It is only one way to respond to this bad start and that is for Remco to attack with menace tomorrow!Like i said in a earlier post, the team looked pretty physically strong today before they totally fell asleep in the end!The question is when to attack!
Personally i would let the other teams (Alpecin,UAE,Visma and Lidl) do all the work at the front of the peloton until the sprint with 54k to go. Put the whole team in front in the town of Etaples with 50k to go, after this there is a lot of hills(6-7) until the finish.
Use the team as a sprint train/launching pad for Remco’s attack and start with the weakest climbers to go steadily all out in this ordrer: Van Lerberghe,Merlier, Eenkhoorn, Schachmann, Cattaneo, Van Wilder .VPP will finish the team work on the steep 3rd category with 30k to go. Over the Top of this climb Remco need to attack and make it like a one day classic (LBL) sort of race. Ofcourse Pog,MVDP and Vinge will follow, but it probably will not be more than a handfull of other riders who can keep up with the pace.
Remco has to use these hilly stages to try and do som damage to the other 3rd place candidates before the big mountains. If it does not work and he looses time, so be it, atleast he tried and would be great for team morale if they suceed.