and like, call it sentiment, but i can't think of a team that would decide to stop protecting their designated GC leader entirely while he's wearing the leaders' jerseyThat's OK. But Sunweb could have won the race had they known the future. That's the point.
There were stages where they could have played different. But bottom line they didn't know their true opponent was early, and they didn't truly know who was stronger in the mountains early either.