stella-azzurra wrote:Well, the tour is not designed for the guy that specializes only in one discipline. It's designed for the strongest person in the bunch and that turns out to be the one that can do well in all of the disciplines and win in what they specialize in. That is why there are only 3 or 4 favorites to win it in the end. Ofcourse, a strong team helps quite a bit too.
The great thing, of course, is that if there is no TTT a guy who specialises in one discpline - climbing - can win against all odds. It doesn't happen often but once every 20 years a climber defies the odds and takes yellow. With a team time trial that never happens - you give the climber 2 minutes to catch before he even gets to the climbs. It's so unfair. Why should a climber suffer more just because another team has five guys over 6 feet tall in their team?
So anyway, I am happy with this year's Tour. The Tour is a team race, sure, but it shouldn't be decided by teams, it should be down to the bravery of one individual - whether that's a great time trial, an attack on a long stage, or a breakaway in the mountains. I don't want to see the winner emerge because he sat behind Zabriskie and Cancellara for 50 miles getting sucked along.
