14 DAY TRIAL // Yes, the Massif Central is not made of the highest peaks in France, but this eighth stage still manages to be a very different affair than the one before it, which was pretty much tailored for sprinters.
This time around, we have a lumpy stage one which has a Second Category climb before the finish and ends on the top of a Third Category one.
The technical details of how climbs are categorized are pretty complicated and I could not recite them by heart, but someone who wants to get into cycling needs only know that a second category climb is a decent test for a climber and a general classification rider and that the truly legendary climbs are marked HC, meaning Hors Categorie.
The first half of the stage was pretty smooth sailing, but then I noticed that the sprinter teams were not pulling on the front anymore, which makes sense given the profile of the stage, and I needed to move and almost exhaust two of my riders to get close to the breakaway.
The group of riders got really broken up after the first climb near the finish and the real fight happened on the way to the sky station (most high altitude finishes take place in such stations).
It seems that after the Team Time Trial, I have a little problem with actually winning a stage as my efforts were again rewarded with the second and third positions while Sylvain Chavanel managed to take first place after also animating the break of the day, a pretty good display for the diminutive French rider.
I still have the Yellow Jersey and I plan on keeping it for as long as possible before making the switch to Andy Schleck, probably on Stage 12.
Take a look at how the 8th stage played out in Pro Cycling Manager 2011 and compare it with the real life race that took place today: