Originally Posted by bbattle
I think it's better to have one GC man so the team all works together for one rider instead of splitting the team as happened in '86 with Hinault/Lemond. Having Ullrich, Kloden, and Vinokourov on the same team didn't help them; they all sat around waiting for each other to go.
Not having a definite GC rider didn't help Disco last year; when nobody seemed to do well in the Pyrenees the team just drifted.
Yea it really hurt La Vie Claire. They only finished 1st, 2nd and 4th.
Good strategy in any sport consists of using your resources well. Part of that consists of realizing just what your resources are. Trying to support a rider who does not have what it takes to win is throwing away resources. It is not all that common to have two or more riders that have a chance to win. Teams that have had two talented riders who really can co-operate have usually done quite well. It is just that this is rare.
BTW it really is not all that hard to support two riders in a major tour. It is not like the team is doing different things. 90%+ of the time the mechanics are the same as supporting one man. Supporting one man usually means keeping his leutenant up front with him until near the end. No differnet doing that than keeping two men who are contenders up front.