What’s up with the results of this criterium? I should call Joseph and ask him. I’m not sure I can remember a race where so few guys finish. Maybe there was a huge split in the field and they all got lapped? Or the course is just super hard and people were getting shelled? I have never done the race so I don’t know it. Strange.

Full Results
Men – Pro/Cat 1 Result
1 Hilton Clarke (United Healthcare) 1:25:14
2 Carlos Alzate (Team Exergy)
3 Michael Weicht
4 Luke Keough (Team SmartStop/MK)
5 Rafael Meran (CRCA/Foundation)
6 Conor Mullervy (Team Exergy)
7 Jean-Michel Lechance (Rosetti Devo)
8 Euris Vidal (CRCA/Foundation)
9 David Santos (CashCall Mortgage)
10 Erik Slack
11 Diego Yepez (Full Circle Cycling)
12 Christian Helmig (ELBOWZ RACING)
13 Derek Wilkerson (Bomb Hair)
14 Ryan Sullivan (United Healthcare of Georgia/7)
15 Gavriel Epstein (Champion System)
16 Devan Dunn (CashCall Mortgage)
17 Tim Root (Team Sandals Resorts)
18 Daniel Bechtold (Hagens Berman Cycling)
19 Ty Magner (BMC-Hincapie Development Team)
20 Clay Murfet (Team SmartStop/MK)
21 Jim Stemper (Kenda Pro Cycling)
22 Ben Chaddock (Team Exergy)
23 Emile Abraham (Rosetti Devo)
24 Colt Peterson (Get Crackin’ – MS Society)
25 Stefano Barberi (CashCall Mortgage)
26 Yannick Eckmann (California Giant/Specialized)
27 Matthew Brandt (Gateway Harley-Davidson)
28 Rory Sutherland (United Healthcare)
29 Taylor Bertrand-Barrett (Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling)
30 Oscar Clark (United Healthcare of Georgia)
DNS Ricky Gargiulo (Champion System)
DNS Jared Barrilleaux (California Giant/Specialized)
DNS Austin Arguello (Team Oregon p/b Laurelwood Bre)
DNS Tanner Putt (BMC-Hincapie Development Team)
DNF Fernando Antogna (Jamis Sutter Home)
DNF Andrew Bosco (Socalcycling.com)
DNF Stephen Bedford (Team Oregon p/b Laurelwood Bre)
DNF Justin Williams (CashCall Mortgage)
DNF Branden Russell (Team Type 1)
DNF Heath Blackgrove (ELBOWZ RACING)
DNF Kevin Mullervy (Team Exergy)
DNF Lee Muse (CashCall Mortgage)
DNF Logan Loader (Team Exergy)
DNF Evan Hepner (Cascade Bicycle Studio)
DNF John Salskov (Team Green Solar)
DNF Benjamin Swedberg (California Giant/Specialized)
DNF Eric Marcotte (ELBOWZ RACING)
DNF Chris Stastny (California Giant/Specialized)
DNF Joseph Schmalz (ELBOWZ RACING)
DNF Joe Baratto (Bikesale.com)
DNF Mat Stephens (ELBOWZ RACING)
DNF Jon Parrish (Bicycle Haus Elite)
DNF Sean Sullivan (ELBOWZ RACING)
DNF Jonathan Clarke (United Healthcare)
DNF Patrick Caro (Full Circle Cycling)
DNF Quinn Keogh (Team Exergy)
DNF Austin Carroll (Full Circle Cycling)
DNF Ricky Escuela (Full Circle Cycling)
DNF Julio Mollinedo (Full Circle Cycling)
DNF Christian Varley (Full Circle Cycling)
DNF Martin Acosta (Simply Mac Racing)
DNF Eric Losak (Team Clif Bar)
DNF Neil Bezdek (Team SmartStop/MK)
DNF Mark Shimahara (Team Clif Bar)
DNF Adam Myerson (Team SmartStop/MK)
DNF Miles Lamon (Team Clif Bar)
DNF Shane Kline (Team SmartStop/MK)
DNF Diego Garavito (Rosetti Devo)
DNF Thomas Brown (Team SmartStop/MK)
DNF Jd Bergmann (Team Clif Bar)
DNF Adam Alexander (CRCA/Foundation)
DNF Isaiah Newkirk (Gateway Harley-Davidson)
DNF Isaac Howe (Kenda Pro Cycling)
DNF William Zellmer (Gateway Harley-Davidson)
DNF Peter Van Dyk (Jamis Sutter Home)
DNF Jared Gilyard (Bicycle Haus Elite)
DNF Dylan Jones (Volkswagen Boise)
DNF Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis Sutter Home)
DNF Shawn Mitchell (Volkswagen Boise)
DNF Anibal Barrajo (Jamis Sutter Home)
DNF Michael Jasinski (Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling)
DNF Andrew Martin (bikesale.com)
DNF Sterling Magnell (Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling)
DNF Sam Bassetti (California Giant/Specialized)
DNF Colin Jaskiewicz (champion System)
DNF Robin Eckmann (California Giant/Specialized)
DNF Ariel Pena-Mendez (champion System)
DNF Paul Woruz (Bob’s Bikes)
DNF Max Jenkins (Competitive Cyclist)
DNF Spencer Gaddy (United HealthCare/ 706 project)
DNF Alex Bremer (CRCA/Foundation)
DNF Alexey Shmidt (Team Type 1)
DNF Daniel Chabanov (CRCA/Foundation)
DNF Andrew Joseph Smith (Depaula Racing)
DNF Luis Amaran (Jamis Sutter Home)
DNF Ryan Wills (Team Hotel San Jose/BONESHAKER)

I have been watching the Tour everyday and still can’t believe how often, nearly always, a break of 4 or 5 guys ride in double echelon instead of single. Can anyone come up with an answer for why they do that? I have two answers –

1. They ride in double echelon because they want everyone to do nearly the same amount of work, so they are willing to sacrifice extra energy and time by riding in a square.

2. Most the guys never ride in a break and they don’t have any idea how they should ride to use the least amount of energy and ride the fastest.

I can’t think of any other answers. Anyone? Yesterday, I can’t believe after Luis Leon attacked Gilbert, Sagan and Co. that the remaining four kept rotating in a square, double echelon. So, 2 out of 4 riders were in the wind at all times. So, in theory, they were going just as fast as if two guys were chasing, and they were riding single echelon, obviously. I wonder if we’ll eventually see a 3 man break riding in double echelon. That’s the only thing I can think of more stupid than 4 guys riding it. Then, each rider could be in the wind 66.6% of the time and sitting in the draft only 33.3%.

Not even in a 9 rider TTT, do we see team ride double echelon. There is a different reason for this, mainly allowing different riders to sit at the front, in the wind, for longer periods of time and at different speeds, but it is still an example of why people ride single echelon to go fast. A 9 man double echelon would work fine normally in a break when everyone isn’t drilling it, but once there is a big diversity in abilities and speeds, then it has to go back to single echelon.

And what is weird and amazingly right is that the guys in the field that are trying to control the field, and usually catch the break, they nearly always ride in a single echelon, leaving a rider at the front for long periods, going the speed that suits him. So, you have a break, riding inefficiently trying to win and the field riding efficiently. No wonder so many breaks fail to make it to the line.

And as long as we’re talking about yesterday final break, what’s the deal with the hand position that Sanchez was using at the end. I’ve seen a few other guys doing it? I really don’t get the weird hand positions. The one that Luis Leon was using doesn’t make any sense. I can sort of understand the aero bar, no hands on the bars style, but to wrap you hands around your brake levers backwards, is dumb. Why not just put your hands over your brake levers the normal way. You’d have way more stability and control. I’m wondering if he thinks he’s getting more aero in that position, maybe he thinks his arms are narrower. It doesn’t seem like it. I’m worried that there are a bunch of young guys out there honing their skills at this new technique right this very moment. Heaven forbid.

The remaining 4 from yesterday’s break, chasing Sanchez. Doesn’t surprise me that they didn’t catch him.

And, Luis Leon’s hand position. Do you think he sometimes trains with his hands like this? That would amaze me.