TdF.....final day.....is there an etiquette ?

[vickster]

17,000 posts over 10 years on here and you don't know this stuff ?
What have you been discussing ?

To be fair, he mostly asks questions like this here rather than bothering Mr Google hence the post count

 

[Mike_P]

Just hope that today isn't the day Ineos do their "unexpected" and block the road while Carapaz gains a huge lead just to make his even less popular

 

[Dogtrousers]

Just hope that today isn't the day Ineos do their "unexpected" and block the road while Carapaz gains a huge lead just to make his even less popular

Movistar will unleash their secret anti-Carapaz weapon, a roadblock busting flying wedge.

 

[Smokin Joe]

There's an interesting GCN video (yes really, I did type that!) on the subject here.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv_01k9S7rY


To sum up the video's conclusions: The reason for the tradition of not attacking the yellow jersey is that there was a period 1987-2003 when the yellow jersey leader was so far ahead on stage 21 that no attack was possible. So nobody tried and riders started messing around and the "tradition" was born. BUT if the yellow jersey gap happened to be very small when we got to stage 21 would the "gentlemen's agreement" still apply? Who knows.

Really stage 21 is just like most sprint stages. It's hard/impossible to make any difference to the GC standings on a flat stage (unless there are crosswinds) so nobody tries. The sprinters' teams keep any breakaways in check (most of the time) to ensure a bunch sprint finish. On stage 21 there's the added disincentive that the GC gaps are usually big enough to make attacks even more futile.

The only difference is the champagne and photo ops on stage 21, where on a normal sprint stage the GC riders are just rolling along protected by the peloton. (Until Geraint Thomas falls off that is)

Summed up perfectly.

 

[Dave7]

To be fair, he mostly asks questions like this here rather than bothering Mr Google hence the post count

Hang about......I am not responsible for ALL 17000 .
I did use Mr Google but I find the experts on here can address specific points far better.

 

[Milzy]

Good luck to……

Jasper Philipsen
Wout Van Aert
Cees Bol
Mads Pedersen
Michael Morkov
Mike Teunissen
Christophe Laporte
Andre Greipel
Ivan Cortina
Jasper Stuyven.

 

[Aravis]

There's an interesting GCN video (yes really, I did type that!) on the subject here.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv_01k9S7rY


To sum up the video's conclusions: The reason for the tradition of not attacking the yellow jersey is that there was a period 1987-2003 when the yellow jersey leader was so far ahead on stage 21 that no attack was possible. So nobody tried and riders started messing around and the "tradition" was born. BUT if the yellow jersey gap happened to be very small when we got to stage 21 would the "gentlemen's agreement" still apply? Who knows.

Really stage 21 is just like most sprint stages. It's hard/impossible to make any difference to the GC standings on a flat stage (unless there are crosswinds) so nobody tries. The sprinters' teams keep any breakaways in check (most of the time) to ensure a bunch sprint finish. On stage 21 there's the added disincentive that the GC gaps are usually big enough to make attacks even more futile.

The only difference is the champagne and photo ops on stage 21, where on a normal sprint stage the GC riders are just rolling along protected by the peloton. (Until Geraint Thomas falls off that is)

I fear that GCN videos may be my guilty pleasure.

It's interesting that the guy focused heavily on 1987. I remember that Stephen Roche held yellow and green coming into the last day, and was very disappointed when he appeared to give up the green without a fight, but the trade with Jean-Paul van Poppel's team makes complete sense when pointed out.

What I do remember, somewhat at variance with the video, is that Delgado made a showy attempt to get away but was quickly pulled back by Roche's team. It looked as though Delgado felt he would have been disrespecting the race had he not been seen to try - pretty much the diametric opposite of today's supposed tradition.

Over the years I haven't always watched the Tour with the same attention. I have a feeling that the last day "tradition" may have become cemented as an unwritten law during the Armstrong years, because that's how he wanted it, and he controlled most things.

I'm looking forward to the day when Wout van Aert will wins the Tour on the final stage with a time bonus. Maybe nicking third by a couple of millimetres.