Gallery
Half the Road
Team BMC was prepared, if not hoping for a change of direction that would bring the strong winds across the peloton. As they swung onto the roundabout the whole team hit the front, hard. Speed and organization is part of the equation to split the peloton the other is to use the leeward half of the road, allowing only the team to get the advantage of the slipstream. With strong side winds, each ride rides at a forty five degree angle to the man in front, like a flying vee of a flock of geese. If it is done correctly, the last man in line for the team is on the very edge of the road, thus providing no shelter for the other teams. In this way, huge gaps can open if riders miss the wheel in front and half to push into the wind on their own. Ever vigilant, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) saw the move forming and sprinted up to the line of BMC. He left his team behind, but he wasn't about to let Tejay van Garderen gain any time on this stage either.