Tour de France 2020 | Stage 3 (Nice - Sisteron, 198 km)

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Let's say that the injury came from sprinting. You still need to sprint to accumulate more points if you are trying to keep the jersey for as long as possible. You don't just rest on your laurels.
If I was DS, I would have told him to:
  1. sprint yesterday to hold off Cosnefroy by 7 places, so he could already have gotten the jersey today;
  2. sit up once it was mathematically sure he would have the jersey and save his legs for tomorrow, because guaranteed the battle would go on.

I feel for Perez now and maybe it wasn't stupid, but if he got that flat because he was too much focused on points he doesn't even need today (he just needs to roll in), it's a bit stupid.
 
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If I was DS, I would have told him to:
  1. sprint yesterday to hold off Cosnefroy by 7 places, so he could already have gotten the jersey today;
  2. sit up once it was mathematically sure he would have the jersey and save his legs for tomorrow, because guaranteed the battle would go on.
I feel for Perez now and maybe it wasn't stupid, but if he got that flat because he was too much focused on points he doesn't even need today (he just needs to roll in), it's a bit stupid.
He would have had to finish 21 places ahead of Cosnefroy yesterday, in a group of 21 riders. He apparently tried to get a gap on the Col de Quatre Chemins, but was unable to. I'm sure he tried to sprint in the group, but BC had the same plan.
After a puncture, the best way of trying to save his legs was to get back into the bunch rather than ride 100km odd on his own.
 
If I was DS, I would have told him to:
  1. sprint yesterday to hold off Cosnefroy by 7 places, so he could already have gotten the jersey today;
  2. sit up once it was mathematically sure he would have the jersey and save his legs for tomorrow, because guaranteed the battle would go on.
I feel for Perez now and maybe it wasn't stupid, but if he got that flat because he was too much focused on points he doesn't even need today (he just needs to roll in), it's a bit stupid.

Ad 1. You don't think Cosnefroy would just be in his wheels? As I wrote in the other thread, they had literally raced each other up the final climb.
 
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Ad 1. You don't think Cosnefroy would just be in his wheels? As I wrote in the other thread, they had literally raced each other up the final climb.
I based my comment on sporza suggesting Perez needed 7 places up from Cosnefroy. I guess they had some kind of agreement not to sprint after Perez couldn't drop Cosnefroy on 4 chemins, because if not, 7 spots looked 'easy' if you saw them coming in halfway that group of 21.
I really feel for Perez now as it looks like he fully relied on his team car and it turns out he has a collapsed lung and open rib fracture as well!