14 DAY TRIAL // No rider in the world of professional cycling, even if he were drugged up to his gills with EPO and other medicine, would be able to race every day for three weeks and maintain a solid form.
Therefore, each Grand Tour includes two rest days, strategically positioned to allow riders to recuperate and teams to perform some reconnaissance work on the coming stages.
In Pro Cycling Manager 2012 rest days mean wasted time because the player cannot directly influence the way his riders regain energy after the race.
Aspects like alimentation, massage, sleeping in an oxygen chamber, doctor check-ups or before-the-race team meetings are not simulated by the game, although the series will need to tackle them at some point as long as it wants to become an extensive simulation of the sport.
In the real world, riders can’t spend one full day without being in the saddle for at least a few hours, which means that they will take a leisurely ride and maybe see the town where they are staying.
Strategy is an important part of the sport and the leaders of the teams and the directeur sportifs will use the rest days to talk to their team and sketch out how they plan to approach the remaining race days.
So far my PCM 2012 re-creation of this year’s Le Tour de France is going pretty well.
Frank Schleck might have lost time during the time trial, but there are more mountains where I can shake off the opposition and the team seems prepared to perform their support jobs when called upon.
I also have the Mountain Polka Dot jersey for Montfort.
Again, I must mourn the loss of Fabian Cancellara, one of the best time trialists in the world and a rider who can also do his share of work during mountain stages.