Stage 3 of the 1987 Tour de France covered the 137 miles from Karlsruhe, Germany to Stuttgart, Germany….and was known as a “plains stage”…..due to the fact that there were no mountains to traverse ….which amounted to a very flat course for the riders…..which a two riders, SUI Erich Maechler and POR Acacio da Silva, the opportunity to break away from the peleton…..and build a significant enough lead to carry the two to the finish line…..which Acacio da Silva eventually won…..by a one minute margin over the second group to break away from the main group…..as Stage 3 is described by CBS’s Phil Liggett.
What becomes increasingly interesting to those of us who don’t know a great deal about professional cycling….is the realization that the best cyclists in the Tour de France have to be outstanding in three main areas of cycling….time trials, flat surface road racing and mountain climbing…..and if a rider wants to become a champion of a race like the Tour de France…..then that rider must be exceptional in at least two of those disciplines….and better than average in the third discipline…..otherwise, there is no way a rider could win the Tour if they weren’t that good….so, winning a stage or two race is really all that they could achieve.
