Originally Posted by peripatetic
So then, does this mean that if there is a breakaway, the lead rider in the breakaway will receive the points for a given sprint/mtn checkpoint? And when you say 'those in contention,' do you mean every rider in the lead group, or are there specific, designated sprinters?
The teams designate what each rider will do. Some teams go to specifically put someone in one of the 4 jerseys by Paris. Discovery and before it , Postal were focused on the Yellow, the overall GC. Other teams go to win the Sprint jersey or the Mtn jersey. It's damn complcated and even after 20 years of following it, I still learn something new every year.