Mad Hatter wrote:
As someone who just started watching the tour in earnest, I didn't understand why Lance didn't at least try and be 5-7 minutes back. He just coasted rather then try and make up time. The announcers on Versus said "at this level, whether you're 2 minutes or 10 minutes back, it doesn't really matter... your tour is over". Certainly someone of Lance's pedigree would have SOME shot of getting a podium spot of he could have narrowed the time to 5 or 7 minutes, right? AS and AC look pretty unbelievable, but after those 2, wouldn't LA still have been "in it"?
You're right. Many of his tour wins have been by several minutes, and he could have put more into his opponents those years if he had wanted. But the reality is that he just gave up. I think he still could have finished 3rd with some great climbing.
Why did he give up?
Two possibilities. One is that the Landis claims seem to be damaging. Maybe Armstrong is trying to keep a low profile.
The other, to be more optimistic, is that GC placings aren't the most important thing, especially as you move off the podium. Stage wins can be more impressive, more visible, than a fourth place finish. And his competitors will be more likely to let him get away from the pack if he's not a threat (losing by 10 minutes instead of 2 minutes). And if you think you have no chance at the GC, why not conserve energy for another day? He can also be a super domestique for Levi, a podium for Levi would be great! Or honestly, as long as Levi is a serious threat it's still good publicity for the sponsor.