Roman Kreuzinger, Overal Winner Rui Alberto, and Runner-Up Bauke Mollema. Graham Watson photo
Well, I called this one when I published Saturday's article on why Time Trials (TT'S) do not belong in stage races ("Why Time Trials At Stage Races Are A Completely Stupid Idea."). See, not only does Pro Racing have a pharmaceutical problem, they also have an internal organizational, stupidity problem. For a simple explanation of that last statement, read on.
Mathias Frank (Team BMC) began the day with a thirteen-second lead, and ended the day with a 1:43 deficit - All due to a TT. In simple terms, if not for the TT, the final podium would have looked completely different. If the Organizers think this adds "Excitement," then just run a one day, one stage TT race and call it a done. Why all of that wasted time on road stages if a TT is going to decide it all? The Organizers would save a ton of money by simply eliminating the days and days of stages that are not going to amount to a hill of beans, anyway.
Summing it all up, this is just another piece of evidence supporting my claim that TT's do not belong in stage races. Additionally, if you have to switch from a TT bike to a Road Bike (like some competitor's did due to a big climb), then something is very, very wrong with the race and the course.
I hate it when I am right (OK, not really).
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