Professional Cycling - Team strategy question... from the Giro

Hoping some of you Giro followers can clarify something...

I'm watching the Giro today and the commentator stated that since the team had Popovich in the break Levi could sit back and relax (ride with Menchov and Di Luca).

What is the impact or importance for Levi to have a man in the break? Of course this applies to other teams as well...

EDIT: It may also have been yesterday when I think it was Navarro that was in the break for Astana...

Thanks for your insights!
Mike

I'm not sure if I completely understand the logic for this tactic other than they may have been sending Popo out to challenge the course to see how difficult it really was and report back. Levi has been cracking a bit on the hard climbs in the last couple of days and they might have wanted to know if there was a good place for Levi to attack that suited his abilities. Also, the team may have been giving him a wildcard chance to take a stage win. They may have felt that the course suited his abilities and that he had a chance for a stage win. It was a reasonable assumption considering that he nearly did it. He was hurting bad in the last 3 kilometers then kind of gave up when Sastre past him and he realized he could not take the stage. But had Sastre and Basso not attacked like they did he probably would have taken the stage although in great pain.

I'm not sure if I completely understand the logic for this tactic other than they may have been sending Popo out to challenge the course to see how difficult it really was and report back. Levi has been cracking a bit on the hard climbs in the last couple of days and they might have wanted to know if there was a good place for Levi to attack that suited his abilities. Also, the team may have been giving him a wildcard chance to take a stage win. They may have felt that the course suited his abilities and that he had a chance for a stage win. It was a reasonable assumption considering that he nearly did it. He was hurting bad in the last 3 kilometers then kind of gave up when Sastre past him and he realized he could not take the stage. But had Sastre and Basso not attacked like they did he probably would have taken the stage although in great pain.

All very good points. Especially about reporting back on the conditions, areas of attack.
I also thought that having a man up there in case they needed Popo to drop back at some point to help Levi out could also make sense.

As a general rule if a team has a man up the road in a breakaway his remaining team mates are not pressured to chase the breakaway. If a team that does not have a rider in the break wants to try and win the stage they must set the pace at the front to catch the breakaway.

As a general rule if a team has a man up the road in a breakaway his remaining team mates are not pressured to chase the breakaway. If a team that does not have a rider in the break wants to try and win the stage they must set the pace at the front to catch the breakaway.

Ranking the three points in order of decreasing significance:

1) Able to drop back a breakaway rider to support a leader under duress
2) Not having to chase to shut down the breakaway
3) Recee of the route in advance of the MR group's arrival

I think 3 is of very minor importance. If the stage needed to be recce'd they'd have done it prior to the start of the Giro or they'd drive portions of it the night before.

of ultra-minor importance is having said breakaway rider actually win said stage unless you are
cervelo test team :( ...and make up for it with aplomb the next day :)

When its a hilly day teamleaders will want someone up the road so that when they attack on the last climb they catch their teammate and get a strategic tow for a couple of miles to give them that edge over any chasers. Simple as that - helper sent out hours in advance to play a small but important part at the end of the day.

When its a hilly day teamleaders will want someone up the road so that when they attack on the last climb they catch their teammate and get a strategic tow for a couple of miles to give them that edge over any chasers. Simple as that - helper sent out hours in advance to play a small but important part at the end of the day.

And in the end if their captain doesn't need them, they can go for the stage win. Makes complete sense.

Actually this reminds me of the documentary CSC made, in 2005 I think, when Jens Voigt was crucified by the press for hanging back to help Basso catch Ullrich and at the same time helping Armstrong.

And in the end if their captain doesn't need them, they can go for the stage win. Makes complete sense.

Actually this reminds me of the documentary CSC made, in 2005 I think, when Jens Voigt was crucified by the press for hanging back to help Basso catch Ullrich and at the same time helping Armstrong.

That link and a comment was made in the Road Racing forum's Giro thread. I didn't realize how abruptly Voigt had come to a halt. He practically was trackstanding until Basso caught up.

That link and a comment was made in the Road Racing forum's Giro thread. I didn't realize how abruptly Voigt had come to a halt. He practically was trackstanding until Basso caught up.


That is what makes the Pauwels fiasco so odd ... he was clearly getting mixed signals ... half waiting, half going. If they really wanted him to wait for Sastre (and why would they given the situation on the road?) he should have pulled over and sat down in the flowers for five minutes!


In the end they did nothing but let him sit out in the gap between the winner and the chase. An unglorious second place ....