Where was USPS in the Tour of Flanders? Why weren't they up front pulling to catch the break?

postal had 3 riders in lead group (Cruz, George and Max) after all teams had been decimated. USPS as a team had fared well with only T-Mob and Lotto seeming to fare better. Problem wasn't team, the lead chase group (that George was in) had every big gun in it. (Johann, Van Petegem, Boonen, Bettini, George, etc...) any rider trying to escape would be marked and used to pull group to lead, in essence you wind up 'pulling' your competitors into a position to win at your expense. George made two great attacks but couldn't break from the group. There was too much firepower so while all the heavy hitters were 'marking' each other, the winning trio made their escape. Dekker who made a great attack was left pulling two riders who wouldn't pull as they had a team mate each in the lead trio, truly stuck him in no mans land.

Gotta disagree, Hincapie looked in panic mode when he tried those early attacks before the Muur because it was unclear at that point if the group up the road was going to be pulled back or not. Boonen and Bettini seemed unsure about whether to chase or not with Bettini making gesticulations and pointing behind. I think because a group with some QS domestiques were about to catch back onto their group. If George had a team around him, he could have put them on the front and had them working to bring back the break to save himself for the Muur and the Bosberg and not wasted himself on attacks that were marked by Boonen. Anyway, when OLN cut ahead QS domestiques were pulling it all back together as they went into Geraardsbergen for the Muur. Hincapie started the Muur in the front but simply didn't have the legs to follow Bruylandts and Hoste when they tacked onto the acceleration of Wesseman at the top. The chasing group reformed on the descent, and when it leveled off that is when the Dekker, Flecha, Klier, van Bon group went away. Hincapie could have gone with them if he had the legs, Bettini as well but he may have been riding for Museuuw still at that point. Anyway if anyone had super legs they could have crossed on the Bosberg to the Dekker group, although getting up to the Wesseman group would have been a monumental task by then.

I think Paolo was riding for Boonen and Johann at that point. it just seems to me at that late stage of the race on those narrow, hilly roads the doms role is quite restricted. those climbs are too short and steep to need 'help' it's all power and granted he could have used some 'team' pacemaking but they had enough horsepower in that group to catch, had they organized and not played 'cat and mouse'. I think his 2 early attacks would have been better served if he'd have gone with Dekker, but that's all monday morning QBing. He made good decisions at G.W. today and got 4th, still outsprinted by Boonen.