Originally Posted by
spectastic
I wasn't actually sure what tail gunning means either, until now as it just occurred to me that it probably means drafting behind people. i think i might have confused omniums with stage races - still don't know what the difference really is. the one that i remember doing was based on time. the pack finishes all had the same time, meaning you could finish in 10th or even 20th and still lose less than 5 seconds, meaning the tt made all the difference. it's a stupid system for a 3x stage race imo
So stage races can be scored by time or by 'omnium points'
time is time. Lowest cumulative time to complete all 3 stages wins. TT = X time, and usually in the CRIT and RR, a pack shows 'same time'. Although i've been in stage races where they go down to millisecond and will scored placings by millisecond.... which slightly changes the dynamic of a time based stage race as u said.
Omnium scoring as stated above is points based on placings. lowest cumulative points after 3 stages wins.
tail gunning, the way i define it, is sitting at the back of a large front pack, but still there who will get the same time as the whole group no matter how long or little the line stretches. Tail gunner like a b52 bomber, still attached.
Originally Posted by
grwoolf
Being a strong-ish TT guy, I much prefer the stage race format. The stage races I’ve been in also include time bonuses for at least the first 3 spots in the crit and RR and sometimes other intermediate sprint/KOM time bonuses as well. It resolves the issue of people sprinting for 20th place (mostly). The TT is still really important, but the time bonuses make the tactics very interesting.
im not saying anything is wrong with either setup, but i'll categorize dudes, who probably come from a triathlete background, who show up only to 3 stage races a year looking to upgrade vs dudes who 'race' imho all year around. This is like USAC amateur hour, not peaking for le tour TT and tail gunning packs up cat4 climbs to win GC