ilovebikes said:
wots the point of ever having a break away group? presumably they finished way down the field, and a stage win must be better than getting KOM points? (unless of course the breakaway can hold on)
Sometimes the breakaway riders can hold on after being caught, they are not always dropped.
As for the point of going into a breakaway? Well, several reasons:
1) A stage win is indeed better than KOM points, but there are some riders who just do not have a chance if they stay in the peloton and try attacking late, so their only real hope is to go from a long way out.
2) If you are doing well in the KOM/points standings, then being in a break to sweep up the points can mean moving yourself up/consolidating a lead in those competitions without having to worry about rivals back in the bunch (see Francisco Mancebo featuring in the break early on today, for example).
3) The stage profile (like today's) can increase the likelihood of a break staying away - today's stage gave a better opportunity than a pancake-flat stage, but not as good a chance as a stage that remained rolling until the end.
4) Even on flat stages, sometimes the peloton will just get it wrong, be it through squabbling over who should be doing the work to chase, or complacency or simple misjudgment.
5) It provides television coverage for the teams' sponsors; some teams do not have riders who specialise at anything enough to get them in the headlines, so getting into breakaways is good for getting the sponsors' names some exposure.
6) Sending a rider up the road will often mean that the team of that rider can sit back and let other teams do the chasing, meaning their own remaining riders can stay fresher.
