pedalfaster said that "cycling IS a team sport" and nothing could be more true. At a club level most people race as individuals and will make alliances on the day as suits them to be in the best possible position at the end, but at an elite level you race as a team. There are lots of great riders, but would they have been as great without such fantastic groups of riders behind them? Who knows, maybe, maybe not. It's the same for all the other riders - the hill climbers and the sprinters, well every sprinter needs a good lead-out man.