Originally Posted by JavaMan
Hmm...my first thought regarding the pedal was "User Error", not a malfunction, but I suppose it could have been worn or out of adjustment. It DID malfunction, and it WAS mechanical. According to the original rules posted last year, an adjustment issue that can be resolved by the team mechanic without stopping the bike does qualify for 1 point. So let's give it to him and clarify the rules accordingly:
Mechanical problem resolved while the bike is moving - 1 point
Mechanical problem that stops the bike - 2 points
Flat tire or wheel change - 3 points
Total bike change - 4 points
Standings after stage 2:
Floyd Landis - 3 points (wheel change)
Vyacheslav Ekimov - 3 points (wheel change)
Serhiy Honchar - 3 points (wheel change)
Thor Hushovd - 1 point (cleat unclipped)
Anyone figure out who the unidentified Milram rider was who had a puncture today?
Any way to weight these points? Somehow the teams with the bigger budgets should get more points when things go wrong... they should have better equipment, more mechanics, etc.
Punctures are kind of odd for this. I like that Floyd has 3 points for a punture prior to a start, but a puncture during the ride is kind of chance... seems you should be awarding folks who don't take care of equipment, or do stupid stuff with fit / etc.
Will anyone top Rasmussen from last year? He wracked so many points in that 1 TT he should definitely be tested for illegal substances.