<\/p>\n
The incident raised immediate questions about who was at
\nfault. Biniam Girmay\u2019s teammate and Bryan Coquard were both involved in the
\nincident that sent Philipsen crashing. But after reviewing the footage, the
\ncrew wasn\u2019t quick to assign blame.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to look at where this started. I don\u2019t think
\nanyone\u2019s to blame,\u201d Armstrong said. \u201cIt\u2019s an occupational hazard of what those
\nguys are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tim Merlier came away with the win, but not without some
\nlate-stage improvisation. According to Hincapie, it was one of the more
\nimpressive finishes he\u2019s seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe essentially came up on the side of the peloton on his
\nown and seemed to be going 10k an hour faster than the lead-out train,\u201d
\nHincapie said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t even need his teammates there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Armstrong added: \u201cHe was right there. He knew. It was tight,
\nbut he knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Merlier won, and now leads the green jersey
\ncompetition, the conversation turned to Jonathan Milan, whose raw power and
\nunusual sprinting form have made him a talking point, \u201cHe looks like he\u2019s all
\nover the bike… head all over the place, sitting up high, a big guy,\u201d
\nArmstrong noted.<\/p>\n
Wiggins added context to Milan\u2019s pedigree: \u201cThis is a guy
\nwho is the world record holder for the 4,000 meter individual pursuit which is
\nsub four minutes for four kilometers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crashes weren’t confined to Philipsen. Several riders went
\ndown, sparking concern over the finish layout and safety measures. Wiggins
\nquestioned the route design, \u201cI thought we were making the sport safer\u2026 That
\nfinish straight today was something I haven\u2019t seen for a while,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Wiggins recalled when the Tour organizers used to take more
\nproactive steps, \u201cThere was a time when ASO would remove road furniture in the
\nlast five or six km\u2026 We seem to have got away from that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another incident involved Remco Evenepoel, who went down in
\na crash just two days before the time trial after having already having a mixed
\nstart to the Tour. The team\u2019s day was mixed, a stage win from Merlier, but bad
\nluck for their GC contender. Hincapie speculated on the team mood, \u201cThe morale
\nis going to be a lot higher at the dinner table tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wiggins wasn\u2019t so sure. \u201cTheir man for the GC is lying on
\nthe floor\u2026 There\u2019s no cohesion from the sort of split in terms of their
\nobjectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
He drew comparisons to Team Sky\u2019s 2012 Tour, where internal
\nfriction boiled over, \u201cThat caused a lot of friction within the team\u2026 Cav
\nwanting to win stages and green,\u201d Wiggins recalled. \u201cAt some point, riders like
\nme, I intervened and said I do the lead-outs\u2026 acting as mediator.\u201d<\/p>\n
That led into a detailed breakdown of Mark Cavendish\u2019s
\nsprint setup, a rare insight into the mechanics of the dramatic sprints we see
\nat the Tour: \u201cCav would always say to us, \u2018You do your job. I\u2019ll find you. Do
\nnot look back for me,\u2019\u201d Wiggins said. \u201cHe would be calculating all the time,
\nbut he would somehow always find you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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