Why didn't Cadel Evans go for the Win?

then they would have let the yellow jersey win my three seconds.

That's the tradition of the race. No attacks on the yellow on the last day. It's basically a cerimonial stage.

However, I was wondering if something would happen since this TdF has been played out in an odd fashion. Especially Contador taking the yellow after Rasmussen's team pulled him. I also felt a bit bad for Levi, how many times was he sitting down the hill unable to attack because Rasmussen and Contador were battling it out up the hill and Levi was in a pack with other GC contenders, thus not wanting to pull Contador's rivals back up to him. Oh well, that's the way the race goes.

This race is such a farce. Maybe even the sport - I don't know, as I haven't historically watched a lot of cycling. I did watch the last 2 stages, though. How can the announcers be saying this is the most exciting final stage in Tour history b/c of the small time gap on the podium, when it doesn't even matter? If there are "no attacks on yellow on the last day", then what does it matter if 2nd is 20 seconds behind or 20 minutes behind?

It seems like an event and sport that could be better for viewers, especially in this year's version. But for it not to be, and have the apathy present in the people who support cycling just doesn't make any sense to me. The time trial, which brought 3 guys within a minute of each other, should have made for a final stage where three guys just beat on each other for 100 miles to gain the seconds necessary to win the whole thing. Instead we got a ceremonial ride through Paris. Makes no sense to me.

distance guy wrote:

..... should have made for a final stage where three guys just beat on each other for 100 miles to gain the seconds necessary to win the whole thing. Instead we got a ceremonial ride through Paris. Makes no sense to me.

This would make sense (3 guys beating on each other) if the teams, Discovery & Predictor/Lotto in particular, were not in the race. But since they were, your post just displays your ignorance of the sport.

Evans could have tried to put time on Contador/Leipheimer, but his chance of success was virtually zero, especially with Discovery such a strong team.

As the final stage has pretty much always been ceremonial, what part of the ceremonial ride this year doesn't make sense?

"what part of the ceremonial ride this year doesn't make sense?"

the time bonuses

It just wouldn't have been possible. The final stage nearly always ends up with a bunch sprint and with discovery + sprinters teams all working to keep it together it would have been absolutely impossible for evans to gain any time. The race simply wouldn't have allowed him too. Riders do attack on the final day going for TV time or stage wins (certainly not a casual steady ride once they hit the champs elysees) but the overall contenders never do because they know that it would be a waste of time.

Gasbag wrote:

distance guy wrote:

..... should have made for a final stage where three guys just beat on each other for 100 miles to gain the seconds necessary to win the whole thing. Instead we got a ceremonial ride through Paris. Makes no sense to me.

This would make sense (3 guys beating on each other) if the teams, Discovery & Predictor/Lotto in particular, were not in the race. But since they were, your post just displays your ignorance of the sport.

Evans could have tried to put time on Contador/Leipheimer, but his chance of success was virtually zero, especially with Discovery such a strong team.

As the final stage has pretty much always been ceremonial, what part of the ceremonial ride this year doesn't make sense?

It's rare for any breakaway to succeed. In the tour, usually the only ones that do are when the riders that breakaway are way down in the standings (not like Cadel Evans).

Also, the pace goes so fast on those last laps in Paris that the peloton will pretty much eat anyone alive who gets out front, no matter who it is. All the sprinters want to win in Paris.

Also Cadel Evans was a marked man. If Evans made the slightest move, the entire Discovey team would have been after him immediately without hesitation.

Evans sent one of his teammates into a breakaway on one of the first laps of the Champs d'Elysees. That was immediately shut down by the sprinter teams. I'm sure that told him all he needed to know.

creds wrote:

"what part of the ceremonial ride this year doesn't make sense?"

the time bonuses

(From the TdF website):

The following bonus seconds are awarded in all straight stages, except individual time-trial stages:

6, 4 and 2 seconds respectively to the first three riders that cross the intermediate sprint lines. There are three intermediate sprints per flatland stage and two for the other straight stages.

20, 12 and 8 seconds respectively to the first three riders of all the straight stages.

So, Evans would have needed to collect some combination of sprint bonus seconds to make up the time difference to Contador. This would be virtually impossible, given the team dynamics.

The final stage is very real in the sense that it is just like all the others, clock is running, points and time bonuses awarded, etc. But the larger nature of this race, and stage racing in general, means that under most circumstances it will be ceremonial with respect to the yellow jersey.

Let me clear up the time bonuses issue in the FINAL stage for you ... There are none ... There are sprinter POINTS awarded toward the green jersey, not time bonuses in the GC (yellow jersey).As it's been said in this thread, it's a ceremonial ride on the last day. They've been battling each other for 3 weeks, and they all know if they haven't won by the next to last day (Saturday), they haven't won. As they rode toward Paris, the Discovery team and the yellow jersey was given the lead as this is also tradition. Once in Paris, riders far back in the GC are allowed to attack and possibly steal the stage win, but no yellow jersey contender would attack. Kind of weird that there is "honor among thieves". They'll cheat by doping, but on the last day, they won't break tradition.

creds wrote:

"what part of the ceremonial ride this year doesn't make sense?"

the time bonuses

Wrong.

Here is proof of the 20 second bonus in the overall:

75. Daniele Bennati (I), LAMPRE-FONDITAL, at 2:38:55 (Stage 19)

75. Daniele Bennati (I), Lampre-Fondital, at 2:38:30 (Stage 20)

Bennati won Stage 20 and received the 20 second bonus. In addition, he was part of the lead group of sprinters who were placed five seconds ahead of the Contador group. So, 25 seconds gained on Contador, as seen above.

Kent; you are incorrect. Remember 2 years ago when Vinokourov slipped past Levi on GC from 6th to 5th on the last day by winning on the Champs Elysee?

Time bonuses are on the line; the sprinters don't care about the time, but they are awarded along with the actual points for placing on the stage.

Usually you don't hear about the time bonuses because they don't have an effect on GC, but in the first few stages of the year, the yellow jersey may change due to bonus seconds acquired either at intermediate sprint points or at the finish.

Evans would have had no chance to move up this year though; Discovery would be too strong to escape, and even so they have faster sprinters to bump him out of the gains.

There used to not be time bonuses after the first week. They changed that rule some years ago.

I stand corrected on the FINAL stage time bonus issue, I took the term "straight" too literally. But, as you say, no GC rider would be allowed to overtake the yellow jersey, and no one would try.

Seems like the only way the Yellow Jersey can enter Paris and not win is if he gets caught up in a wreck and can't finish.

Boy, what would the race have been like if Contador had wiped on the cobblestones, and suddenly the jersey was up for grabs? Think Levi and Cadel would have duked the last few laps out? Or would they have instead let Cadel ride in to victory, since he was now the leader?

Isn't that another of the "honor amongst thieves" thing in the tour? That you can't attack the yellow on a wreck. Like when Lance went down a few years back and the peleton waited for him to catch back up. I guess if Contador wrecked and couldn't ride anymore it might be fair game.

There is no rule (written or unwritten) that you can't race against the yellow jersey in Paris. It's just very difficult to succeed and normally the time differences are too great by the final stage.

The only unwritten rule that seems to exist is that you don't start racing on the last stage until the field reaches the city of Paris, except for the green jersey points. Up until then it's all fun and games.

I think Cadel had planned to attack, but he didn't get a chance. If his teammate had gotten a real gap and lasted a few laps, Cadel would have countered after the catch. But the sprinter teams were too strong yesterday and with a headwind on the uphill stretch and dry roads the conditions were not conducive for breakaways.

If I recall correctly, the green jersey has been decided on the final day in the last few years.

not this again wrote:

There is no rule (written or unwritten) that you can't race against the yellow jersey in Paris. It's just very difficult to succeed and normally the time differences are too great by the final stage.

The only unwritten rule that seems to exist is that you don't start racing on the last stage until the field reaches the city of Paris, except for the green jersey points. Up until then it's all fun and games.

I think Cadel had planned to attack, but he didn't get a chance. If his teammate had gotten a real gap and lasted a few laps, Cadel would have countered after the catch. But the sprinter teams were too strong yesterday and with a headwind on the uphill stretch and dry roads the conditions were not conducive for breakaways.

I think you're right. Cadel was probably on the alert for the opportunity to claw those 23 seconds back (I spotted him near the front of the peloton approaching the first intermediate sprint). The problem was that with Discovery and the sprinters' teams all poised at the front, no such opportunity presented itself. Any jump before the finish line would have been immediately gobbled up, and would have irritated other riders in the peloton, possibly costing Cadel some friends (they can really be an extremely catty bunch!).

That said, I secretly would have loved to have seen Predictor-Lotto show up at the start line in team time trial gear -- wouldn't that have been thrilling, as Discovery would have scrambled to get out their own TT equipment. That was something I had really hoped would happen back in 2003; that big Jan and his Bianchi outfit would show up ready to time trial into Paris, or maybe would do a quick change to TT bikes as Lance sipped his champagne. Wouldn't that be thrilling? Of course, the peloton would probably be so pissed that they would all cooperate to rein in the rebellious team, and, if not, no team can time trial like Discovery.