The Lone Break is DEAD

[tdfChamp]

Does anyone remember when the likes of Thierrie Marie or Claudio Chiapucci who were just a few of the lone break specialists of the 80s and 90s?

Will we ever see this type of racing ever again in the peloton?

My view is that this is something we will very rarely ever see again and this is mainly due to a number of reasons such as race radios, increased tv exposure etc.

Any other thoughts?

 

[hatcher]

Sebastian Lang looked pretty lonely on his break in the Giro.

With the strength and organisation of teams nowadays any lone break is doomed doomed doomed.

 

[Franklin]

Does anyone remember when the likes of Thierrie Marie or Claudio Chiapucci who were just a few of the lone break specialists of the 80s and 90s?

Will we ever see this type of racing ever again in the peloton?

My view is that this is something we will very rarely ever see again and this is mainly due to a number of reasons such as race radios, increased tv exposure etc.

Any other thoughts?

In the Giro Weening, Gatto and the Clerc did fine. So if you mean with "in the peloton", "in the TdF" you might have a case, other wise not so much.

 

[Mambo95]

Wiggins had a crack at it in 2007 (about 200km on his own)

 

[tdfChamp]

Wiggins had a crack at it in 2007 (about 200km on his own)

Hence my point that it now doesnt happen very often...

 

[L'arriviste]

Does anyone remember when the likes of Thierrie Marie or Claudio Chiapucci who were just a few of the lone break specialists of the 80s and 90s?

Will we ever see this type of racing ever again in the peloton?

My view is that this is something we will very rarely ever see again and this is mainly due to a number of reasons such as race radios, increased tv exposure etc.

Any other thoughts?

Yes, I remember those days! Honourable mentions to Eros Poli and of course Jacky Durand too.

I agree with your points. I doubt that we will see the return of these kamikaze breaks because they're only "kamikaze" when they're allowed to become that. Nobody wants to let them go too far now. In race terms, there are sprint trains, team control issues and more folks than ever riding for a GC spot (by no means just the podium) or just a stint in yellow.

Look at the 1990 Tour de France as an extreme example that, while not a solo case, still illustrates the latter point.

The Stage 1a breakaway finished with almost 11 minutes in hand and yellow was exchanged between those very few breakaway riders with Lemond only finally wresting the jersey from a hitherto almost unknown Chiapucci on Stage 20! Could we imagine that sort of thing this year? Of course not! The Tour is just too important to teams and their sponsors. The(ir) message is: leave the freak stuff to chance (Passage du Gois) or in default, to the Giro!

 

[Lanark]

In the Giro Weening, Gatto and the Clerc did fine. So if you mean with "in the peloton", "in the TdF" you might have a case, other wise not so much.

Not every solo win is a lone breakaway. Those were all late stage attacks.

The last one I can remember really well (although I won't claim nobody has done it since) is Zabriskie in the 2004 Vuelta. A 160 kilometer solo, and the peloton surely wasn't standing still. A really amazing feat.

 

[spalco]

Sebastian Lang looked pretty lonely on his break in the Giro.

With the strength and organisation of teams nowadays any lone break is doomed doomed doomed.

I think he said that was an accident though, that he didn't plan or want it that way; he just tried to form a breakaway but nobody followed him and after he looked around and saw he was alone he just said to himself "**** it, I'll do it anyway". I have no idea if OP's examples are similar to that.

 

[Mambo95]

For a lone break to go, only one person has to be interested in going on the break.

Nowadays, you have several teams (mostly French) whose primary ambition in the Tour is getting in the breaks to keep the sponsors happy. As a result, you'll usually get four or five riders from these teams attacking in the first couple of Ks and forming the break. All the other teams find this acceptable so don't bother chasing.

In the days of Marie, there was less TV coverage, so breaks would form later in the race, giving someone like Marie or Pelier a chance to go it alone early.

 

[movingtarget]

The lone break is not dead, just taking a holiday.

 

[R.0.t.O]

Yes, I remember those days! Honourable mentions to Eros Poli and of course Jacky Durand too.

I agree with your points. I doubt that we will see the return of these kamikaze breaks because they're only "kamikaze" when they're allowed to become that. Nobody wants to let them go too far now. In race terms, there are sprint trains, team control issues and more folks than ever riding for a GC spot (by no means just the podium) or just a stint in yellow.

Look at the 1990 Tour de France as an extreme example that, while not a solo case, still illustrates the latter point.

The Stage 1a breakaway finished with almost 11 minutes in hand and yellow was exchanged between those very few breakaway riders with Lemond only finally wresting the jersey from a hitherto almost unknown Chiapucci on Stage 20! Could we imagine that sort of thing this year? Of course not! The Tour is just too important to teams and their sponsors. The(ir) message is: leave the freak stuff to chance (Passage du Gois) or in default, to the Giro!

Well it sort of did happen in last year's Giro, and also in the Tour 2006, where long breakaways put non-favourites in the lead right up until the final days. People will always miscalculate, or every team will try to leave it up to the others until it's too late.

In terms of lone breaks, I'm not sure they're any less likely to succeed than groups of 3 to 6, but there's a lot more competition to be in the breaks these days so it's rare for one rider to be on his own from early. TV coverage is starting earlier and you get a lot of exposure if you have riders in the break, so there won't be many DS's on a stage morning telling their team to just have a rest in the bunch. If you attack on your own but three or four guys from the French teams come over to you then it's not a loan break anymore!

 

[bicing]

Who could forget Floyd Landis' lone 120 kilometre breakaway in the 2006 Tour de France where he won by more than 5 minutes!

I was new to cycling, completely ignorant about clinical racing preparation but I learned something that day.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Does anyone remember when the likes of Thierrie Marie or Claudio Chiapucci who were just a few of the lone break specialists of the 80s and 90s?

Will we ever see this type of racing ever again in the peloton?

My view is that this is something we will very rarely ever see again and this is mainly due to a number of reasons such as race radios, increased tv exposure etc.

Any other thoughts?

soler in tour 2007

 

[Thomsena]

Rasmussen?..

 

[Anonymous]

I think theres another reason.

Pretty much every insane crazy solo break has had a overriding factor in the background, but I cant discuss that here, only in the clinic.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

if there was one rider clean it was thierry marie

 

[craig1985]

TBH you would be an idiot to do 160km on your own in a race, so much smarter to have at least another rider or two with you.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

TBH you would be an idiot to do 160km on your own in a race, so much smarter to have at least another rider or two with you.

that is why we love them.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

the lone break is not dead. it is still out there. it is just more special and rare now.

it is true. times have changed. in all the ways mentioned above. especially at the tour. too many teams need to be in the 'break of the day' because, frankly, they have nothing else going for them.

some great fairly recent examples were listed above. the soler one was awesome.

i think gerdemann had one a couple years ago.

the new recipe for the solo break is to get into a bigger break and then attack off the front of that.

 

[tdfChamp]

if there was one rider clean it was thierry marie

I agree Ryo but to be fair Im not sure testing in those days were as rigorous as these days.

 

[Hairy Wheels]

Joel Pelier 1989...he got it right that day. Made his career. Gerrit Soleveld I believe the next year. Of course Marie as well...

The lone break is dead...radio killed the breakaway star.

 

[Boeing]

long live the lone break

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Every Vuelta, any flat stage in Andalucía. Blazing heat, nobody wants to go out there, but someone like Jesús Rosendo or José Antonio López Gil will show their sponsor.

In last year's Volta a Portugal, Oleg Chuzhda said goodbye to the péloton at km0, attacked his break companions after 30km, went solo, and took advantage of the péloton squabbling to take the win by over a minute.

And of course Emma Pooley in the last ever GP Montréal, who left as soon as they left the neutral zone and nobody saw her again until a minute after she'd won.

How about Haussler in 2009?

Garzelli spent a long time solo over Moncenisio and Sestrières in the 2009 Giro too, going after that GPM. He did the same over Gavia in 2004.

 

[zigmeister]

Another thread fail as a sprinter wins a mountain stage via breakaway.

 

[JRTinMA]

Who could forget Floyd Landis' lone 120 kilometre breakaway in the 2006 Tour de France where he won by more than 5 minutes!

I was new to cycling, completely ignorant about clinical racing preparation but I learned something that day.

One of, if not THE greatest moment in TdF history! It will always be the lone break by which all others are measured for me. As far as your comment on clinical race preparation, yes, a shot of Jack Daniels was something I was unaware of too.