No need to resort to name calling. He's got his opinion, you've got yours. I think he was a little too hard on Tyler, but I can see his point.

I think Justin partially hit in on the head. The bottom line was that he dropped out because he just didn't have it this year. Last year he raced through the pain b/c he had the legs and was still going to be a factor in the race. He saw that wasn't going to be the case this year, so why race through the pain? You can be sure that his director wouldn't have suggested he bail if the pain continued if he actually had good legs this year. Yes, you're going to say if his back didn't hurt he would have been stronger. Maybe, maybe not.

I think the point is that whatever pain he was feeling could have subsided and he might have had a shot at a stage win later in the race or could have supported his teammates who dedicated much of their seasons to his support. I think it all comes back to that same 'Pro's dropping when the going gets bad' argument we've had in the past. I'm not sure where I stand on the issue. I can see both sides. I've twice dropped out of races when I just didn't have it and was forced to a walk. At the time it seemed like the right choice, but afterwards I felt bad about it.

Mayo has been complaining about his knee for a week. If he had dropped, I'm sure he would have said his knee hampered his ability in the mountains. The fact is, he just didn't have it either. He obviously mistimed his peak as did Tyler, Heras and many others. How else can you explain so many great climbers being outclimbed by classics specialists, mediocre climbers and the like? You've got to give it to LA, he is obviously the master of timing his peak perfectly for the Tour.