Precisely.
The effort needed to stay away would have cost more, than the reward is what he is saying.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
I wasn't expecting the big guns to go on lengthy solo escapades. But they had nothing to lose from riding a tempo to get rid of a few more of the hangers-on in that group. If they burn a helper or two and 10-15 people come in together? Fine. Not a problem. Instead you got a 50-man group ride as Ineos progressively slowed the tempo.
Again, compare the 2012 Giro, and how Scarponi and Basso were breathing through their noses when Hesjedal was struggling on week 1 mountains, but did nothing to distance him, and then he rode himself into form and when they did try something he was able to respond. People like Higuita, Mas and others were vulnerable today, but they might not be in a week or two's time if they ride themselves into form. Roglič is the strongest
now. Just tell Gesink to go ride at 90% on the front for a bit to get rid of some of the chaff. That's all I'm asking for.
The mindset of "wait for the next stage" makes no sense when the decisive climb on the next mountain stage is Peyresourde, the single most used major climb in the Tour, and one that everybody knows like the back of their hand exactly when to attack, when to defend. And that Peyresourde is an easier climb than Lusette so saying you don't want to gain 20 seconds here to lose 10 minutes on Saturday... I mean, when was the last time anybody of relevance lost 10 minutes on freaking Peyresourde? In 2016 there were 15 riders coming in together a few seconds behind Froome. Kuss saying there's no point in trying to gain any time unless a stage finishes on the steepest MTF means we've got a week and a half to wait before Jumbo try anything other than maybe Wout van Aert upsetting the sprinters again. There is no bad place to gain time.
If they make a route so everybody peaks in week 3, everybody will spend two weeks riding around holding each others' hands and you may as well just hold a one week race. You know, like the 2011 Tour or 2019 Giro. If we're really unlucky, they don't even wake up from their stupor then, and we get something like the 2012 Giro. The route this year was intended to make it so riders didn't all just hold station until week 3 and give us a tedious hand-holding festival for the first 2/3 of the race. It seems, however, the riders are intent on making this a one-week race and will stop at nothing to give us one.
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