boardhanger said:
As my oringinal meaning was why hasn't these teams from Wiggo/Vandevelde to Basso/Kreuzinger et al not attempted the one two move??? Why go to LeTour with 2 leaders who obviously can't mano a mano Contador solo. Why take 2 leaders and not use the 2 leader attack counter attack move?????
There has been a precedent set that virtually every team with gc aspirations has decided to follow. Take no risks, hope for some mechanical/accidental/physical malady to happen to the favorites, to move up in the standings. Attacking on the penultimate climb is looked at as being too risky for the attacking rider. If the attack fails, they will be swept up and spit out the back, losing time and free-falling in the standings. It appears that no one of these duo's wants to make the sacrifice for the other. Also part of it is that Astana and Saxo both set high tempos to discourage anyone from attacking.
Basso never had the legs after the Giro. Kreuziger was simply hanging on. Leipheimer, Kloden and Armstrong simply didn't have it but wouldn't have taken the risks early in a stage anyway since its the Bruyneel/Armstrong templet that most gc teams are following. Garmin lost their 1-2 when VDV crashed out.
I think that they all live in fear of expending energy that they will need later in the stage and/or in later stages. Attack and Contador and Schleck counter, drop you and your Tour is done. The standard strategy is to hang on for as long as you can and hope someone else has a bad day.