Greig Leach

Astana hit the front of the peloton as soon as they realized that Alberto Contador (Tinkoff Saxo) was off the back of the group. The professional peloton has a long tradition of not attacking the race leader when they have a mechanical problem. Apparently, Contador had a flat tire on the previous descent so Astana saw their chance to gain time on the Maglia Rosa for their top riders, Fabio Aru and Mikel Landa. Astana had the opportunity to hide behind the excuse that Katusha had already put in an acceleration that jeopardized Landa's position on the GC. After race interviews revealed that Astana knew exactly what was going on behind and decide to not respect the age old tradition.