Things have mellowed a little since then.
I and a couple of others tend to hang at the back and pace riders (with flats, etc.) back to the bunch. If we don't quite make it back to the bunch before the next stop, no major dramas, since I/ them are captains so those riders are still with a ride captain. Don't extract the urine though. The intent is to complete the event with the bunch, to schedule.
During Paris-Nice 1000 UAF a few years ago, temperatures >40 degrees meant several overheated folk got pulled off their bikes for stints in the air-conditioned sag wagon before being put back on their bikes for subsequent sections. They got medals but no homologation.