Confused by the TDF

[gavgav]

Ok, I risk being ridiculed here, but after watching all 4 of the TDF stages so far I don't understand how Marcel Kittel can win 3 of the 4 stages and still only be in 147th place?! Chris Froome doesn't seem to have done much and yet he is 7th.

Would welcome an explanation if someone knows the answer!

 

[Saluki]

Ok, I risk being ridiculed here, but after watching all 4 of the TDF stages so far I don't understand how Marcel Kittel can win 3 of the 4 stages and still only be in 147th place?! Chris Froome doesn't seem to have done much and yet he is 7th.

Would welcome an explanation if someone knows the answer!

So pleased that someone else is wondering. I thought that it was just me. Maybe it's because he was so far back on Sunday but then if he lost that much time on Sunday, surely he'd still be on Jenkins

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

What User30090 said

 

[gavgav]

I don't get the fact they all get given the same time when finishing in a group either?

 

[the_mikey]

General Classification, position determined by the lowest time spent riding the stages. So even if rider one wins 5 out of 6 stages,and rider two finishes 10 seconds behind the winner on those five stages then on one stage finishes a minute ahead of rider one, rider two becomes the leader.

 

[gavgav]

[QUOTE 3169391, member: 30090"]Because it's not practical to divide times in tenths or even hundredths for individuals when overall you are talking about many hours to finish the ride overall.[/QUOTE]
Fair enough. To be honest it's great viewing whatever the maths, but just seems a bit odd to the layman like me!

 

[laurence]

[QUOTE 3169391, member: 30090"]Because it's not practical to divide times in tenths or even hundredths for individuals when overall you are talking about many hours to finish the ride overall.[/QUOTE]

if there is a split in the group of 1 second or more, then the next group get the time of the first rider after the split... so a large group can get the same time, but a group after a 1 second split will get thst time... which may be 30 seconds or so after the stage winner...

when you see riders sprinting at the back of the bunch, that is to try and avoid these splits... it is considered bad form to allow a split.

it makes sense in many ways as you'd end up with the whole field trying to get across the line at the same time... carnage.

as said - with sprinters they often lose big time on a hilly stage, so Kittell would have lost enough time on stage 2 to lose the yellow and there are no time bonuses for winning a stage (unlike the Giro and Vuelta).

 

[DefBref]

I don't get the fact they all get given the same time when finishing in a group either?

As has been said its not practible and also its a safety thing, you don't want all the riders pushing to gain vital seconds in the peloton at the end, accidents would happen. Give them all the same time and there's no need to push unless you are going for the stage win.

You'll understand the time thing when it hits the mountains and the peloton gets blown apart, with the sprinters finishing way behind the GC boys. Basically the sprinters look for stage wins and intermediate sprints, the GC look for time. So the sprinters win stages where everybody practically finishes togethor and gain no time, while the GC try to breakaway and gain time on mountain stages.

Thats the simplified version, its basically three competitions (points, GC, KOM) going on all at once with different tactics for each.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Kittel's achievements as a sprinter are reflected in his sprint points, his podium kiss count and his free jerseys*, not in the overall times of the general classification. Looking at the current GC positions, he came in with some rather distinguished company 20 minutes late on the stage 2 ''classic'':

147 Marcel Kittel (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano 0:19:50
148 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol
149 Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Trek Factory Racing
150 Romain Feillu (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement
151 Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ.fr
152 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
153 Alexander Porsev (Rus) Team Katusha
154 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Sky




*Though Sagan, playing all-terrain points hoover, is actually wearing the green jersey, not Kittel.

 

[Booyaa]

Simply put it is based on overall time.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I don't get the fact they all get given the same time when finishing in a group either?

can you imagine the tangled bikes and mashed body carnage every day if nearly 200 riders had to fight for each individual position for themself or their team leader. 9 sky riders blocking Contador & vice verca Tinkoff doing a number on Froome.

 

[MikeW-71]

Kittel lost 19 minutes on stage two. The sprinters, for all their outright power, cannot climb as well as most other riders. A flat stage will see them favourite to win, but they can end up dangerously close to the cut-off time in the mountains.

 

[avsd]

My wife was very pleased to read this posted as she asked the exactly same questions as this one Thankfully it seems I gave her the correct answer

 

[helston90]

Baring in mind it's perfectly possible (and has happened) to win the TDF without winning a stage- that one blows the minds of non-cycling fans.

 

[themosquitoking]

My wife was very pleased to read this posted as she asked the exactly same questions as this one Thankfully it seems I gave her the correct answer

Well played, now explain the cycling offside rule to her.