14 DAY TRIAL // After three days in the Netherlands and in Belgium, the race returns to France and the organizers are continuing to offer surprises, with the peloton this time around asked to negotiate some relatively tricky cobblestones sections.
Cycling is a sport where the riders who are capable when it comes to cobbled spring classics tend to have no chance in the grand tours and the other way around, which means that this stage tends to generate a solid amount of fear in the big teams.
The problem is not that some contenders might lose time compared to their rivals but that a fall at a bad time or getting separated from the rest of the team basically means that there's no chance for them to win Le Tour at all.
Most teams tend to bring a solid spring cobbled classics rider in order to guide the leader of the team through the course, but even that effort can sometimes backfire.
I have Fabian Cancellara in my lineup, and I am currently torn between trying to win the stage with him and using him to make sure that Bauke Mollema reaches the end of the stage well placed.
Prediction: Spartacus takes the stage in PCM 2015, but unfortunately, he is out of the real-world event.
Yesterday, Rodriguez took the win, while Valverde was nowhere to be seen.
Boonen is the hero of the day
Tom Boonen is a controversial figure in the peloton, but no one can dispute his skills when it comes to racing over cobblestones.
PCM 2015 gives an advantage to well-timed long range attacks, and the Belgian managed to surprise the rest of the riders with a move that saw him gain time that even my best riders and other dedicated efforts from other teams were unable to bring him back.
I chose to split my forces, with Cancellara trying to close down Boonen and win a stage, while Mollema sought to stay as close to the front as possible.
In the end, my leader was tenth, which is a good result and means that he took one minute on Contador and other favorites.
I still have the Yellow Jersey, which is a great honor, but I am frustrated by the fact that I am unable to get a stage win for Trek Factory Racing.
Here's a full recording of the longest stage in Tour de France played in PCM 2015:
