Lonnie Utah said:
Here's another question. How much does "pulling" really help when going 10-12mph uphill? I can see it for pacing but in my mind there isn't that much aero advantage...
We also didn't see what happened when the break was still on the flats. The left at 27 km. What did OLN show the last 3-4 climbs....
I just don't think we know the whole story, and won't unless we were in original break with the 14 riders that rode off the front.
I'm just trying to keep this objective...
There were very few flats roads yesterday. When the roads were flat, George was under orders not to chase. When the break reached the top of the penultimate climb, it was then that G was given free rein to ride his own race. Drafting and pulling makes almost no difference going up 9-10% gradients. Pereiro is a sore loser.
And yes, it was scary and hair-raising watching the two try to get through the crowds. The crowds were the worst I've ever seen in terms of blocking the road. Cadel Evans complained that he had to slow down so much he probably lost good time he could have jumped over GC rivals it was so bad.
There was absolutely no way for George to come around Pereiro because of the crowds until the barriers. In the last 1-2 km. Then it was too late. But Pereiro didnt exactly motion for George to come through. When the two of them spoke together after dropping Cauchiolli, you could see they were both riding harder and faster so I think George did agree to go with the move and they could both sort it out. They did and OP lost. Boogerd was nowhere near them and Pereiro was told that I'm sure by his team car. He should shut up and stop whining.
Here is what Chris Carmichael says:
While there’s a tactical advantage for the team to having a rider in the breakaway on a mountain stage, the rider in the break also gains a tactical advantage. With his team leader in the yellow jersey, George was under no obligation to work with the breakaway. He could sit on the back instead of rotating through and pulling on the front. Yet, on a day like today, that didn’t matter all that much. On steep climbs and fast descents, there is only a slight difference in workload between the men working and the men sitting on.
George had to work for the stage win today. On the climbs, drafting isn’t really effective for saving energy; the speed is too low. On steep descents, the speed is so high and the corners are so technical that all riders in the group are doing roughly the same amount of work. George only received any real advantage in the five to ten-kilometer transitions through the valleys between the climbs.
