Subject: RE: TDF ?'sHey Mike, that was partly tounge-in-cheek. Although that's as good a place as any to get started on some of the basics. Most of your questions are the team dynamics. The first thing to realize as that when the Tour begins there are only a few teams that even expect to have a contender for the overall win (GC ). Others are there to try for some stage wins or go after a jersey (King of the Mountains, Sprinter, etc. ). Teams are generally set up to support the main goal of the team. For example, if they are looking to have a sprinter grab some stage wins, then they will look to have set-up or "lead out" guys who can take massive pulls before the sprinter unleashes over the final meters of the race. For a team with GC contenders, they'll want generally solid riders who can work when needed on flat stages plus some good climbers to help in the mountains. Their job will be to help cover breaks, set tempo, allow their leader to draft and conserve energy, etc. There's a fair amount of tactics and stratgey involved. And sometimes there are "overlapping" duties and competition within the team (e.g., see Astana this year ). When you start to understand some of those things, it makes watching the Tour more interesting. That really barely scratches the surface, but might give you an idea of what to dig into more. |