an interesting sidelight of the race is the 'political' and gentleman's agreement to allow certain riders to 'win' a stage when they 'could' be beaten, but have ridden well, and are in their home town, or sentimental favorites..etc... as long as it doesn't affect the overall results or cost a serious contender a lot of points. Armstrong let Heras win a stage one year when he probably could have beaten him..and a few similar things happen each year..

Also, there is a sort of agreement that if a major contender has a bad fall or flat tire, his opponent will slow down a bit to allow the 'competition' to continue....which ultimately is good for publicity and viewership. (and next time it might be YOU that has the bad luck!)