TdF 2017 stage 7: Troyes > Nuits-Saint-Georges 213.5 km

No we're grand in the individual stage threads, it's just the general TdF one we can't post spoilers in.

Djoucer

Is there any reason why breakaways don't seem to stick?

Perhaps it is rose tinted glasses but I seem to recall far more successful breakaways in years gone by with occasional solo efforts in final 2km or so.

oflahero

Djoucer wrote: »

Is there any reason why breakaways don't seem to stick?

Race radio

Darkglasses

Would be very interested to see stats on whether breakaways were more successful prior to race radio.

Most recent success that comes to mind was De Gendt in the Dauphine.

We saw the break stick a few times in the Giro too.

Leroy42

Darkglasses wrote: »

Would be very interested to see stats on whether breakaways were more successful prior to race radio.

Wouldn't just be down to race radio though I would have tunk.

Teams are probably better set up nowadays. Lead out trains etc.

Look at Sky for example. 1 team built entirely around one mans focus. Same with that American dude that never actually won it.

Also I bet the planning and course knowledge is far better now, google maps, strava etc, allowing the teams to know exactly what should he happening at any one point.

Brian?

oflahero wrote: »

Race radio

Nope. Breakaways very rarely ever made it in the first week of the Tour.

I know there were some notable exceptions. But they were exactly that, exceptions.

Every year people complain about the lack of action in the first week of the tour, as if it doesn't happen nearly every year. The only exceptions I can remember were when the cobbles of northern France were included.

Brian?

Darkglasses wrote: »

Would be very interested to see stats on whether breakaways were more successful prior to race radio.

I'll give you my anecdotal evidence. It was my job as a child to record the last 20km of every stage on video. So my Da could watch it when he got up, he worked nights. I can tell you about 99% of the time a break away doesn't make it in the first week of the Tour. In the second week it gets more interesting.

death1234567

I never understand why people complain when obvious sprint stages in grand tours are boring. They always have been and always will be. Just tune in for the last 10km, that's all that's interesting. There's a reason the vuelta doesn't really do sprint stages.

G1032

How on earth have they picked Kittel as the winner here. Looks a dead heat to me.

Lumen

death1234567 wrote: »

I never understand why people complain when obvious sprint stages in grand tours are boring. They always have been and always will be. Just tune in for the last 10km, that's all that's interesting. There's a reason the vuelta doesn't really do sprint stages.

I don't even agree that they're boring. Nothing happening is not boring unless you expect something to happen. Boring implies unmet expectations of action.

dastardly00

G1032 wrote: »

How on earth have they picked Kittel as the winner here. Looks a dead heat to me.

Seemingly Kittel won by 0.0003 seconds!

07Lapierre

G1032 wrote: »

How on earth have they picked Kittel as the winner here. Looks a dead heat to me.

Kittels front tyre was new... still had tread on it!

equivariant

dastardly00 wrote: »

Seemingly Kittel won by 0.0003 seconds!

About 6mm (at 70 kph). After 200km to lose by 6mm must be frustrating

buffalo

G1032 wrote: »

How on earth have they picked Kittel as the winner here. Looks a dead heat to me.

You can see the red line for Kittel and EBH is much thicker than the one for Matthews - that implies there's a difference! Presumably on an original of the photo you can pick out whose wheel is further forward.

Darkglasses

This is all that comes to mind today for me tbh.

Leroy42 wrote: »

Wouldn't just be down to race radio though I would have tunk.

Teams are probably better set up nowadays. Lead out trains etc.

Look at Sky for example. 1 team built entirely around one mans focus. Same with that American dude that never actually won it.

Also I bet the planning and course knowledge is far better now, google maps, strava etc, allowing the teams to know exactly what should he happening at any one point.

Agree totally with all of the above.

velo.2010

Apparently, the photo finish camera is shooting at 10,000 frame per second. Kittel won by .0003 seconds, so then Kittel's wheel appears in the first 3 frames and EBH's wheel does not.

On first glance EBH does appear to be first to hit the line. However, the finish line is several cms thick and is really only a guide. The photo finish camera may have been set up at the back of that line and so picked up the faster finish of Kittel.