Originally Posted by
grolby
One possibility is that Dave Z knew that he was not a realistic contender on the stage (which, VN prognostications notwithstanding, he wasn't) and thought it would be better to dial it back and cruise in rather than blow a lot of energy for no good reason.
ETA: and by "possibility," I mean "extremely likely." Even on a course like this, Dave Z would be a good deal better than middle of the pack, just not good enough to really threaten for the win.
Probably true, but i keep waiting to see what Garmin is saving all their energy for. Maybe so they can chase down some more breaks they missed so that they can set up to lose a few more sprints?