Tour de France Tactics

The Tour de France is a three-week aerodynamic chess match. Teams of eight riders sacrifice themselves to protect their leader. Domestiques ride at the front for hours, burning through their energy reserves to keep their team leader sheltered from the wind.

On flat stages, teams drive the pace at the front to prevent breakaways or protect a sprinter for the finish. In the mountains, the peloton dissolves — climbing eliminates the aerodynamic advantage because speeds drop low enough that gravity dominates over drag.