Strong riders lose contact during sprints

[Radunion]

in the 21h Giro we noticed that some riders lost contact during sprint that form our experience should not. Last stage (stage 17) it was my 54 sprint rider that lost contact when a 64 sprinter launched. My energy at the start of the sprint was likely between 700 and 800, so this should not be an issue. Stage 14 was even more striking when Halkin (86 sprint) lost contact when Carassco (89 sprint) launched. As Halkin is Medical Service's main sprinter energy should have been no issue at all in this case. There were some other instances I do not remember exactly, so it is not isolated.

Has anything changed in sprint or could there be in issue in the sprint calculation?

[Robyklebt]

Same issue for Toulet the other day.

Reason is most likely that there were people "blocking" them in the new lane. Both your sprints, stage 15 and 12 btw, the same. A bit strange on stage 12 since it would seem that it's Wooley that would be the one suffering, but somehow he came through, Halkin the victim. And the ones behind Halkin of course should be in trouble too if Halkin is, but they kept Halkin's wheel, did the usual lane exchange with the lane that blocked Halkin. But somehow now the first in the lane seems to be a problem more often, don't really remember it happening all that often in the past.. but some breaking up for mysterious reasons sometimes has happened before too, just didn't seem as often? Maybe didn't pay enough attention.

But in all 3 cases, 2 here plus Toulet, there's a guy in the lane around where the wheel dropping rider attempts to go, so that's it.

[Radunion]

Yes this is a possible explanation. But first, I cannot remember this in the past, maybe when it was really crowdy but not with just 2 lines. Second I fear this will be used when the behavior is consistent.

[flockmastoR]

Yes this is a possible explanation. But first, I cannot remember this in the past, maybe when it was really crowdy but not with just 2 lines. Second I fear this will be used when the behavior is consistent.

I saw this quite often in the past. And it is used since forever as a tactical element. It doesn't depend on the number of lines, but more on the length of the trains. If there are just single riders blocking the lane and next to this single riders there is enough space they get pushed out of the way. But don't ask me where the limits of these behaviour are. I tried to figure out by trying to use this behaviour. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

[Robyklebt]

In the Toulet case it was a single rider in the go to lane. And I think in stage 15 at 21h too, if I remember correctly.

[flockmastoR]

In the Toulet case it was a single rider in the go to lane. And I think in stage 15 at 21h too, if I remember correctly.

Yeah, its hard to really understand it, sometimes one rider is pushed out of the way, sometimes not. Don't know if it has something to do with whom these isolated rider follows (follow the lead out resulting in a criss-cross movement vs sprint left when pushing left is my explanation idea)