I think the break down of the riders times goes like this…
There are individual time trial days where you set your own time early in the race, and there are team time trial days where you work to bring your overall team time up.
As far as peleton race days, if everybody starts at 00,00 and there’s a break away of three riders that stays ahead of the pack for the entire race; the break away riders may finish at 30,00 and the peleton finish at 30,03… everyone in the break away will have finished 3 minutes ahead of the entire field and there time will reflect as much based upon what their individual time was at the start of the race.
However, if you stay with the pack you’re time doesn’t change in regard to the rest of the field, you just add time to your individual time and don’t make any time on the leaders of the race.
All I know is that Lance is a god on two wheels.
I hope he crushes it this year and shuts up all the critics and naysayers.
Also, a win for Lance would be huge for cancer research, and we all need to support that!