Breakaways work when the peloton misjudges the gap or when too many teams expect someone else to chase. The maths is simple but brutal: one or two riders fighting the wind at full effort versus 150 riders sharing the load. Most breakaways are caught in the final 20-30km when sprint teams organise the chase. But when the break contains riders who are no threat to the GC and the sprinters' teams miscalculate the gap, the break sticks — and those are some of the best days in cycling. The tactical game is in who chases: if no single team takes responsibility, the break's advantage grows while the peloton plays poker.