No time bonuses - great for the race

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2008-07-24 10:51 AM

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Master
1517
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Western MA near the VT & NH border on the CT river
Subject: No time bonuses - great for the race

I don't think this has been discussed but IMHO eliminating the time bonuses has made for a more exciting race.  Its keeping the leaders closer and the race that much more exciting.  Cadel could still pull it off in the TT, but not if Sastre had an extra minute or two as a bonus.  It also has a better reference as to how much they really are winning by, not just winning the stages w/ the highest bonus. 

Granted, the guys who are minutes out really don't have a chance to catch up w/o the bonus, but hey, thats what winning the GC s/b all about, being better than everyone else over 21 stages, not just winning a select few.

I also think that this could leave the yellow up for grabs in stage 21, making it more of a race for the GC as opposed to just a victory lap (ala Lemond in '78)

2008-07-24 11:08 AM
in reply to: #1555517

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Master
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Loughborough, England
Subject: RE: No time bonuses - great for the race

I think the time bonuses only really effected the first week of racing.  With bonuses the sprinters tend to share the yellow jersey between them as they are most likely to win stages.  However with no time bonuses it meant that whilst the sprinters could still get stage wins the yellow jersey could go to other people who took a chance by getting into a break.

I don't really think it would have too much effect on the GC contenders because on a mountain finish everyone is going all out anyway so you can't think 'ooh, I better go a little faster to get the time bonus'.  Of course Sastre would have an extra 12 seconds on Evans, which may well be crucial, but I don't think the style of racing has been effected.

As for attacking the yellow jersey on stage 21 there's an unwritten rule that says you don't do that.  Lemond '78 was a little different because it was a TT but in a normal stage nobody attacks the yellow jersey.  Silly, in my opinion, but that's the way it is.

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