bluefever wrote:
Phillipp was clearly devastated and angry at the penalty. What she seemed most angry about was not even getting an explanation as to why - I can understand this sucks. She seemed genuinely confused, and without an explanation, how do you know the referee got it right? She said she asked, and they wouldn't tell her. I'm not going to expand any more on what she said, as clearly on here any non US athlete who gets a penalty gets no leeway at all, so there's no point. But she was visibly upset. I'm not German, but I felt terrible for her.
Anyway, loved it, the women's field has improved hugely. It's great to have a US winner (I'm not American), and long may we see races like this one.
So who got blue cards (5 mins)? Philipp (DEU), Clarke (NZ), Norden (SWE), Crowley (AUS), I think, from watching and commentary and some splits checks.
Pleased to see that the American and British contingent (the two nations with most numbers, so randomly one might expect some of them to be 'got') were sufficiently disciplined not to receive a drafting penalty.
There is no doubt that the albeit small trains we saw yesterday are few and far between in normal races. Even in St George the groups split apart pretty quickly, into twos or the odd three for a few miles.
But Sodaro and Moench rode to 90 miles together, with either Moench or Norden leading (Crowley into PT at 34 miles, and of course Norden then PT at Hawi, with Clarke joining her for a 'chat') and Sodaro rode back with Moench hanging on till 90 miles.
Ryf and Haug had Philipp pulling till she got a call to the mile 34 shade. And much later Haug was left on her own (Ryf had accelerated away by then) and she bled time to others even while burning her run matches.
Caveat propinquum secutor, and if your number is M15.