Yeah. Say you are in the peloton and your guy is wearing the Yellow Jersey (
maillot jaune). Then there is a break away, say, 5 guys make a jump and then start working a perfect pace line. Do you have two of your domestiques get to the front of the peloton and try and chase down the break away? Well, it depends. Who is in the break away? Keep in mind the riders have radios and talk with the team captain and coach. First thing you need to know: is one of the riders in the break away capable of taking away the Yellow Jersey based on cumulative time? Is one of the guys in the break away someone on your team that could win the stage? Winning one stage of the Tour is a big deal. However, you can lose every stage and still win the race based on overall time. What if there is another team who hates someone in the break away and they are willing to work with your team to chase them down? And on and on....
One of the unique unwritten rules is that if two riders are in competition for winning the stage and one will get the Yellow Jersey, he lets the other guy win the stage.
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This is the thing, in the Tour I'd say the unwritten rules matter much more than the written rules. No one seems to have ever given a fuck about doping, but if there is a
pause pipi you better damn well stop.
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That answered a question I have had for a long time.
That's more of an exception. Most of the time they roll up their shorts and hang their dick out and piss.