14 DAY TRIAL // The usual position among cycling lovers when it comes to the first week of Le Tour is that it's there to allow the smaller teams a few chances of breakaways and to make sprinters battle for the flat, long final straights.
The big men in the peloton, which is a French way of referring to the group of cyclists, are supposed to stand back, get some protection from team mates, keep well fed and hydrated and wait for the mountains to roll around so that they can make their mark.
In 2011 the organizers, the Amaury Sports Organization, have taken a slightly different approach which resulted in a first stage of Le Tour that is pretty much flat for the first 190 km only to kick significantly up in the last few kilometers, making it a little difficult for sprinters and their teams.
Both in real world and simulated cycling, the biggest problem with flat stages is that they have a burst of excitement early on as a group of riders try to escape the group and gain a solid lead, so creating a breakaway, and a burst of excitement at the end while most of the stage is rather boring, with teams chasing, eating, bringing up water and sometimes trying to create echelons if the conditions allow it.
Pro Cycling Manager 2011 is very close to the real thing when it comes to these kinds of stages and quickly a break is established and I push the button which introduced 8X time acceleration (if only real life would have that) and sit back, only getting Maxime Montfort to the front in the last 50 km in order to bring the break back and set up a mass sprint.
Here I could play two cards: Benatti, my pure sprinter, who is at a disadvantage because of the uphill in the last km, or Cancellara, my time trial specialist, who can power ahead and try to take the stage.
Unfortunately, I fail to match the pace of the peloton in the last 10 km and I lose my chance at a stage victory, with Oscar Freire from Radobank, who can do a bit of climbing and sprints well, taking the win and Cavendish, from HTC, managing a surprising second place.
Here are the last 10 kilometers of the first stage of Le Tour de France: