Originally Posted by DXchulo
What? How is a guy who was just in a >200km break going to help a teammate less than 1k from the line?
They're not slowing up to help teammates (???) they're slowing up to be fresher than their breakmates, so that IF the break makes it, they can take the win. Obviously there's a contradiction here -- there always is in tactics. It's prisoner's dilemma: if I pull, I lose, but if nobody pulls, I also lose.
4th place in a successful break is better than middle of the peloton, especially when all the teams with sprinters are gunning so hard for you.
Again, it's a team sport. Individual placing, especially for non-stars like the guys in this break, means nothing. They're not out there to feel good about a 4th place in a tour stage; they're there to deliver the win. And if the best they can do is 4th out of the break, then they just wasted an entire stage for their team. The guy who pulls the break in and feels proud of his 4th is, well, not a team player and will probably be looking for a new contract next season. He'd be like a guy in a basketball game who never passes and always shoots, but walks away after his team loses thinking, hey, I just set a new personal record for points per game.
Not to mention that Auge had a chance at yellow if he finished 18 seconds (I think) ahead of Cancellara. You think he'd be upset about 4th place and a yellow jersey?
Vogondy.