14 DAY TRIAL // Stage nine is the one that could actually decide the winner of the Polka Dot Jersey, the one that is awarded for those who win the most points awarded for climbers.
There are some changes to how the classification is created this year, designed to make sure that pure climbers are encouraged to work for the Polka Dot, and this stage, which has no less than seven climbs could show us who the big favorite for it is.
I again plan to get a rider in the breakaway, either Feillu or Fuglsang.
I would really like to keep the Danish man as a helper for the Schleck brothers in the mountains, but Feillu might not have the power to keep up with the breakaway which means that I will have to be very careful in running the stage and make the right decision.
Usually a team that aims to get win Le Tour de France in Paris does not bother too much with sprints and other classifications, but I will create a small handicap for myself by also trying to get the Pola Dot Jersey.
But as always the best plans tend to disintegrate when confronted to reality.
My break went nowhere fast and the numerous climbs, although not very tough, split the peloton up, with Frank Schleck, the second best mountain man in my team, being caught out in one of the last groups.
Even though he rode like a madman, on high effort for close to 60 km, there were not enough quality riders in his group to catch up to the favorites, which is quite a hit for Leopard-Trek in the team classification.
Yet again, Sylvain Chavanel managed to bridge up to the break in the last half of the stage and then go on to win the stage while Andy again put some time into Contador.
Oh, and I lost the Yellow Jersey, which might actually be a blessing in disguise.
Take a look at how the ninth stage played out in Pro Cycling Manager 2011 and compare it with the real life race that took place today: