“You have to be in within a certain time of the winner. That time limit is different for every stage. In a flat ride that is often not that difficult, that often 10% of the winning time is. In a mountain stage with many climbs, the limit is sometimes set to 25%,” says cyclist Jesper Rasch who runs for Parkhotel Valkenburg.
For the sprinters it is therefore surviving in the mountain stages. “They are very concerned about that. Beforehand they look at the profile of the stage. The team leaders in the car also often calculate how long they have to cross the finish line. Based on that, they will accelerate or take it easy,” said Rasch.