Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2023, stage 2: Mataró - Barcelona, 181.8k

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The péloton wasn't as large in older times, because the difference in quality between the best and worst rider in the bunch was bigger. So while there may have been no fewer crashes (although there may have been because people would have more room to pick their own lines), fewer people would typically be involved.
That and the rise of roundabouts and other modern road furniture.
 
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So times are taken at the 9km, but positions at the end. But (if bonuses irrelevant) is it 9km or 0km that Movistar and DSM want to get the first of the 11 men on the same time over to get red?

Or will that be decided later this evening?
 
The péloton wasn't as large in older times, because the difference in quality between the best and worst rider in the bunch was bigger. So while there may have been no fewer crashes (although there may have been because people would have more room to pick their own lines), fewer people would typically be involved.
Interesting.

I ask because the first week of GTs gives me more of a horror movie vibe than a sporting vibe - where the viewing experience is more about dread than excitement.
 
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That and the rise of roundabouts and other modern road furniture.
The reasoning is all teams are fighting with the same data now, before the race data was who remembered what, there was randomness. Primarily though there was hierarchy, you couldn't just race who you wanted, you had to earn the right to battle the big guns otherwise your life was made a misery so there really only ever were a handful out of the bunch actually allowed to race for a win, today everyone can win.
 
Interesting.

I ask because the first week of GTs gives me more of a horror movie vibe than a sporting vibe - where the viewing experience is more about dread than excitement.
It's something where the other problem we have is that everybody still has something to protect. You aren't seeing flat stages like in the 70s or 80s where the flyweights get turfed out the back and the number of contenders is reduced. So you often get a situation where you have every team and their leaders trying to crowd the front of the bunch. The race organisers are still trying to figure out the best way to respond to this trend and we're seeing a variety of different attempts to set an early GC separator that reduces the danger in the bunch by sorting contenders from pretenders, but without having such a significant impact on the GC that it negatively impacts racing later in the race.