TdF stage 3

Here’s the 3km rule to
Here’s the 3km rule to Wiggins, from Cycling Weekly:

[quote] Bradley Wiggins rolled over the finish line at least one minute behind winner Peter Sagan in Boulogne-sur-Mer today.

Gaps had opened up in front of him and had it been a straight forward run in to the line he would have lost a good amount of time to the likes of Cadel Evans and Vincenzo Nibali who finished in the top ten on the stage, just behind Sagan.

So why did Wiggins cruise the last 400 metres, looking calm and relaxed?

Because Wiggins knows of UCI rule 2.6.026. This states that ‘In the case of a duly noted fall, puncture or mechanical incident in the last three kilometres of a road race stage, the rider or riders involved shall be credited with the time of the rider or riders in whose company they were riding at the moment of the accident. His or their placing shall be determined by the order in which he or they actually cross the finishing line.’

Wiggins was caught up (actually by one of his own team mates) when riders swerved to avoid the crash on the final climb at about 300m to go. He had to stop, put his foot down and get going again.

Wiggins rode in to the finish line slowly, conserving energy, as he knew he was safe, even though he didn’t crash.

He came over the line in 53rd place and was given a time difference of one second to Peter Sagan, the same as his team mate Edvald Boasson Hagen, who finished second.

dave_atkinson wrote:ah,

dave_atkinson wrote:

ah, Bernadeau and Morkov in the break, eh? *rubs hands*

got EBH, Sagan and Gerrans for the run in too. Hoping for a good day…

Not bad for a beginner 😉

I had Morkov, Grivko, Sagan, EBH plus Chavanel for GC points. (Pity the latter didn’t win though. I would have got over 200 for the first time then.)

Thank God for Bernaudeau and
Thank God for Bernaudeau and Morkov. Morkov 48 points today, Sagan 51!

Re the finishing times given
Re the finishing times given – bear in mind that fall, puncture or mech inside last 3km will get you same time as the riders you were with at the time.

Obviously there’s a lag between the rider crossing the line in some cases minutes later, with their time in the provisional results recorded via their timing chip, and the time being manually adjusted afterwards.

That in itself doesn’t apply if rider doesn’t finish stage, in which case he is given last place on stage but time of riders he was with (happened to Phinney on Giro I think on the day Ferrari caused chaos.)

So organisers have to wait till a rider actually crosses the line before adjusting time/position, hence delay.

Nice day 154, Putting Morkov
Nice day 154, Putting Morkov in saved me, Had Sagan and EBH too + Gallopin finally got some points :O