Anyone thinknig the time limits have been sort of a joke? Like 30 minutes on reduced sprint stages, mountain stages that half a pan flat first half getting almost 50 minutes, etc.
I'll assume from your post that these times are more lenient than normal. Which begs the question why?
- Because riders form is perhaps less reliable and predictable this year so we cut them some slack?
- To do Quickstep and Bennett a favour?
- Because riders are taking the proverbial by calling for earlier or slower grupettos?
- To try and make the competition for stage wins more dynamic by having Sunweb style tactics of taking a day off to recover?
- because they are clamping down more on drafting and strategcially placed sticky bottles?
- Something to do with post Covid logistics, weather conditions, Prudhomme's absence, what side of the bed a commissar gets out of in the morning?
Personally I think the cut off times are essential to prevent Chippolini type characters riding the event. If you are missing a reasonable cut off time then you are either the wrong body type for a GT (think Chris Hoy) or are significantly unwell in a way that means your team should not be forcing you to carry on.
It should absolutely be a viable tactic for Bora for example to test Bennett's climbing and descending prowess (albeit I'm confident Bennett would be making the cut off from previous years), so it is a shame if that tactic is being denied.