Just thinking outside of the box until the end of the stage is near. What would happen if a team decided to start their full sprint tactics, leadout, etc. at double or triple the distance that they normally do. Could they in theory tire out sprinters such as Cavendish so he is spent before the line?
Here is an example. Let's say that for some reason Garmin does not think Farrar can beat MC today. But they have Thor and Millar. Could they ramp it up into full sprint stage end mode with say 3-5 kilometers to go and gas all of the sprinters so a time trialist type could win the stage?