The Best Last Man Lead Out Cyclists
Lead out cyclists are undervalued. If your team has a strong sprinter but not a strong lead out to back them you're almost dice rolling on every finish - especially if there's headwinds.
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Without a strong lead out the sprinter in question will be forced to fend for himself and potentailly borrow some slipstream from another lead out train if they're lucky.
And while the whole lead out train needs to function well for the best chance for the team's sprinter to win, the key piece of the puzzle is the "last man". The last man refers to the last rider who drops or allows the lead sprinter to jump out of their slip stream moments before the line.
When you're looking for a strong last man, you're looking for someone who is a decent sprinter in their own right, and also someone who has a large amount of surface area to be able to block the wind as necessary for the lead sprinter behind. Just like super domestiques, there's only so many riders in the peloton that can fill that role.
Below are some of the best that we've noted over the years that fill that slot. It should allow you a better idea of if a team has a strong chance to win the sprint given who they're bringing. We'll continue to add to this list as we learn, but if they're not listed here you may want to second guess your bet (eg. Cavendish/Astana 2023's non existent lead out train)
