http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ex-pros-back-sky-in-valverde-crash-rowSeven out of eight consulted say Sky correct to continue echelon
A survey of former professionals by the Spanish newspaper AS has found that an overwhelming majority say Sky did not behave incorrectly when Alejandro Valverde fell and then the British team continued to drive the echelon they had just started to form seconds before the crash happened on stage 4 of the Vuelta a España.
Here's the best bit - all eight ex-racers are Spanish.
Roger Hammond made the point on the highlights program that whilst there are/were "unwritten" rules, in the past, the enforcement thereof has been reliant on there being a
patron in the peloton, a rider accorded sufficient respect and with enough clout (literally, in the case of Hinault) to get nearly 200 others to do his bidding. In the absence of a
patron, you're left with the riders trying to work it out for themselves - therefore it may be better, or easier, to do away with the "unwritten" rules and just accept that:
1) It's a bicycle race.
2) Stuff happens.
If you stop racing every time several riders show that their situational awareness or bike handling sucks, you might as well call it NASCAR on two wheels.