Originally Posted by
dpeters11
I almost don't blame them for taking a train, the organizers had some insane rules. A rider getting a 10 minute penalty after walking 6 miles because he had someone handle the bellows at the forge while he fixed his bike was a bit extreme.
While 10 minutes seems like a lot it wasn't. Overall he lost over 3 hours that day. In fact the reasonable complaint for that year is that Phiippe Thys only got a 10 minute penalty for the help he received later in stage 14. He won be 8' 37". The third place rider was over 3 and a half hours back.