14 DAY TRIAL // Gap is one of the best-known names for Tour de France fans because this was the place where Lance Armstrong came closest to end his career, after moving through a field on the descent, while Joeba Beloki fell and lost the race and his status as a top cyclist in the exact same spot.
Andy Schleck also had issues with the descent from the Col de Manse, and the irregular nature of the road can pose problems to even the most seasoned riders.
As I mentioned before, Pro Cycling Manager 2015 has some problems with its simulation of descents, so it is unclear how much my own version of Le Tour will be affected by the climb and the downhill section that leads to the finish.
The stage comes before the second and final rest day, and that means a lot of riders will feel emboldened to attack and to try to achieve their goals, which might lead to some nervous moves.
I might try to get someone in the break to have some more control over the stage, but my priority will be to stay in the top ten.
Prediction: Contador will throw himself downhill in order to get both time and the stage win in the real world, while in the game I plan to get Franck Schleck to the end first.
Yesterday, the sprinter managed to keep the breakaway from succeeding, and Greipel managed to take a hard earned win.
Gap and a second helping of victory
The best laid plans and all that create a situation where the only man who actually has the power to keep up with the other favorites is once again Bauke Mollema, this time guided uphill by Arredondo, a solid climber who seems to have bad form almost all the time.
The stage is actually significantly less difficult than it seems at first sight and I am actually a little amazed that no team managed to close down the gap I opened up in the final meters of the climb and then managed to hold on while we sped downhill to the finish line.
This is the second victory of Mollema, and it feels good, even if I did not gain too much time.
Ironically, Frank Schleck, who I wanted to guide to victory, has abandoned.
Unfortunately, this Trek victory will remain undocumented because of some technical issues.