Quote Originally Posted by VanChilds View Post
Well I get the "Hey go get me a latte" support but I don't really understand during the actual race. I would think you would set the highest sustainable pace for each leg.
You can't. It's impossible just to race as hard as you can for all those weeks especially at that altitude. There are guys in the race who don't race to win the overall tournament but to win individual stages, and it's a big deal just like it is for a NASCAR driver to win a race. I know Lance is great climbing the mountains but the stages often have a lot of variety and it's multiple people's job on the team to set a pace that the "protected" rider can keep and also keep him in contention.