nowhereman said:
Hey folks! Screw Horner, I agree with erader's comments on that matter. I feel really bad for Brajkovic. Play the tapes over, and look at his face did he even look like he was working at all during that chaperone assignment? He was up there, prior to todays debacle. But I guess he drew the short straw, and was assigned to escorting LA to the bitter end. So ends Janez's shot at a respectable finish. LA needed no company at the rate he was soft pedaling to the finish. And with the way RS is finishing the season after the TdF, the year is over for him too, at this point. After LA's third crash incident My wife proclaimed that LA won't finish the Tour...... let's see what happens next.
I agree about Brajkovic as well... I don't understand why Lance needed an escort once he quit. Why not let Brajkovic go too?
I understand why a single rider was sent back when Lance detached... maybe even two. He had just crashed before the cat-1 climb and perhaps the team thought he could reconnect on the descent with help.
But at a certain point, Lance quit. Horner and Brajkovic were no longer pulling. THAT's the point that I don't understand not letting BOTH of them go... Lance had already decided he was done.
It wasn't until a few minutes later (when the Contador group had gained another minute or so) that Lance had his last crash... and Horner was finally released. Brajkovic wasn't even pacing Lance... he was riding next to him. If Lance wanted company, he should have rode a bit slower and let Popovych catch back up. He'd already given up.
Heck, I'd have liked to see what Horner and Brajkovic could have done together chasing the main group... even starting from the point Lance crashed last. They might not have lost any additional time.