What was that all about?! (T.O.B)

themxperience
themxperience Posts: 27
in Pro race
I just watched the highlights from today (Tues. 6/9)

I caught the last few words of the commentary when it was said that riders at the front of the main bunch were attacking and riders from behind came forward and gave them a telling off.

What was that all about? I dont understand why riders would be discouraged from chasing or forming a 2nd breakaway?

Comments

  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,341
    A break is only allowed to go if the strong teams decide that it can go, and that usually depends on who is in it. Wrong people, no break.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • themxperience
    themxperience Posts: 27
    pblakeney said:

    A break is only allowed to go if the strong teams decide that it can go, and that usually depends on who is in it. Wrong people, no break.

    When you say “if they decide they can go”
    I understand the concept of not letting them ride away and giving chase to shut the attack down.

    But why/how do any riders have the authority to tell other riders to stop chasing?
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,341
    edited September 2022
    themxperience said:

    pblakeney said:

    A break is only allowed to go if the strong teams decide that it can go, and that usually depends on who is in it. Wrong people, no break.

    When you say “if they decide they can go”
    I understand the concept of not letting them ride away and giving chase to shut the attack down.

    But why/how do any riders have the authority to tell other riders to stop chasing?
    "If you go then we will hunt you down and kill the break."

    It's not about authority. It's about letting small teams and/or lesser known riders getting their moments of fame and publicity before the break gets caught at the finish.
    Sometimes the peloton gets it wrong and the break doesn't get caught.

    Best way of looking at is that the peloton are not stopping riders getting into the break, they are allowing certain riders to get in the break.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • themxperience
    themxperience Posts: 27
    Like I said, I understand the concept of “if you go we will hunt you down and kill your break”

    But that’s not what appeared to have happened yesterday.

    The commentator even mentioned that “they were told to behave yourself”

    Almost as if they were t in the mood to push hard so did t want anyone else to push hard either.
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,218
    themxperience said:

    The commentator even mentioned that “they were told to behave yourself”.

    Commentator might've just been paraphrasing/describing the situation.

    You break away, the stronger riders/teams chase you to shut it down and it's the equivalent of "I don't think so matey".

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,655
    I'm pretty sure that riders with unrealistic aims of bridging to a break /forming a second break will be told in fairly unequivocal terms (potentially featuring 4 letter words) that they're wasting their time and pissing everyone else off. Especially given that the riders chasing them down are probably the ones that will be spending most of the day sitting on the front of the peloton, doing the work to control the break.

    "behave yourself" is probably a pretty good paraphrase of whatever might have been said.
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  • flite
    flite Posts: 226
    In races with larger teams, the riders just spread across the front of the peleton to control what goes on. Same idea?
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,655
    flite said:

    In races with larger teams, the riders just spread across the front of the peleton to control what goes on. Same idea?

    Pretty much - blocking just avoids having to chase escaping riders. Lot of people seem to consider it unsporting though.

    As for the politics in the break itself, The Continental podcast from yesterday's stage is excellent.
    https://thebritishcontinental.co.uk/2022/09/06/tour-of-britain-diaries-stage-3-2/
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  • hanshotfirst
    hanshotfirst Posts: 400
    If you get the chance to see the David Millar Time Trial film I think it gets explained quite well there. Literally blocking the road to stop breaks forming and even shouting obscenities when riders get away. Suggested that domestiques don't really want to chase down a break because it is exhausting, especially if it's a multi-stage/multi-week race and they're already knackered. Fair enough it's their job and they do it but it's not fun when they've already got jobs to do for their protected riders.

    So more senior riders telling glory hunters off for forming yet another break they have to chase makes sense to me in that context.

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