• News
• Races
• Photos
• Interviews
• Inside Scoop
• Gear & Gadgets

93rd Tour de France - presented by

5 July

Simoni and Saunier Duval-Prodir Updates
Wins Gain Respect

Simoni and Saunier Duval-Prodir Updates
Stage List, Stage Profile

Simoni riding, photo: Makoto.Ayano/ CyclingTime.com

Watching the peloton of the 93rd Tour de France pass by today, we were reminded of something: Wins gain respect. Race winners, and especially Grand Tour winners, like Gilberto Simoni, get that little bit of extra respect.

As Gibo, a two-time Giro d'Italia winner, streaked by today in the multi-colored peloton, we noted how he has extra space around him. Riders on other teams don't dare to get too close to a rider of Gibo's caliber for risk of crashing or bumping a champion.

When you are a first or second-year pro in the peloton it is completely different, the more experienced riders will push you around to get where they are going. They will draft behind you and then pass you when it is time to move up, with almost no space given as they pass by.

This type of activity will never happen to Simoni in the Tour de France. Riders don't want to ride too close behind, for fear of clipping his rear wheel, and when they pass Simoni they will give him about 10 more centimeters of space.

The treatment is deserved and makes getting through these first flat and dodgy stages safer for Gibo.