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| *Vultures Knob>>>Cycling |
How come the second placed guy never attacks on the last day of the tour de france? |
even when the lead is tiny, they never bother. why's that? It is primarily tradition. 1989 was the last time they held a time trial on the last day, probably because it affected the outcome. Lemond won by 8 seconds, making up a 50+ second deficit. But in addition to the tradition, it would be extremely difficult for someone to even make up any difference in time and they stand to lose a lot. The stage is flat and the winner of the stage is generally a sprinter. They do race on the last day, but it is only for the stage win. The race does not start until they get into Paris. Take this year as an example. For Cadel Evans to have won (other than by Contador crashing or something) he would have had to win the stage. If he tried, Discovery would have chased him down to preserve their position. Also, most of the sprinter's teams would have chased to that their guy would have a chance to win. In addition, it could have backfired as well and allowed Levi to over take Cadel for second. The short answer is that it is almost impossible, given the type of stage and there is too much to lose. It has been done before, but historically it is frowned upon by the rest of the riders who treat the stage as a sort of parade around downtown Paris. It really shouldn't even be a stage, but instead should finish with the Saturday time trial. because they are all stoned Traditionally, the last day is considered a victory lap for the winner. They only ride in. They don't actually race that day. Because bicycle racing is an honorable sport and everyone adheres to the code of conduct? Sort of like baseball http://www.theonion.com/content/sports... It is really hard for any one in contention for the podium to get in a breakaway after the first week. The last day is even harder because the sprinters are in control. If the second place rider was a great sprinter it might be different but the sprinters usually get weeded out in the mountains. If Eric Zabel and Tom Boonen were close, you would see a super finale. |
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