radripperaj

Im pretty sure the big difference is the attack wasnt started until after Froome had his mechanical. However, when it came to Dan Martin the attacks had already begun down the mountain before he fell.

noodle soup

+1

It was the same way back when the Texan was dominating the sport, and I suspect it will end similarly.

Marcus_Ti

I can get some degree of national pride...But I don't get how these guys all fail to notice they're talking about people who aren't even racing. At least they stopped talking about Cav having Mono now...

DLBroox

I think there's a major difference between going downhill reacting to attacks and being in the thick of it and launching an attack when you're all chugging up a hill and a guy raises his hand for a mechanical.

Launching, to me, is the operative word.

asindc

This.

bbbean 

Le Tour is not a one day classic, and these pros aren't racing just for 1 season.

Flip Flop Rider

Some riders seem to get more respect than others and Froome definitely makes the list

Sky seems to be the strongest in every stage, and I suspect Froome wins again

As far as the unwritten rules and nuances of the tour, I think you have to be European to understand it fully

Shadco 

.

I grew up on Rik van Looy, and Roger de Vlaeminck. I think I get the nuance. I don't think Froomy would enjoy going up against them or the cannibal.

30 seconds of holding up would have let them know Martin was up and racing.

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OBoile

Yep. Some people here just dislike Froome enough that they won't let themselves understand the difference.

MKahrl

A take no prisoners approach does not work as well in bicycle stage racing. A one-day or a stage race involves a great deal of cooperation between members of rival teams both in the peloton and in small breakaway groups that is not found in other team sports. Short term alliances are made that sometimes last minutes or hours with understood terminations.

Many of these unwritten rules are there to make life more livable and safer like not attacking while in the feed zone or during natural breaks. Because these guys race shoulder to shoulder all season long someone who violated these rules in the past found their lives made more difficult in future races when they needed lunch or were suffering gastro-intestinal distress.

Marcus_Ti

And that is honestly why bicycle stage racing is so boring and has a problem getting and keeping sponsors...and also why everything that happens before the last 30km of a 200+km day is nearly irrelevant. May as well not even bother riding the first 170km, because no one actually races.

HardyWeinberg

So maybe Aru made amends by having Fuglsang and himself tow Froome to the finish line to deliver him a 4 second bonus?

DLBroox

I guess that's why millions of people watch it.

Here comes the Tour de France, the world's greatest bike race - Business Insider

BPCycler

This is my first year watching it. I DVR it and watch at night. I'll fast forward to about the 2/3's point and watch from there. Just can't invest 5 hours a day, 30 hours a week on a race. I do enjoy it just don't have those kinds of hours to devote to it.

HardyWeinberg

Scenery today is spectacular, I paused the recording when I had to leave to go to work this morning, will pick it up tonight if there's nothing better on. (and there probably won't be)

MKahrl

There is plenty of racing going on before the last 30km of the race if you are paying attention. Who is in the breakaway from what teams, who will pull and who won't, who in breakaway can sprint and who would do well to breakaway from the breakaway. For the peloton, what teams must expend effort to pull the breakaway in and why. And there is always the possibility the peloton misjudges and fails to catch the breakaway.

I can understand your point of view. I know nothing about basketball and therefore only watch the last ten minutes of a game. Before that it's just one team has the ball then the other team does.

The business model of bike racing and how sponsors value the return on their investment is completely different from nother sports and would probably make an interesting discussion in its own thread.

hokiefyd 

I think this is true of many "marathon" situations, though. Despite having some "sprint" sections throughout, this type of race is more of a marathon than it is a sprint. Because of the distance involved, the human body can't physically or mentally RACE the entire time. You have to moderate your energy and not use up all your stuff early on.

It's as much about mental energy as it is physical energy. That's why a race over such a distance like this is a test of all aspects of a cyclist. You have to have the legs. You have to have the equipment. And you have to have the mental mettle to be able to ration and manage your energy to survive the whole stage (and maybe even come across the line first). Multiply that by, how many stages are there...21? An incredible test of physical and mental stamina.

Racing isn't about speed. Racing is about finishing first. They're different.

whitemax

Aren't they paid to get from point A to point B first? Think the sponsors care about a rival having a mechanical?

DLBroox

That's an oversimplification of the sport. There is so much going on other than the GC race.

And sponsors like when their guys are out front in a break even if we all know the break will get caught. They also like when a guy attacks off the front when he doesn't actually have a chance in hell on a mountain stage. The sponsor's name gets called every time a rider's name gets called. They are billboards.

But oh how I love it when a guy is in the break and then goes for it and actually wins the stage!

whitemax

Perhaps, but at the end of the day, it's the guy that wins. Aru is a close contender and if he were to win, it would be his name to go in the history books without nary a mention of what his ethics were.

True about the sponsors being billboards but they too would like to have the winner to represent their brand.

I too love it when a breakaway guy is able to thwart the peloton and win. No spoiler here but todays stage was awesome.

dstrong 

Not sure Lance would agree!

whitemax

Doping is quite a different offense wouldn't you agree?

dstrong 

Isn't cheating a question of ethics?

whitemax

No doubt but Armstrong was stripped of his wins for doping, not for attacking during mechanicals, crashes, feed zones etc. Who cares what he would think anyway?