No change after yesterdays stage. Lance still leading by 1 min 7 secs.
After coming off the Pyrenees, and on to the flatlands, it was expected to be a sprinters day. The big strong boys who hide in the bunch and come out in the final 200 metres and power to the line in a mass, high speed, finish. Not my scene.
However we had another lone rider making a long lone ride to Tour glory. Not quite in the Hamilton league (95 miles out on his own). This guy spent about 12 miles out front and crossed the line some 17 seconds ahead of a group of ten chasers. The main bunch with Lance aboard came in some 8 minutes back.
The winner was Servais Knaven. To put it into context, in the overall classification, Knaven is over 3 hours 29 minutes behind Armstrong. Which is why the big boys do not worry when a group of lesser rides make a run for glory.
As to why a large buch of riders can move faster than a lone rider is quite simply that a lone rider has push the air in front of him on his own. Whereas in a bunch there will be one on the front for about 200/300 metres, then another guy will take over, then another and so on. Even with just 2 riders the guy behind, although riding as fast as the guy on the front, will use 30% less energy than the front man. This is why 'drafting', as you guys call it, is not allowed in time trials and triathlons.
To see a large bunch of over 100 riders moving at speed, with one guy on the front with the others forming an arrowhead behind him spread across the road, from the air, is quite a sight. They really can move.
Hopefully that answers the question
