TDF 2018 Stage 4 - La Baule - Sarzeau 195 km

[Lequack]

Why is there even a tradition of having a breakway that has no possibility of success, I mean obviously teams will never let a breakaway go that is too big or has an actual chance of success. So is it only teams punishing some riders for bad performance and having them in the break? Is it just about TV time? Or maybe it's about the 0.1% chance they do make it in case of a big crash in the peloton?

 

[Laplaz]

When was the last time a break was succesful in the Tour in these kind of stages?

 

[el chava]

Re:

Why is there even a tradition of having a breakway that has no possibility of success, I mean obviously teams will never let a breakaway go that is too big or has an actual chance of success. So is it only teams punishing some riders for bad performance and having them in the break? Is it just about TV time? Or maybe it's about the 0.1% chance they do make it in case of a big crash in the peloton?

Pure TV time and this is getting worse with the introduction of team radios. Sad.

 

[rghysens]

Re:

When was the last time a break was succesful in the Tour in these kind of stages?

Thomas Voeckler in 2009 (if we're talking about flat stages in the first week)?

 

[rghysens]

Re: Re:

Why is there even a tradition of having a breakway that has no possibility of success, I mean obviously teams will never let a breakaway go that is too big or has an actual chance of success. So is it only teams punishing some riders for bad performance and having them in the break? Is it just about TV time? Or maybe it's about the 0.1% chance they do make it in case of a big crash in the peloton?

Pure TV time and this is getting worse with the introduction of team radios. Sad.

This, and the possibility of wearing the kom jersey for a day.

 

[Laplaz]

Re: Re:

When was the last time a break was succesful in the Tour in these kind of stages?

Thomas Voeckler in 2009 (if we're talking about flat stages in the first week)?

Yes, thank you

 

[Laporte17]

Laporte should win, but I'm worried he's having trouble after his crash. in that case he may gift it to Colbrelli.

 

[SKSemtex]

Probably we can count also famous Tony Martin sole break win stage 9/2014

 

[Amazinmets87]

Re: Re:

Why is there even a tradition of having a breakway that has no possibility of success, I mean obviously teams will never let a breakaway go that is too big or has an actual chance of success. So is it only teams punishing some riders for bad performance and having them in the break? Is it just about TV time? Or maybe it's about the 0.1% chance they do make it in case of a big crash in the peloton?

Pure TV time and this is getting worse with the introduction of team radios. Sad.

Would this cease if cycling wasn't sponsor oriented? Less incentive for T.V time.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Why is there even a tradition of having a breakway that has no possibility of success, I mean obviously teams will never let a breakaway go that is too big or has an actual chance of success. So is it only teams punishing some riders for bad performance and having them in the break? Is it just about TV time? Or maybe it's about the 0.1% chance they do make it in case of a big crash in the peloton?

Pure TV time and this is getting worse with the introduction of team radios. Sad.

Would this cease if cycling wasn't sponsor oriented? Less incentive for T.V time.

What the hell else do people want most wildcard teams to do? They might as well have someone up the road with a 1% chance of a win rather than in the peloton with 0%. Of course it’s particularly futile this year with so many sprinters with a chance.

 

[spalco]

Re: Re:

Would this cease if cycling wasn't sponsor oriented? Less incentive for T.V time.

It happens in almost all races, tv or not. There are just a lot of riders with no shot at winning any other way, and there's always a chance on a breakaway. It also makes things slightly less stressful for the peloton.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

break du jour at ~7min

 

[Lequack]

Re: Re:

Would this cease if cycling wasn't sponsor oriented? Less incentive for T.V time.

It happens in almost all races, tv or not. There are just a lot of riders with no shot at winning any other way, and there's always a chance on a breakaway. It also makes things slightly less stressful for the peloton.

Yeah but it's supposed to be a race not a vacation in France, at least I think it's still called bike racing. I wonder if anyone would watch soccer if it was just two goalies passing the ball to each other, and then in the last 5 minutes the other players would join in.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

break du jour at ~7min

Probably a lot of sprinters teams with tired domestiques after yesterday looking at each other and hoping someone else will bring them back. Still no chance they stay away.

 

[spalco]

Re: Re:

Yeah but it's supposed to be a race not a vacation in France, at least I think it's still called bike racing. I wonder if anyone would watch soccer if it was just two goalies passing the ball to each other, and then in the last 5 minutes the other players would join in.

That's not a useful analogy. In soccer that would almost always be a terrible strategy for at least one of the two teams, in cycling it's valid attempt to win.

 

[Simurgh]

Interesting anecdote by Danish commentators. One of them was talking with Linus Gerdemann in 2011, and they talked about the Tour, where the Schlecks ended on the podium. Gerdemann apparently said, that Andy didn't lose because of the last time trial nor because of his shaky descending, but because of Fränk. At the first mountain stage (didn't specify which, Luz Ardiden perhaps?) Andy said under way, that he felt that he had "the best legs he has ever had in his life", but Fränk said "no you don't" and that he better stay put , and so Andy held back, but according to Gerdemann, if he had ignored his brother, he would have destroyed everyone. They also talked about how Fränk was the more doubting and risk-averse of the two, which Bjarne Riis also said in an interview..

 

[Keram]

Is this the stage where Sagan equaled Erik Zabel for most days in green? I googled like crazy but cant find this sort of statistic

 

[Jspear]

Re:

Is this the stage where Sagan equaled Erik Zabel for most days in green? I googled like crazy but cant find this sort of statistic

I’m 99% sure Sagan has held the green jersey for 88 days. Today would be the 89th. I have no clue where that puts him up against Zabel.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

Interesting anecdote by Danish commentators. One of them was talking with Linus Gerdemann in 2011, and they talked about the Tour, where the Schlecks ended on the podium. Gerdemann apparently said, that Andy didn't lose because of the last time trial nor because of his shaky descending, but because of Fränk. At the first mountain stage (didn't specify which, Luz Ardiden perhaps?) Andy said under way, that he felt that he had "the best legs he has ever had in his life", but Fränk said "no you don't" and that he better stay put , and so Andy held back, but according to Gerdemann, if he had ignored his brother, he would have destroyed everyone. They also talked about how Fränk was the more doubting and risk-averse of the two, which Bjarne Riis also said in an interview..

Interesting. Maybe it was Plateau De Beille. In the other stage Frank finished in front

 

[wirral]

Re:

why is nobody thinking about collbreli? His win in TdS and even this sunday proved he's very fast in these kind of finishes.

I would be very surprised. Not steep enough, not selective enough, not rainy enough.

It happens in almost all races, tv or not. There are just a lot of riders with no shot at winning any other way, and there's always a chance on a breakaway. It also makes things slightly less stressful for the peloton.

Having a breakaway puts the system into a state of equilibrium until a team or rider decides to destroy that equilibrium. Without a breakaway, the system remains chaotic.

 

[Lequack]

Carlton Kirby said: "There's nothing happening"

 

[cody57]

Hmm... stupid me voted before looking at that last little rise. Won't do the bigger sprinters any favours.

 

[spalco]

Re:

Carlton Kirby said: "There's nothing happening"

Doesn't really seem like maximum pace today either.

 

[sir fly]

Re:

break du jour at ~7min

Speaking about this evening's "friendly"...

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Aren't they bring the break back to quickly?