I've seen there are a lot of threads in the cycling forum, many of them just to ask a simple question. So I thought it could be a good idea to just have one thread for these simple questions. And, by the way, I do have one:
Sometimes people talk about a tactic consisting in sending a GC rider's team mate ahead in a breakaway in order not to work chasing the group during the day and, if the teammate is good enough, perhaps to help his leader during the last mountain (like Voight helped Schleck at the Col de la Madelaine this year). However, most of the time the helper who is sent ahead is barely able to help his teammate because he is already cracked when the others catch him. That being said, do you guys think that tactic is worth the deal, considering the fact that as far as I can recall, it doesn't work but very very few times?
Disclaimer: The above post reflects just the personal opinion of the author and not a fact. But if you read it, you must accept it as the ultimate truth.
Saxo (for example) putting Voigt in a breakaway means that they don't have to chase (why bother putting him in the break?) and that what energy he does have goes into the good of the leader when he is caught (as Schleck was the only Saxo rider up there, if the peloton was still there then maybe not so much)
It would have been a good tactic if Voigt had been able to keep going until the top of the mountain.
Let's say that Schleck dropped Contador and caught Voigt on the downhill - he'd then be able to help during the downhill / flat section towards the finish (like Contador/Schleck vs. Sanchez).
