TdF 2015 Day 4 - wha'happened?

So much for the over-hyped This Is The Day That Changes Things!

Possibly after yesterday's truly terrible crashes, the peloton didn't feel like taking any risks, necessary or otherwise, as they seem to have trundled along quite calmly.  Alas, I had to work this afternoon so I couldn't watch it live, but I've checked through the ticker and, apart from an unexplained FdJ tantrum, and a few "minor" crashes, all seems to have gone well.

Tony Martin did a "tony martin" and went for what Carlton Kirby delightfully calls "a squirt off the front" just over 3k from the line, and took the stage win, which also puts him into yellow. I do wonder if Team Sky were secretly happy for this - no more tiring press conferences for Froome, no more having to lead the peloton so early in the race. They certainly didn't make any effort at all to chase him down.

Now we have Tony Martin in yellow, Froome in second, just a few seconds back,  and Fabs retired from le Tour but saying that he is looking forward to the second part of the season,  which would seem to indicate that he's not about to retire just yet, although he has already said that this will be his last Tour.

So with Fabs injured again, and possibly retiring: Andy injured and retired: Jensie honourably retired, and Stuey dishonourably retired, that only leaves Jakob of my original Schleckland Crew, and he, poor boy, seems to be yoked to Nibali and not able to ride for himself ever again, let alone the horrors of being tarred with the Ass-t'na brush. I have a feeling that he might choose to slip down to pro-Conti level next season, just to get a chance to be team leader. *sigh*.

 But rather than dwelling on such sadness, I have a question which arose in my tiny cycling-addled brain the other day: if everyone standing at the roadside with those plastic flappy hand things were to wave them in the direction the race was going, just before the leader got to them, would it increase their speed at all?

This led to a question about whether all those lungs, screaming in their faces, were actually holding back the riders.

Think what you could do if your chosen rider was in a break - it would require a lot of discipline among fans, but I think it could be done:  instead of looking up the road, waiting for the first view of the riders, they would have to all turn their heads away, and shout and scream in the onward direction, as well as flapping their plastic hands, and any tea trays or pieces of hardboard they happen to have about their person. Then, as soon as your chosen rider has passed, you all have to turn back and face the chasers, shouting and screaming towards them, and flapping your flappers back in their direction.

Races could be influenced using this simple technique.

You read it here, first.

*laughs*