Tag: Almost

‘Friends for (Almost) a Day’: The Economics of a Breakaway

Toolbox: A breakaway in a cycling race is a hotbed of intrigue, with friends working together for the common good while also plotting their betrayal of the group as a whole. What are the factors that actually enhance the odds that the early breakaway takes it all the way to the line?Van Vleuten tore up not just the Worlds, but also all economic models.Efforts like Annemiek van Vleuten at Yorkshire Worlds is an extreme outlier, with a solo long-range breakaway from 105km out succeeding. Outside of that, most professional mens WorldTour racing follows a relatively predictable pattern, with an early breakaway establishing itself. There then follows a prolonged period leading up to the finish, where the break may or may…

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