I just addressed this very incident in my earlier post. First, it was an aluminum steerer, not a carbon one (not that you said otherwise, but some folks jump to this conclusion). Second, when have we seen this same failure before or since in a race? Third, think about the hundreds and hundreds of other carbon bikes that have gone through those races (see my earlier post about one day classics bikes and how often things are reused). And last but not least, Hincapie had several team mates on the exact same equipment that didn't fail. And again, those cobbles are brutal. Probably worse than any rough conditions one might encounter on tour. And those guys are racing, not touring.