Time bonuses...
 

How much would tactics change if the time bonuses went up to 30 sec for intermediate sprints and 2:00 for a stage win? I'd like to see more GC action on the flat stages. How cool would it be to see Basso or Ullrich (sp?) take off in a break to win intermediate time bonuses to make up time on Lance.

How much would the time bonuses have to be increased before it would make these teams think about contesting even during the flat stages?

I think every stage would be an absolute train wreck as 200 riders all scrable for the front on those stages.

I think it would spectrally vary with the riders. The sprinters would do it for little extra since their going for points anyway. Those GC or climber contenders with sprinting skills would likely do so for a little more.

The sprinters would be the GC contenders.

What he said!

Boonen would be in yellow with around a 2:00 lead already.

I don't think it would really change anything with the possible exception of team makeup. But in general GC contenders can not sprint as fast as sprinter so they will not beat them. And sprinters can not climb so the would still not make it to GC. Robbie McEwen won the green jersey last year and finished almost 3 hours down so 2 minutes for 10 stages would not change anythings. The biggest potentail change is that every GC team would bring a sprinter to simply take the time such that the other GC contenders would not get it. But I don't believe it would not change a thing.