# Should one (be allowed to) replace the Cippolini's?

## TL;DR

This paper explores the implications of allowing rider replacements during multi-stage races and how adjusted team rankings based on completed riders could influence race dynamics and management.

## Contribution

It introduces a statistical approach using Kendall-$ au$ coefficients to analyze the impact of rider replacements on team rankings in multi-stage races.

## Key findings

- Significant differences in team rankings when using adjusted indicators.
- Variety in results significance highlights the usefulness of adjusted measures.
- Adjusted rankings could promote more competitive and attractive races.

## Abstract

One examines and discusses proposals on whether riders could be replaced in a team during multi-stage races, and how much a team final time at the end of the race would change (be "adjusted") if only the riders having completed the race are taken into account for ranking teams. A few results of the two main multi-stage races, the men Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, are used as case studies. The impact of disqualification later on, due to doping, much after the end of such a race, is also examined in the case of two Tour de France. The statistical discussion is based on the Kendall-$\tau$ coefficients for comparing team ranks at the end of these multi-stages races cases. One observes that there are significant differences in the results of the discussed measures. It is shown that there is much variety in results significance, whence demonstrating many interests of the "adjusted indicators". Moreover, it is argued that the "adjusted" rank indicator would promote more competitive and more attractive daily stages and lead to more valuable race management.