There's no doubt who the strongest team was today. Hincapie and Eki put on a clinic. But, again, the pace didn't increase after the crash, it simply stayed high just as everyone expected before the stage even started. Everyone was aware of the dangers this stage posed, and everyone knew the pace would increase right before the cobbles. The contender's teams all had the obligation to protect their rider and keep them up front beacuse everyone also knew there'd be no mercy today. Read all the pre-stage interviews of contenders and non-contenders. EE was muscled out by stronger teams, and they paid for it in the end. The crash was unfortunate, but should've been planned for. It sure seemed to me that it took a long time for EE to get back to their man. Liberty, on the other hand, surrounded Heras, and had him right back in the front group after a hard chase. Granted, Roberto didn't crash, but twice now we've seen Liberty immediately respond when he needed them. EE response was certainly not immediate. And, unless I'm mistaken, after the cobbles, USPS, T-Mobile, and Phonak all "shut down" while the sprinter's teams then ramped it up.
Again, I doubt you'll hear any whining from those who lost time. This stage went exactly as predicted. Everyone knew it would happen to somebody. Hell, I figured it would be Tyler or Roberto. No one changed their tactics, nor was anyone obligated to.
Jim Manton /
ERO Sports