Just today, two posts. The first post today was on what cycling unfortunately seems to be borrowing from soccer. Below is the second post.
Great comments and tweets from you regarding Fake Magnanimity (I used that title because according to the blogging experts you’re not allowed to use “difficult words”. Blog traffic would indicate you are no ordinary blog readers!) Here are the 5 comments that kept coming back:
Comment 1: There is no reason to wait for Contador
My perspective: I fully agree, there isn’t. This is racing.
Comment 2: The stage 1 crash is not comparable to the dropped chain from last year’s Tour.
My perspective: Of course it isn’t, but if we have to wait until Contador drops his chain before we can judge how others respond, we can wait a long time since he is a professional bike rider. My point was not that the situations were similar, but rather that in both situations, team leaders had a choice. And the choices they made were pretty darn similar.
Comment 3: What else can Andy do?
My perspective: This is not about Andy, every team leader in the front group was given an opportunity to make a decision. And they took a legitimate one, just not the one some of them last year claimed they would take.
Comment 4: What are the team leaders supposed to do, drop out of the front group?
My perspective: This underestimates the power some team leaders have. If Andy or Cadel rides at the front and says “We slow down”, the peloton slows down. They weren’t actually going that fast at the time. And if not, at least he can say he tried (that’s the best actually, appear magnanimous and still take the advantage, see Vino in the 2010 Giro Strade Bianche stage). I’ll say it for the third time to avoid confusion, nobody HAS TO do this, they can.
Comment 5: The team leaders were merely riding in the pack after the crash.
My perspective: This sounds a bit hollow if you send your team mates to the front to speed up said pack.
Anyway, just my opinion, I realize you can look at this in many different ways that are totally legit as well. Thanks for all your comments on the blog page and on twitter, I appreciate it. As always, contact me about anything via the comments below or via @gerardvroomen.
gerard.cc 
July 8, 2011 at 01:02
Gerrard, can you clear something up for me?
In “Chasing Legends” HTC members talk about how terrible it was that other teams ramped up the pace to take the yellow out of GH’s hands. As you mentioned previously, its bike racing…and from my point of view, it seems that those involved are upset because a professional peloton didn’t gift them the Yellow jersey.
I know this is a dated question, however, I would be interested to hear your opinion, given the fact that you are currently discussing the issue of waiting for rivals.
Thanks.
July 8, 2011 at 11:21
Hi Aaron, I don’t really recall the situation exactly. Which stage, which year was this?
July 8, 2011 at 15:33
Sorry!
It was Stage 14 of the 2009 tour.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/tourdefrance/anger-as-hincapie-denied-yellow-jersey–a-hrefhttptourinfostradasportscomaspredirectinfairfax-touraspbmaps-and-resultsba/2009/07/19/1247941810136.html