Is Dan Martin right about GC men Vs sprinters in Tour gallops?

The video of the very stage final after which Cavendish made his complaints about Team Sky backs up Dan Martin completely. In the shot above, the leading clutch of riders are sprinting hard for the line. But the Katusha, Lotto-Soudal and Dimension Data riders further back - to the left and right of photo - are sitting up. In the clip below they can be seen drifting back into the path of those behind who need to prevent a gap of one second or more opening so they don't lose time in the general classification.

After winning stage 3 of the Tour de France on Monday, Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) suggested the general classification men were looking to take advantage of any time splits in the bunch and, as a result, they were getting mixed up in the sprints when they should stay away.

Tinkoff's Peter Sagan, who has just been deposed from the yellow jersey, echoed those sentiments.

Video: Legless Dan Martin needs help to stay upright at stage 5 end

And now Dan Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) has entered the debate, saying any sprinter giving out about the general classification contenders getting involved at the front of the bunch during flat finals should look a little closer to home.

Martin said the video of the final of the stage Cavendish won clearly shows the sprinters' lead-out men letting gaps open, implying the GC men were simply trying to ensure they didn't get caught out by that and lose time.

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Any sprinters teams complaining about GC guys being in the front, watch the video and see all the leadout men leaving big gaps in last km

— Dan Martin (@DanMartin86) July 4, 2016

And the clip of the final kilometre on stage 3, below, supports Martin in showing the lead-out men sitting up at several junctures.

A group of them - especially from Lotto-Soudal and Katusha - sits up in the final 100 metres all at the same time.

The effect of them doing that creates gaps in the bunch, though luckily this time around none of the spaces were big enough to cause a time split.

But this video - of the very final Cavendish was complaining about Team Sky getting involved - demonstrates exactly what Martin is saying; it's the lead-out men creating the spaces that the GC men are trying to neutralise by getting into the thick of the final.

So if they want those battling for the overall to stay away from the sprints, maybe they should find a less disruptive way for their lead-out men to get out of the way after their jobs are done?