Tour de France

"Ken Schachnow" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just finished watching the last time trial. Can someone tell me why Lance has won already when
there is another ride tomorrow to the finish?

The last stage is flat. Nobody will allow any of the race leaders to break away from the peloton. A
group of riders can easily squash a single rider break away because of the advantages of drafting.
People low down in the GC might break away trying to get a stage win or sprint points but it will
not affect the top riders.

Also all riders that come in a group, get the same time. So even if Jan were to beat Lance across
the line, they would get the exact same time as long as they are in the same group. With over a
minute lead, it will be impossible for Jan to make that up on this stage.

This is, of course, barring some sort of disaster, like a crash. However in this type of stage, a
crash is extremely unlikely, as long as Lance stays away from any dangerous sprints for points.

The overall and mountain races are over at this point. However, tomorrow still promises to be
exciting because the points completion is still close and there will be lots of opportunities for
that to change.

James

In article <[email hidden]>, "James Goddard"

Quoted message said:

"Ken Schachnow" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just finished watching the last time trial. Can someone tell me why Lance has won already when
there is another ride tomorrow to the finish?

The last stage is flat. Nobody will allow any of the race leaders to break away from the peloton.
A group of riders can easily squash a single rider break away because of the advantages of
drafting. People low down in the GC might break away trying to get a stage win or sprint points
but it will not affect the top riders.

Also all riders that come in a group, get the same time. So even if Jan were to beat Lance across
the line, they would get the exact same time as long as they are in the same group. With over a
minute lead, it will be impossible for Jan to make that up on this stage.

This is, of course, barring some sort of disaster, like a crash. However in this type of stage, a
crash is extremely unlikely, as long as Lance stays away from any dangerous sprints for points.

The overall and mountain races are over at this point. However, tomorrow still promises to be
exciting because the points completion is still close and there will be lots of opportunities for
that to change.

Also, generally, the last day is more of a formality, until they get to the Champs Elysee. If
Lance's lead had only been 30 seconds or less, you'd be seeing them racing out on the roads. Now, if
it's like in year's past, there will be a sip of champagne for the cameras, decorated bikes, etc.
But watch out for the sprinters at the end. The green jersey is still in play.

clm in sf, who was at the first 10 stages and it was AWESOME!!!

--
[email hidden] cathy morgan, san francisco, ca REMOVE x x to email

"Cathy Morgan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Also, generally, the last day is more of a formality, until they get to the Champs Elysee. If
Lance's lead had only been 30 seconds or less, you'd be seeing them racing out on the roads. Now,
if it's like in year's past, there will be a sip of champagne for the cameras, decorated bikes,
etc. But watch out for the sprinters at the end. The green jersey is still in play.

Honestly, I think the time differential would have to be < 15 seconds for Jan to try to make a play
in the final stage. The only time he can hope to gain in this stage is sprint bonus time, and I
don't think 30 seconds would be a real possibility.

James