Lean too far forward, and the rear wheel slips out. It's only about 25 pedal strokes, but each gets tougher than the last. A the top, your body aches for a moment to relax. Just at the top, when everyone is hurting from the hill, the strongest riders try to escape. This is the best place on the course to move up towards the front, make up for lost position, or launch a successful attack.
Nobody wants to respond.
They just want a second to recover. Sometimes the stretch between the top of the hill and the next turn is the toughest part of the race. A comfortable banked right onto Belmon, then a bit of a rise before the fast descent. Bachman opens up a little bit before a high-speed right turn back onto Tait for the finishing straight. And finally, the sprint.