Cycling is a team sport
People that don’t watch or follow professional cycling have a difficult time to understand how cycling can be a team sport. But it really is! Without a good team it is very hard to win a race, even if you are a top cyclist.
The work of your teammates is very important to help the team leader save energy for the final of the race. By giving him food and beverages from the team car. And especially by putting him out of the wind. By flanking him or riding in front of him he has less resistance from the wind, and this energy is pivotal for the team leader in the final of the race.
And that’s not all…
Tactics
Cycling is also very tactical, like today, when Wout Van Aert and his teammate Christophe Laporte came first on top of the Kemmelberg at 52 kilometres from the finish. They decided to make a couples time trial from the race, and went full speed ahead. There was a gap behind them, and the group behind had two other teammates from Jumbo-Visma in it. These two, Olav Kooy and Nathan Vanhooydonck, could temper the pace in the group. And this tactic gave the two in front all opportunity to make the gap bigger and ride to the finish with them two.
A perfect tactical plan, which is of course not possible if you don’t have the legs to do the work, but still, epic to watch!
At the finish, Wout Van Aert decided to let his teammate, Christophe Laporte win, and thank him in this way for all the work he has done for him in the last few years!
Cycling, thé sport of Flanders, is more than just riding hard on a bike! 😉
Sincerely,
Pele23
S