Re: Re:
However, if the countdown reaches zero the time begins, regardless of whether you do or not. That's why, for example, you had Białoblocki and Kittel having that timing anomaly at the Tour de Pologne a couple of years back (something like 54" between them but they finished together or something silly like that because Kittel had been the minuteman for the Pole) and sometimes a difference between two teams on the road isn't always an exact number of minutes' gap, but Delgado was still penalized for his late start. Otherwise if weather was bad, riders would be waiting for better conditions on the road, and backlogging the start by waiting in the timing gate until the optimal time like ski jumpers.
Or in the simplest of terms, the system is set up so that:
- you can't gain an advantage by starting too early
- you still lose out if you start too late
It's the same as in skiing (both Alpine, Nordic and biathlon). There's a countdown clock and a timing gate, if you leave slightly ahead of your timing point, your time starts the instant that timing gate is broken. In cycling this is probably to do with the transponders as there isn't a physical gate bar that is broken through by the athletes.Sciatic said:
However, if the countdown reaches zero the time begins, regardless of whether you do or not. That's why, for example, you had Białoblocki and Kittel having that timing anomaly at the Tour de Pologne a couple of years back (something like 54" between them but they finished together or something silly like that because Kittel had been the minuteman for the Pole) and sometimes a difference between two teams on the road isn't always an exact number of minutes' gap, but Delgado was still penalized for his late start. Otherwise if weather was bad, riders would be waiting for better conditions on the road, and backlogging the start by waiting in the timing gate until the optimal time like ski jumpers.
Or in the simplest of terms, the system is set up so that:
- you can't gain an advantage by starting too early
- you still lose out if you start too late
...but yes, it's bad. Uphill battle for Pozzo and Bardet, who according to Lavenu will target the GC instead of stages...at least as the primary objective.
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