelta, and won quite a few of them. Always liked him because of that, though shame we haven't seen that in ages.

In the 2012 Vuelta, Valverde won two jerseys (points and combinada) from Purito on the last day by being 6th in the Madrid parade sprint.

 

[LaFlorecita]

They should be allowed to sprint if they want to. It's their choice.

 

[Carstenbf]

Silly thread.

Ofc they "sprint". The slightest gap and they could loose maybe 30s. Remember the time diffs are calculated from the front of the groups.

Once again a poll with no reasonable option.

 

[MBotero]

They should sprint at their pleasure,a guy like Contador or Rolland have the same right to be there in the sprint like Cav or Kittel. I don't get why sprinters demand the GC guys out of sprint,they crash a lot even when GC guys are not around,plus some GC guys are good sprinters,Valverde has won some points jersey at his life.